Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1894-11-13

CHICAGO, November 12.-The United
States government report on the great
railway strike in connection with the
Pullman trouble, was made public to-
Day The report, which is signed by
the Federal LABOR Commissioner, Car
roll D. Wright, and his fellow investi-
gators, John D. Herman. OF New York,
and Nicholas E. Worthington, Of Hi
uois, is addressed 10 President Cleve-
land, aud abounds in passages which
will attract wide attention, particularly
the portion referring to the now famous
General Managers Association" the
organization OF high railway officials
that encompassed the memorable defeat
Of the American Railway Union.
The report says the capitalization OF
the "a railroads directly represented in
the General Managers Association was
-, los. 552. .617. The number Of employees
was 22l,O97. The Commission then
shows the object of the association 10 be
the consideration of problems Of man
agement arising in the operation Of
railroads terminating in Chicago.
This association in 1894 first declared
Itself BY fixing "CnicagO scale" for
switcbmen, thus Tor the first time bring
ing the men sharply face TO face with
the fact shat each road was supported by
rwENrY-FoUR CONFINED RAILROADS.
1t was an incident Of the General
Managers Association ITO assist each
road in case OF trouble over such mat
ters, one form of assistance being for
the association 10 secure men enough
through its agencies to take the place
of all strikers. Reductions were here
and there made upon the different
roads, the tendency aud effort q pa
rently being to equalize the pay on all
lines.
Itis admitted that the action Of the
association has great weight with out
side lines aud these tend 10 establish
one uniform scale throughout the cOun-
try. The further single step Of admit
ting lines not running into Chicago 10
membership would certainly have the
effect Of combining all railroads in
wage contentiOns against all employees
thereon.
The Commission question whether
any legal authority, statutory or other
WISE can be found TO justify some Of
the features CT the association which
have come to light in this investigation.
III such an association is necessary from
a business or economic standpoint, the
right TO form aud maintain ii must
come from the State that granted It's
charter.
The association is an illustration Of
the persistent aud shrewdly devised
plan Of corporations TO overreaCh their
limitations and TO usurp Indirectly
powers and rights not contemplated in
their charters aud
NOT OBrAINABLE FROM THE PEOPLE
or their legislators. So long as rail.
roads are thus permitted to combine V
fix wages and for their joint protection,
IL would be rank Injustice to deny-the
rightof all labor uaOn railroads TO Enite
for similar purposes.
1t should be noted that upJIl the
railroads set the Example a general
union Of railroad employees was never
attempted. The unions had'B not gone
beyond enlisting the;men up6n different
systems in separate trade organizations.
These neutrslize and check each other
20 some extent and bavesnO such scope
or capacity for Eood:or sevil as is p0ssi-
bic under the unisersal combination
inaugurated by the railroads and fol-
lowed by the American Railway Union.
The refusal Of thes General Managers
Association TO recognize aud deal with
such \ combiuatpn OF labor as the
American Railway Union seems arro-
CANT and absurd.
Taking up the Subject Of the Pull.
man Palace Carr Company, the report
says:
This is = corporation organized in
1867 with q capital OF $1,000 600. 1t
mas grown unt5 its present paid up
capital is $50, 10000. It's prosperity
has enabled tbe company for over
twenty years 20 pay two per cent
quarterly divlfendS and 10 addition
10 lay uD a surpus OF nearly S25, 600, OO0
OF undivided : profits. Speaking OF
THE ToFN OF PULLMAN,
OF which the report states the company
| is owner aud lsndlord, the Commission
says its psrsonases are very attractive
structures, bur often are not occupied
because the rental required is higher
than any churrh society is willing 70
pay to obtain the gospel privileges TO be
thereby secured.
As the result OF the Pullman system
ana It's growth, when the depression OF
1898 came, morally calling for mutual
/ concessions as TO wages, rents, etc, we
| fnd on the o6e side a very wealthy and
unyielding corporation, and upon the
other a multitude 0i employees OF comDar-
atively excellent character and skill, bul
without local attachment or any inter
ested responsibility in the town, its
bvsipess, tedemenIS or surroundings.
\ae conditions created at Pullman en-
aNAthe mAsagement st all times to as
ser Fith great vigor its assumed right
,ol wages: and rents, absolutely, and
| S that sort OF Independence
St TO labor organizations and
st meditation, arbitra-
eTcs>- On the other hand.
bnomical principle gen
nized that the shutting
ch plaat an1
Its forces usually r.,