The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-07-25

50 for two weeks pay. gOOdly NUMBER
did much better than that. but all were
more or less cut in wages as above indl-
Gated. The rents were not reduced at
al They are the same today as they
have been for three or four years past.
This created a terrible feeling among
the men.
IF you cut our wages. why not re-
duce our rent?" was the common ex-
preston all through the winter.
Bear i'm mind also that many heads
OF departments almost rebelled against
the cutting, not having the heart 10 re-
duce the scale as demanded at headquar-
ters. And yet the officials seemed to
exercise no mercy, and the foremen and
under bosses lin order to keep in favor
with the local management unmerci-
fully ground the men down to the last
notch.
The continual changing of the scale
of prices on piece work and day work.
looking toward reduction, resulted in
many petty abuses, and above all In
the non-equalization of wages. Wages
We're not adjusted and equaiiZed For
instance: a man was told to do a piece
of work tcut square holes in piece Of
iron and trim it,. He vas hrSt-clasS
mechanic and used TO earn 81 and So
day. II took him one hour to do the
work-he received Az cents He ap-
pealed TO Mr. Doran head Of the iron
department and a good NAM. That gen.
tleman saw the injustice and changed
the scale to 20 cents an hour-even yet
small for good mechanic. Hundreds IN
the same condition in other departments
suffered proportionately in the same way,
but got no relief.
Again: A frst-class mechanic Ca
member of my church and respected
by alb told me that he worked two
weeks, ten hours a day. and got just
$3.50 Think Of it, man, too, who had
always easily earned good wages. Again:
gang of tT1mmers in woodwork would
have To take a car and trim it complete
ly. They would be expected to take ii
on contract. They were compelled to
take the contract at such a low figure
that they were known to work five and
ten days to finish the car after the con-
tract price had been worked out. And
for the five to ten DAYS they did not re-
ceive one cent. They could not shirk the
work. Inspectors, or straw bosses
were set over them to see that the work
was done right
1t is barely possible that meaner meth
DDS have been sometimes employed in
the United States to drain the purses Of
working men in the interest of their en-
ployes, but we have no evidence at hand
that there have been. It would seem.
from the foregoing statement. that every
effort Mas been made to prevent any of
the Pullman money going out Of Pullman
except such as was taken out in divi-
dends by the man whose name the town
bears The "pluck-me" stores of Clay
county were never more industriously
employed to get the money of COM
pany's employees and keep those employees
under subsection to their masters.
The Rev Mr.. Cawardine's letter CON
tains many other interesting details of
the system on which the town of Pull
man is operated. but these will suffice TO
show that it is far from being philan-
thropic scheme. The letter quoted as
serts most positively that Mr.. Pullman
has always refused to arbitrate. and that
his refusal has not only been imperative.
but always impudent All the riOting
which followed the beginning of this
strike, Mir. Cawardine says, was I'M
doubtedly by hoodlums from the stock
yards, and not by the strikers them
selves. and he states this fact, having
been with the crowds at the scene Of the
riots while they were in progress. The
gentleman says that incidentally he
greatly admired Mr.. Debs. and after
years Of acquaintance greatly despises
Mr.. Pullman. but this may be laid aside
as matters OF personal opinion having
no bearing on the subject at issue One
other point that he brings out, partially
in connection with the rents and partially
in connection with the claim that Mr..
Pullman is Christian philanthropist, is
this:
The Y NJ c. A. and churches all pay
exorbitant rents. There is only one
church building in Pullman. called the
Greensboro. which Pullman rents for 500
per month. Gas, water, heat etc, are
not included in the 800 per month. The
parsonage rents for SIS per month be-
sides water gas, etc The minister has
never been able to live in it, and so 1t is
occupied by one of the city officials. The
methodists have a large room in the
Casino building. We rent IL, unfur-
nished. at a cost of about five hundred
dollars per annum. including gas. heat
ing, etc 1t ali goes to Pullman. Our Y.
NJ. c. A. is now closed up. 1t always had
a precarious existence, without one cent
of help from Pullman. The library is S25
per month, or $500 per year, and so 1t
goes.
1 have now answered in a very hur-
ried, and 1 fear not very satisfactory
manner. your questions. Excuse the
haste indicated in my letter. But you
may get some data out of it.
After this statement which did not
need the attestation of clergyman for
its substantiation, because the figures
quoted upheld every charge advanced, it
would seem that the talk of Mr.. Pull
mans philanthropy should cease at once.
1.-The democracy of the land plead
most earnestly for the speedy compile
ton of the tariff legislation which repre-
sentatives have undertaken; but they de-
mand not less earnestly that no stress
of necessity shall tempt those they trust
to the abandonment of democratic prin-
ciple. GROVER CLEVELAND"
THE SUGAR TAX.