Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1894-07-25

CHICAGO, July 23.-Imagine a per-
fectIy equipped town Of $4,000 inhaOi-
tants built out from one central thought
10 a beautiful and harmonious whole.
A town that is bordered with bright
beds of flowers and green velvetY
stretches OF lawn that is shaded with
trees and dotted with parks and pretty
water vistas and glimpses here aud
there Of artistic sweeps Of landscape
gardening; town where the homes,
even 10 the most modest, are bright and
wholesome and filed with pure air and
light; 8 town, 10 a word, where all that
Is ugly, discordant aud demoralizing IS
eliminated and all that inspires to SELF
respect, to thrift and TO cleanliness Of
person and Of thought is generously
provided.
The foregoing is the picture George
NJ. Pullman and his favorIte superin-
tendents aud managers were wont to
point out 10 visitors at the Pullman
works a year ago and up to the time the
strike at the works was TALKED Of Such
was the fancy. Mr.. Pullman or his
lieutenants when pointing out this glow
ing picture OF this model city, as 10 -
called, either stood in the parlorS OF the
Hotel Florence, one of the best equipped
houses for the accom- mOdatiOn of guests
in the country and which has every
evidence of luxery, or In front OF one Of
the pretty little parks or stretches oil
LAWN NEAR THE WORKS.
Bat what IS the real fact, what was
the real fact, when the works one year
ago were bustling with activity? The
writer was at Pullman year ago and
again 20 day, and no further tnyestlga-
ti0u than simply going one or two
blocks away from the water tower is or
was necessary 20 show that the fancy is
far from being the fact. the flower
beds and graveled walks and velvstY
stretches OF lawn, shady trees and
pretty water vistas and the artistic
sweeps Of landscape gardening are with
in the view OF the visitor as be steps OF
the train. The casual visitor never get
beyond these. II be did popular i'm
uressiOns Of Pullman as they have been
created bv the casual visitors would be
vastly different than they are. II the
visitor would get of Florence boulevard
and on 20 Stevenson and Fulton streets,
or even two or three blocks on Watt
and Morse avenues, particularly II ne
would 20 into the northern part or the
town on Ericsson and Cottage Grove
avenue. he will say nothing more or the
beauties Of the place. II be has any re-
gard for artistic fitness the barracks and
monotOnous blocks Of ugly brick houses
contrasting with barren prairie which
surrounds them will create melancholy
depression.
Yet il is on these streets that the op-
orators live. They are strikers now,
but they still live there, but momentar-
lily fear eviction. Ii Is not on Florence
bOulyard nor within sight Of the land
scape gardening or the pretty water
vistas that the men who so long worked
ia the shops live All this beauty OF
which so much has been written is no
more part Of the lives Of the great mass
OF population than Mishigan avenue
and the lake shore drive is OF OF the
people who live In the Fifth and Six
teentn wards OF this city. Not as much,
for in Pullman there is An indehnaoie
something which tells the wOrkmen his
presence IS not wanted where the
lowers and fountains and the graveled
walks and velyety lawns are.
NEITHER ARE THE HOUSES HEALTHY.
The record shows an unusual number Of
deaths by zym0tic diseases. How much
WboIssOmeness and light there has been
10 the homes Of thousands OF the work
ingmen Of Pullman may be inferred from
the fact that in whole blocks entire fam
lilies have for years lived 10 oas room in
order that they might exc out an exist
ence by renting out the others 20 dodgers,
single men employed In the works. Hun
dreds OF families having two and three
room apartments keep bOarders, striving
10 this way 70 add enough TO the earn
iugs of the head OF the family TO su6sist.
Not alone for so long was the prOduc-
tive energy OF all the men OF family in
the town directed 10 the heavy task OF
keeping up the rent roll OF the Pullman
Company, the whole energy Of the town
was directed 20 that end. Men worked
in the shops and their wives kept board
erS. 10 took the earnings OF both host
and bOarder 10 pay the rent and keep
above the plane Of restitution.
In no community IN the world prob
ably was there such small proportion
of the families which really lived in
family privacy The condition is the
same to-day. It may be worse on &C
count OF the strike and probably is,
but 10 was bad enough when the smoke
was rolling from the mOnstrouS stacks
when the machinery was In full motion
aud when there was activity every
where. There was poverty, SqualOr
aud misery then, but no hope. There
is poverty, SQualor and misery to-day,
but the iocked-OuJ people with whom
Mr.. Pullman has refused 20 arbtrate
hope that the American Railway Union
NAV be able 20 make an opening for
them. Again, as learned 20 day from
the officials OF the company, the locked
out employees owe $50, 600 rent, which
the occupants of tbs houses haven't a
cent 20 pay, and as ore man who has
grown gray 10 the employ OF the CON-
pany and has become thoroughly dis
couraged by his years Of untiring aud
apparently reproductive toll, expressed
10 today, as be looked sadly az the
closed shops: There is no such thing
as hope for Us. We are so heavily in
debt that Pullman now owns our bodies
he will soon own our souls"
SOME IDEA OF THE WAGES
paid to female employees who were en-.
poyed In the linen department may be
learned from the following incident.
When the grievance committee visited
Mr.. Pullman az the works just after the
strike had commenced one Of the young
women said: 1--WE don't ask you, Mr..
Pullman, for our rights; we merely ask