Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-08-22
PULLMAN APPEALED TO
Governor Altgeld Asks Him to Pity His Starving Workmen.
PROCLAMATION ASKING FOR AID.

 AitgeId's Proposal K Jected-
 CHICAGO, Aug. Ex-Governor Altgeld spent several hours in conference with O committee of citizens of Pullman, who were called upon to give him information regarding the starving strikers He was told that 2, 436 families have been helped since the beginning of the strike and that about SEQ, 900 has been given the relief committee, all of which had been ex- pended.
 Altgeld Issues a Proclamation.
 Governor Altgeld has issued the follow ing proclamation address:
 ITO the People of the State of Illinois,
 Especially Those of the City of Chicago: ''There is great distress growing out of the want of food in and around the town of Pullman. More than 1000 families, or in the neighborhood of 5000 people, are utterly destitute. Nearly four-fifths of them are women and children. The men have endeavored to get work, but are unable to do so.
 As a rule, the men are of superior class of laboring people, industrious, capa- ble and steady, and some of them have worked for the Pullman company for more than 10 years. Those who have been given work can get food, but are still in such an impoverished condition that they cannot help their. neighbors if they would. The relief society is unable to get more supplies. On last Saturday 1t gave to each family two pounds of meat, but it shen suspended operations. leaving the people in an absolutely helpless condition. The county commissioners of Cook county and overseers of the poor have rendered some assistance, but owing to limited ap- populations they can furnish relief but for a short time.
 We can't now stop to inquire the cause of this distress. The good people of this state can't allow women and chil- dren by the hundreds to perish of hun ger. l therefore call upon all humane and charitably disposed citizens to contribute what they can toward giving relief to these people,
 Tho governor has also called upon the commissioners of Cook county to do all in their power in the matter.
 The correspondence bctweon Governor Altgcld and Mir Pullman began last Sun- day, when, In response to a number of ap- peals made to him by Pullman strikers for assistance, Governor Altgeld sent a lengthy telegram to Mir. Pullman calling his attention to the situation us set forth in the appeal and saying of the strikers: The Governor Telegraphs Pullman. Ut ia claimed th.y struck because after years of toll their loaves were so reduced that their children went hungry. Admit ting that they were wrong and foolish. they had yet served you long and well, | and you must feel some interest in them. They cannot stand on the same footing | with you, for that much must be over. looked. Tho state of Illinois has not tht least desire to mcddle in affairs of youl company, but 1t cannOS allow a whole community within its borders to perish of hunger. Tho local overscer of the pool has been appealed to- but there is limit l to what he can do.
 II can't help them very much at pres | ent, unless relief comes from some other source I shall either have to call ar extra session of the legislature to mak, special appropriation or else issue an ap l peal to the humane people of this state tC 1 give bread tO your recent employees 1t seems to me that you would prefer to relieve the situation yourself, especial | ly aS 1t has just cost the state upward o $50. .0UO tO protect your property, and n, both the state and the public have suffer | ed enormous losses on account of disturb l ances that grow out of tho trouble between your company and it's workingmen." After making a personal visit to Pull l man Governor Altgeld addressed letter to MT. Pullman, saying:
 If you will allow me, will make thii suggestion:
 If you had shut down your works last fall when you say business was poor you would not have expected 10 got an! | rent from your tenants. Now, while | dollar Is n large sum to each of these pco | pie, all the rent now duo you is com paratively small matter to you. If yor | will CaGCei ali rent to Oct. 1, you woulI bc as well off Us if you had shut down | This would Cnabl" those who arc at worl to meet their most pressing wants.
 Then 1T you cannot give work to all work some half time, so that all can a | least get something to cat for their fami lies. This will give immediate relief t, the whole situation, and then by degree Il. sist as many to go elsewhere as dosir to do so and all to whom you cannot giv work. Then in this way something lik Il normal condition could be rc-establishe, at Pullman before winter, and you woul, not be out more than you would hay been had you shut down a year ago"
 Pullman's Defense.
 ! Mir Pullman replied at length. making reference to Governor Altgeld's dcclina tion of the escort of Vice Presiden Wickcs, which fact Mir. Pullman regret ted.
 Mir Pullman then continued ''As al indication of the importance of the aid O local knowledge, making essential discrim nations may say to you that 1 have tn best reason for believing that the husban, of n wife who Is published as representing her family to you yesterday as in need O help drew moro than $l 300 of his saving from a bank on July . last for the pur pose, as he said, of buying lots.
 While 1t has not been represented t the officers Of this company by any per sons concerned that there was any sucl extended distress at Pullman as was rep resented for the first time by the extraor dinary method of a published telegram t you in your official capacity, do no doubt that there are many cases of suffer ing.
 As to those who are not at work, tn canceling of their rents Is not a question to which attention should first be givel at the present juncture of their pressing needs, us you suppose them to be. A sug gostion that the work should be divide, so that a sufficient number of our employ ecs now working should be put on hal time In order to give at least half tim work for all was tried last winter.
 The result has been that the gross earn tngs of various individuals were so smal last winter as to give an erroneous i'm pression with reforence to tho sufficisnc of the rato of wages. The policy of tn aomDany Is now to employ as many mel as is possible to furnish work for full time.''
 To this the governor replied substan tially: II see that your company refuse to do anything toward relieving the situ ation at Pullman. If you will make tn , rounds made, go into the houses of thes people, meet them face to face and tall with them, you will be convinced tha none of them has sI, 800 or any other sun of money they had U few weeks ago. l Is not for me to fix the moral responsi bility in this case. There aro nearly 6, O0 people suffering for the want of food The, | were your employees and four fths a