Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1894-08-16
AT PULLMAN.
AS William A. Lincoln Reports 1t
After a Residence of Three Years.


So many "criticisms" Of the Pull
man company have appeared of late
from persons who are not we'll in
formed in the matter that | venture to
give a little testimony from actual
facts and experience, says w. A Lin
coin in the Springfield, Mass, Repub-
lican of July 10. From 1880 to 1886
l occupied an official position in the
Pullman company, which gave me
an excellent opportunity to learn the
inside facts of their business, as l had
under my supervision the books and
accounts of the town of Pullman as
well as the savings bank there located.
l also resided there for about three
years. The present difficulty between
the company and its workmen is not
different from what existed after the
panic and depression of 1884, when a
strike occurred there from much the
same causes as the present one, and
with as little reason, for the COM
pany then, as now, through Mr.. Pull
mans personal efforts, secured what
contracts were to be had by taking
them at a price which involved CON
siderable loss to the company, merely
to keep the average force at work,
and asked them to accept temporarily
reduced wages-which it was under
stood they would do when bids were
made for the contracts The strike
then was shOrt-lived as the men quickly
returned to work when they saw the
reasonableness of the cOmpany's posi-
ton in the matter. Ny information
of the present difficulty, which comes
from Well-informed parties on the
ground, who are not in any way con-
nected with the Pullman company,
and who are in close touch with the
wOrkmen, is that a majority of the
men did not want to make the present
strike, but that they were forced into
it by labor agitators and the labor
unions; that they are heartily sick of
it, and would have gone back to work
long ago if they had been allowed
by their leaders to do so.
The Pullman company has employed
from 1000 to $500 men in it's car
shops since last November than it
needed for it's own work. 1t did this
by taking outside work at prices which
involved certain loss, even at reduced
wages which the men agreed to &C
cept; and did this by taking a part
Of the profits of another branch of it's
business wholly distinct from ear
building. Stockholders who are en-
titled to these profits might criicise
Mr.. Pullman for doing this. but he
felt a moral responsibility Of taking
care of the men he had gathered at
Pullman, and he took this just and fair
way of doing The men have broken
faith by demanding increased wages
while these contracts were yet unfin-
ished and none others were in sight,
the hight of folly on their part. Most
of the work Of car-building at Pull
man is done by piece-work and the
amount a man earns depends largely
on his skill and industry. In a large
body Of men under this system there
are always a number Of lazy Or ineffi-
cient men who complain because they
did not earn as much as they would
like, and these are the ones who gen.
orally stir up trouble. 1 believe the
Pullman company has always paid the
men at Pullman liberal wages. l
know the savings of those who had
the habit of saving ran up very fast,
and Of the entire number OF employees,
more than one half of the number
hal before this strike began, &C
| courts in the savings bank at Pullman
which averaged $3.50 to each account.
And when it is considered that this
| class of depositors change residence
frequently and take their savings
with them, and that there is no in
vestment money, so called, among the
deposits to swell the average, I think
it is evidence that they are not quite
starving. In the last fiscal year,
which closed August, 1893, the aver
age amount paid to every man, wom-
an and child employed at Pullman for
the year was S613; the year previous
it was $500. The time I was there I