The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-11-13
IT WAS NOT ALL SUNSHINE.

tiers and not obtainable from the peo-
pie or their legislatures. An extension
of this association as above suggested,
and the proposed legislation of pool
ing would result in an aggregation OF
power and capital dangerous to the
people and their liberties as well as to
their employees and rights. The ques-
ton would then certainly arise as to
which shall control, the government or
the railroads, and the erd would inev-
tably he government ownership and
ell that it implies. The government
must restrain corporations WITHIN their
law and prevent them from forming
unlawful and dangerous combinations
At least, so long as railroads are tnus
permitted TO combine to fix wages and
for their joint protection, it would be
rank injuctice to deny the right of all
labor upon railroads to unite for SIM
liar purposes.
Railways Set the Example.
cit should be noted that until the
railroads set the example the great
union of railroad employees was never
attempted The unions had not gone
beyond enlisting the men upon different
systems in separate trade organiza-
tions. These neutraliZe and check
each other to some extent and have
no such scope or capacity for good or
evil as is possible as under the univer-
sal combination idea inaugurated by
the railroads and followed by the
American Railway union. The refusal
of the General Managers association
to recognize and deal with such a COM
bination of labor as the American
Railway union seems arrogant and alb
surd when We consider its standing
before the law, its assumptions and its
past and obviously contemplated future
action
Taking up the subject of the Pull
man Palace Car company, the report
says:
1867 with a capital of S1,000,000. 1t has
grown until its present paid up cap
ital is SS6, 900. 900 Its prosperity has
enabled the company for two years to
pay. , per cent quarterly dividends, and
in addition TO this to lay up a surplus
of nearly 100000 of undivided
profits"
Poverty at Pullman.
Speaking of the town of Pullman, of
which, the report says, the company is
owner and landlord, the commission
says:
THE principal church and it's par
sonage are very attractive structures,
but often are not occupied, because the
rental acquired is higher than any
church society is willing to pay to OBJ
tain the gospel privileges to be thereby
secured. In the arcade is a tasteful
library of books, carefully selected and
cared for by the company. Three dol
lars per year is charged for it's use,
and as many as $50 persons a year out
of 1000 to 5000 employees and residents
have, at times, as stated by the librar-
ian in charge, availed themselves of
its opportunities. It is possible that the
air OF business was strictly maintained
there as elsewhere, and their exclusion
from any part Of its management pre-
vents more universal and grateful ac-
ceptance OF its advantages by en-
ployees. AS q rule even employees pre-
fer independence to paternalism in such
matters.
The company pays a, physician and
surgeon by the year 10 furnish to in
juTed employees necessary treatment
and drugs. Il is, however, also a part
of his employment to secure from the
injured party a written statement as to
the cause of injury, and it is his GUS
tom to urge the acceptance of any Of
fered settlement. If suit follows, the
doctor is usually a witness for the
company. We have no evidence that
the doctor has ever abused his con-
fidential relation towards the injured
employees, but the system is admira-
bly, conceived from a business stand
point to secure as speedily as possible
settlement of claims for damages upon
terms offered by the company. and to
protect the company from litigation
and its results.
DodEinG the Issue.
CAS- a result of the Pullman system
1893 came, morally calling for mutual
concessions as to wages, rents, etc,
we find on the one side a very wealthy
and unyielding corporation, and upon
the other multitude of employees of
comparatively excellent character and
skill, but without local attachments or
any interested responsibility in the
town. its business, tenements or sur
roundingS The conditions created at
Pullman enable the management at all
times to assert with great vigor it's
assumed right to fix wages and rent
absolutely, and to repress that sort Of
independence, which leads to labor or
CARNATIONS, and their attempts at
mediation, arbitration of strikes, etc
On the other hand, it is an economic
principle generally recognized that the
shutting down of such a plant and
the scattering of its forces usually re-
suits in a greater loss than that exhfb-
tied by the continuance of business.
The Pullman company could hardly
S17lf dawn for -aIrpr1 a176 half
at a cost and loss of less than l per
cent upon it's capital and surplus. To
continue running was for it's obvious
and unfair advantage so long as it
could divide losses equally with it's
labor. The men at Pullman claim that
the company during 1893 and 1894 set
the pay through eXperts, so that. with
their forced loss of time. an average
man could earn little more than the
rent of his house, owned by the com
pany. The company alleges that if
simply readjusted prices of piece work
to suit the necessities of the times.
Some witnesses swear that at times
for the work done in two weeks they
received in checks from cents to 81
over and above their rent. The com
pany has not produced its checks in
rebuttal. During all of this reduction
and its attendant suffering, none of
the salaries of officers, managers or
superintendents We're reduced. Reduc-
tons in those would not have been so
severely felt, would have shown good
faith, would have relieved the harsh
ness of the situation and would have
evinced genuine sympathy with the la
borer in the disaster of the times.
Hypocrisy and Deceit.
"In its statements to the public, which
are in evidence, the company represents
that its object in all it done was to con-
tinue operations for the benefit Of its
and of tradepeople in and
about Pullman and to save the public
from annoyance of Interrupted travel.
The commission thinks the evidence
shows that it sought to keep running
~, L. CO.. it, otst,a lnsiiefit as MANN