St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-11-13
Il FAVORS LABOR.
Report Of the Strike Investi-
cation Committee Made
Public.
The REMEDIES SUGGESTED.
Permanent Strike Commits
sion With Power to Com
pei Obedience.
RECOGNIZE UNIONS BY LAW,
And Allow Of Their IncoPpo-
Pation--Proteetion Of
Employees.

CHICAGO. Nov. 12.-TheUni States
government report on the great railway
Ttrike in connection with the Pullman
trouble was made public today. The
report, which is signed by the federal
labor commissioner, Carroll ID. Wright,
and his fellow investigators. John ID.
Herman, Of New York. and Nicholas E.
WOrthingtOu, of Illinois, Is addressed TO
President Cleveland, and abOunds i'll
passages which will attract wide atten-
ton, par ticularly the portion referring
to the famous General Managers aSsO-
ciation." the organization of nigh rail
way officials that encOmpasse.1 the
memorable defeat of the American
Railway union.
The report says the capitalization of
the twenty-four railroads directly rep
resented in the General Managers as
Bociation was s.. los. 552. .617. The num-
Der of empl Dyes was 221,097 The COM
mission continues
"Thls voluntary unincorpOrated asso-
siation was formed in 1856. In its con-
StitutiOn the object or the association is
stated to be s'tne consideration of prob
lens of management arising from the
operation of railroads terminating or
centering at Chicago 1t further pro-
vides that all funds needed shall be
raised by assessments divided equally
among the members There are no
limitations as to consideration of prob
lens or funds except the will Of the
managers and the resources OF the rail-
road corporations"
Until June. 1894. the associations pos
sIbilitieS As strike lighter and wage
arbitrator lay rather dormant. Its roads
fixed "ChicagO Scale'' for switchmen,
covering all lines at Chicago. In March,
1898, the switchmen demanded more pay
from each road. The association con-
cluded that they were paid enOugh-if
anything, too much. The roads so in
formed the men. The Switchmen'S
Mutual Aid Association Of North Amer
lea wrote to Mr.. St. John. as chairman.
acquIescing. He, as chairman of the
General Managers association, cOD-
eluded his reply as follows:
1.-THE association approves the course
taken by your body, and desires to deal
fairly with all employees, and believes
that our switchmen are receiving due
consideration"
"ThIs seems to show" the report
says, "that employees upon ASSOCIATION
roads are treated as under subsection to
the general managers association" and
the report. after detailing the action of
the association in establishing agencies
and employing men, adds:
This was the first time when men
upon each line were brought
Sharply Face to Face
with the fact that in questions as to
wages, rules, etc. each line was sup
ported by twenty-four combined rail-
roads. This association likewise pre-
pared for its use elaborate schedules of
the wages paid upon the entire lines of
its twenty-fOur members. The proposed
object of these schedules was 10 let each
road know what other roads paid
Finding that the men upon some of the
lines urged increase to correspond
with wages paid elsewhere
committee of the association pre-
pared aud presented a uniform
schedule for all membership reads. II
was deemed wise not to act upon the
report. 1t was distributed to memb bers
in November. 1898. This distribution
alone enabled the report to be used with
efficiency as an 'equaiiZeT.' A IS the result,
during 1S93-it beng then we'll UNDER
stood that as 10 wages, etc, a purpose of
theGeneral Managers association was to
assist each road in case OF trouble over
sucn matters, one form of assistance
being for the association to secure men
enough through lts agencies to take the
places OF all Standardization were
here and there made on the different
roads, the tendency OF it apparently
being to eQualiZe the pay on all lines.
1T is admitted that the action of the
association has great weight with out
side lines, and this tends 10 establish
one uniform scale throughout the coun-
try The further single step of adj
mitting lines not running into Chicago
to membership would certainly have
the effect Of combining all railroads in
wage contentious against All employees
thereon
'The commission questions whether
any legal authority, statutory or other
wise, can be found to Justify some of
tie features Of the association which
have come to light in this investigation.
If we regard its practical workings.
rather than It's professions as expressed
in its constitution, the General Mana
gers ASSOCIATION mas 10 more standing
in law than the old Trunk Line pool
1t cannot incorporate. because railroad
charters do not authorize roads to form
corporations or associations to fix rates
for services and wages, nor to force
their Acceptance, nor to battle with
strikers. 1t is
UsurpatIon Of Power
not granted. If such an association is
necessary from business or economic
standpoint. the right TO form and MAIN
tam il must come from the state that
granted its charter.
In theory corporations are limited to
The powers granted either directly or by
clear Inference. We do not think the
power has been granted in either way
N this case,
"The association is an illustration O.
he persistent and Shire wdiy devised
plan Of corporations to Overreach their
limitations and to usurp indirectly
GwerS and rights not contemplated i'm
iheir charters and not obtainable from
lhe people or their legislators. An ex-
tension Of this association, as above sug-
Eested, aud the proposed legalizatiou of
pooling would result in all aggrega-
ton Of power and capital dangerous to
the people and their Liberties, as we'll as
to employees and their rights. The ques-
hon would then certainly arise as to
which shall control, the government or