The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1894-11-13

Union of Capital aud Labor
CHICAGO, Nov. 1.-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, Carroll D. Wright,
and his fellow Investigators. John D.
Kernan, of New York, and Nicholas E.
Worthington, Of Illinois, is addressed
to President Cleveland, and abounds in
passages which will attract wide atten-
tlou, particularly the portion referring
10 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 that
the capitalization Of the twenty-four
railroads directly represented in the
General Managers Association was
50, los, ,552,6l7. The number OF en-
ployeg was 22l, ,097.
The commission then shows the OBJ.
ject OF the association to be the con-
alteration Of problems OF management
arising In the operation OF railroads
terminating or centering in Chicago.
TIE FIRST ANTAdoEIsM,
This association in 1894 first declared
itself by fixing "Chicago scale" for
ewitchmen, thus for the fret time bring
ing the men sharply face to face with
the fact that each road was supported
by twenty.four combined railroads.
Il 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 to secure men enough
through Its agencies to take the place
Of all strikers, reductions werc here AMI
there made upon the different roads.
the tendency and effort apparently be-
ing to equalize the pay on all lines.
It is admitted that the action OF the
association has great weight with out
side lines aud these tend to establish
one uniform scale throughout the coun-
try. The further single step Of admit.
ting lines not running into Chicago to
membership would certainly have the
effect OF combining all railroads in wage
contentious against all employees there
on.
AUTHORITY QUESTIONABLE.
Tho commission questions whether
any legal authority, statutory or other
wise. can be found to Justify somo OF
the features Of the association which
have come to light in this investigation.
Ii such an association is necessary from
business or economic standpoint, the
right to form aud maintain it must come
from the state that granted its charter.
The association is an illustration OF
the persistent and shrewdly devised
plan OF corporations to overreach their
limitations and to usurp indirectly pow
ers and rights not contemplated in their
charters and not obtainable from the
people or their legislators. So long as
railroads are thus permitted to combine
to fix wages and for their joint protec'
ton, it would ba rank injustice to deny
the right Of all labor upon railroads to
unite for Aimilar purposes.
1t should be noted that until the rail-
roads set the example q general union
OF railroad employees was never at.
tempted. The unions had not gone be-
yond enlisting the men upon different
systems in separate trade organic ations.
These neutralize and check each other
to some extent and have no such scope
or capacity for good or evil as is pos
sible under the universal combination
inaugurated by the railroads and fol-
lowed bp the American Railway Union.
The refusal OF tho General Managers
Association to recognize and deal with
such combination Of labor as the
American Railway Union seems AFRO.
giant and absurd.
THE PULLMAN COMPANY.
Taking up the subject OF the Pullman
Palace Car Company, tho report says:
This is corporation organized in
1867 with capital of 81 100000. 1t has
grown until its present paid up capital
Is s@bOOO.0O0. Its prosperity has ena-
oled the company for over twenty years
to pay 2per cent quarterly dividends
anu IN addition to lay up u surplus OF
nearly S25,OOO,0l0 OF undivided profits.
Speaking OF the town OF Pulmau of
which the report states the company is
owner and landlord, tho commission
says Its parsonages are very attractive
structures, but often are not occupied
because the rental required ia higher
than any church society is willing to
payto obtain the gospel privileges to bo
thereby secured.
As the result OF the Pullman system
and its growth, when tho depression of
1913 came, morally calling for mutual
concessions as TO wages, ronts, ETC., wG
hnd on tho one aide very wealthy aud
nnyiclding corporation, and upon the
other a multitude OF employees OF com.
parallvGly excellent character aud skill,
but without local attachment or any in.
t,erestcd responsibility in tho town, Its
nuaIness, tGncmGnta or surroundings.
mo conditions created ut Pullman on
AbIo the management at all tunes to
INSERT with great vigor It's assumed
right TO fix wages and rents absolutely,
and 10 rcprGss thnt sort OF indGNendenCo
which leads TO labor organizations aud
NOR attempts ut mediation, arbitration,
Strikes. etc. On the other hand, 1t ia an
economical principle generally recog-