The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1894-07-14

George II. Pullman this evening, but
have 90 many indications OF the
facility with which my expressions and
those authorized by mo have become
distorted, and thus misleading to tho
public, and OF IN entiro forgetting Of
my earnest efforts to prevent tho strike,
that perhaps It 10 we'll that should
again make public assurance that tho
deplorable events Of the last icw weeks
have not been caused by the Pullman
company taking an obstinate stand In q
debatablo matter, and refusing to listen
10 reason. Tho leaders Of disorder have
not hesitated TO harass tlto public by oil
means in thoir power, because, as they
say, tho Pullman company would not
submit to arbitration, and now that dis.
order seems to DO quelled, they are
reinforced in their clamor for arbitra-
tion by come prominent newspapers,
but so far as know By very few, II any,
business men in the country.
"What isthe demand concealed under
the innocently sounding word 'arbltra-
tionT A lit;lo more than q year ago
the shops at Pullman wero in O pros
porous condition; work was plenty,
wages were high, and tho condition Of
the employees was indicated by tho tuct
that tho local savings bank had OF saw
ings deposits nearly 100000, ot which
nearly all was the property OF the en-
ployes, Our pay rolls for that year
show an average earning Of over $500
per anuum for overy person, man, wo-
man or youth on tho roll.
TIE REDUCTION.
"Then came the great panic and de-
preston of last summer. Many Gus
toners stopped negotiations, and can
celled orders, and our working force had
to be diminished from nearly 5000 %
1000 In November. 1898. Tho great
business depression existing through:
out tho country had naturally resulted
in a wago question, and the only hope
OF getting orders wns by bidding for
work ut prices rs low or lower than
could be made by other shops, and this
of course necessitated reduction in
the wages OF the employee Mt Pullman.
This was arranged satisfactorily, as /
supposed, and IN close competitions,
disregarding all account OF capital and
machinery, secured enough OF work
10 gradually increase our force to 400,
the number on tho roll last April.
Nine weeks ago tho car shops at Full
man were working with car building
contracts on hand enough to keep them
going for about sixty days, and with all
business forecasts leading to the belief
that no considerable new orders could
soon be had.
"The most important Of the work in
hand had been taken by me in compete
tions at prices which were less than tho
actual cost to the company OF deliver
ing, without any reckoning for the use
of capital and plant This work was
taken 10 keep tho largo iorce ot mon
employed, and to postpone, and with
the hope Of avoiding, the numberless
embarrassments to oil classes OF people
at Pullman and its vicinity Of closing
down OF the works, TO prevent which
tho company considered it wlac policy
10 operate the shops temporarily at an
actual loss.
with this condition OF things came
the agitation seeking to croato labor
organization embracing oil railway en-
ployes and apparently other industries.
Il Is my belief that the controversy OK
cited at Pullman was merely q inoVo IN
the great scheme, these shops being &C.
lecled, not on account of discomfort In
them, but because OF their pr ominence
i aF1I hnR0Man nf tho
chance OF show OF justification ior
simultaneous and causoloss attack upon
the railways OF tho company, for the
use under long time contracts, by three
fourths OF thOm, Of tho Pullman Sleep
ing car sysleu, branch OF the COM
pany's business totally distinct IRON It's
manufacturing OF cars Tor sale.
FAIR oPpER
"In the early part Of May q commit
tco OF tho employers demanded ro'
storation of the wages Of ayear ago. !
explained to this committee fully and
laborlously tho facts, showing that tho
company was already paying them moro
than it was rOcoiving iOr their contract
work, and | offered thom, for complete
assurancu, and to end all question, an
inspection Of our books aud contracts in
hand. This, aud tho beginning Ut onco
Of Pullman Ola promised careful invest
iratioa OF q number OF shop COM
pinints, seemed 10 Gnd oil trouble;
but day later, under the excite
ment OF their recruiting into the
new organization, the worknen
closed tho shops by abandoning
their work, thus themselves doing what
/ was stronuously trying to prevent be-
ing done BY tho depression OF the cur
building business, and tho employees
who quit their work have deprived
themselves and thoir comrades OF earn
inGJ OF moro than $30O,0OO w to this
TING. The dcmand made before quit
ting work was that the wages should be
restored to tho scale OF Inst year, or in
elect that tho actual outgoing money
losses then being daily incurred by the
company in car building should be do:
liboratcly Increased to an amount equal
10 about ono.tourth OF t'e wages Of the
empluyos. 1t must DO clear to every
business mRu. and TO every thinking
workman, that no prudent employer
could submit to arbitration the question