The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-08-29
THE GREAT PULLMAN STRIKE.
Vice President Wickes and Others
Testify Before the Commission


statements Of losses caused by the recent
strike. The gross loss on the Alton was
estimated at s2S6, 800 The amount Of
damage to the Lake Shore was nut at
s?,lo4. The loss in earnings was not
given, not having yet been compiled.
Charles E. Webb, chief clerk of the
Pullman bank, told a new story of the
| Jennie Curtis episode, in which il has
oeen alleged that Miss Curtis was com
pelied to pay rent on a debt owed by her
father, who died in arrears to the,com-
pany Mr., Webb said Miss Curtis offered
of her own account to do so.
General Superintendent E V. Brourb-
Ton OF the Chicago and Eastern Illinois
/ filed statement showing the loss of the
road during the strike to be 40 per cent.
OF the receipts during an ordinary wear.
General Superintendent John D. Besler
| OF the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy
road declared the property loss to be
| SlI5,O00.
Vice President Wickes of the Pullman
company then took the stand. He was
cross questioned by Chairman Wright:
Ian you tell me the average profit on
Pullman carr"
That depends on the state of business.
we have to go into competition with
other companies Sometimes the profit
IS 2 per cent. and sometimes 5, and some
times 10 per cent.
Mr.. Wickes said the company lost S51, =
600 in trying to give its men work Dur
ing this time the men contributed labor
worth $4,000. He thought, perhaps, as it
has turned out the better business policy
of the company would have been to grant
the demands of the men, but there was
principle involved which he did not
think could be ignored. If the demands
had been granted, there might have been
trouble in future years.
80 = l. - u
good business policy for the Pullman COM
pany to have sold its employees honest"
Il don't think it would have been wise
to sell lots to employees Unfortunately.
Evil influences would almost certainly
have crept in when the company lost con-
troll of the lands"
How many cars does the Pullman
company operator"
About 1900. Many of these cars are
! lying on.side tracks deterioeating. hence
the S25,O 900, 600 surplus must be taken as
such only with this fact remembered
1t costs US nearly as much 10 keep the
old cars in repair as they earn"
The witness ascribed the worlds fair
as one of the causes of the strike He
said: The men were making very large
wages during the fair year, as we let
pleased I suppose they found it very
hard, after the prosperous times of the
| exposition year, to come down to bed
rock prices"
Has the Pullman company ever in
! creased wages voluntarily2''
1t has in the case of some of the shop
men"
But not as regards any large body of
mem"
mo sir"
Don't you think it would be a good
plan to increase the wages of the men in
| prosperous years-in other words. to reg
ulaUe the wages by the amount of bust
ness done by the employers?"
No, do not think that plan would
work at all. 1t would have tendency to
| slipshod business methods. We go into
the market for our men just as we do for
materials. 1t is all regulated by the law
of supply and demand
Mr.. Wickes thought that if the men at
| Pullman had been let alone by outsiders
they would have gone back to work He,
however gave Vice President Howard Of
the American Railway Union credit for
| having advised the Pullman employees not
to strike No orders for evictions had
been given out yet, although the employees
owe the company 800, 600 for back rents. :"
''Was a reduction of wages made every
time a contract was taken at a loss by
the company" mo, sir; l do not think
this is true''
Who regulates the prices of piece
work." The foremen of the shops"
Now is it not possible that the fore
men can so reduce the prizes of piece
work as to make up for the loss incurred
by the company in taking contracts below
the estimated cost?'
ut is possible, but do not think it has
been done"
Have you taken any steps to correct
this abuse?'
cir5
"Why were not rents reduced when
wages were cut?"
The question of rents was an entirely
different one from the question of wages.
Only about one-third of our employees live
in Pullman. We could not have reduced
the rents for the majority who lived out
side"
THE rents were not based on panic
conditions, were Uhey?n
''Tney we're not"
"Then why, when the panic conditions
came, would it not have been advisable
to charge lower ratesEn
There is no connection between the
Pullman car works and the town of Pull
man. The men don't have to live in
Pullman unless they wish. They can
move out without prejudice on the part of
the company"
Mr. Wickes said the company as a mat
ter of fact did all the repairing, although
the lease provided that the tenant should
do it.
Don't you think that making them
sign an agreement to do this, whether
enforced or not, is very unjust?" was
asked.
Pm not prepared to offer any opinion
on that"
''You don't recognize that there are
any questions in regard to wages that
can be properly arbitrated 20
Il do not. l think all companies know
what wages they can afford to pay"
What is your policy as to unions2"
asked Mr.. Herman.
we don't recognize the men as men,
bers of unions, but as individuals"
do you think the men would have a
fair chance with the company, coming be-
fore it one at time2"
If they are not able to plead their own
case it is their misfortune -
You don / think, then, that the men
have any right to organize for redress of
grievancesf"
mo. sir; if they don't want to work at
the wages we offer, they have the privi-
lege of going somewhere else"
The witness gave the capacity of the
works as five cars a week in the passen-
ger department and forty cars per day in
the freight shops He admitted that he
was present at one Of the general man
ayers meetings but took no part in it.
MIR. Wiekes stated that few years ago