Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1894-07-10
THE STRIKE AT PULLMAN.

We condense from the Chicago Her
aid the causes that led to the gigantic
strike in the West. We can hardly be-
lieve that thinking men would tie up the
traffic of whole country, cause untold
suffering to millions of people, under
such circumstances. 1t appears that the
first of May there were employed 3,100
people at Pullman, and that all differen-
ces had been settled except that of re-
turn to the old scale of wages. Because
this was not acceded to the boycott was
made, and that, too, when there was less
than sixty days work in sight at any
wages. Mr.. Pullman says:
cat the commencement of the very
serious depression last year we were en-
ploying at Pullman 5,Sl6 men and pay
ing out in wages there S905, 900 month.
Negotiations with intending purchasers
of railway equipment that were then
pending for new work were stopped by
them, orders already given by others
were cancelled, and we were obliged to
lay off, as you are aware, a large number
of men in every department, so that by
| Nov. 1st, 1898, there were only about q
| 600 men in all departments, or about
one-third of the normal number. l
realized the necessity for the most siren
uous eXertions to procure work lmme-
diately, without which there would be
great embarrassment, not only to the
employees and their families at Pullman,
| but also to those living in the immediate
vicinity, including between 700 and 500
employees who had purchased homes,
and to whom employment was actually
necessary to enable them to complete
| their payments.
81 canvassed the matter thoroughly
with the manager of the works and in
structed him to cause the men to be as
| sured that the company would do every
| thing in its power to meet the competi-
ton which was sure to occur because of
the great number of large car manufact-
urers that were in the same condition,
and that were exceedingly anxious to
keep their men employed. knew that
if there was any work to be let, bids for
it would be made upon much lower
basis than ever before"
He then goes ON to state how COLI
tract was taken at $500 per car actual
loss to the company, to enable them to
keep the men employed at even the re-
duced wages. May 10th, $500 men quit
work the pay roll was reduced from ST.
900 per day to $500 by the strike, leav-
ing only about 600 men at work. The
amount in the sayings bank to the credit
of the men, before the labor troubles be-
gan was $4SS. 900 but this has since been
reduced to S32, 900, so that the public
can see what large sum has been used
up by the men, whether to form strik-
ers' fund or for bread the public is left
in doubt.
The Inter Ocean remarks: 1.-THE
workmen in the Pullman car shops de-
mand higher wages; the company says
that it cannot afford to pay higher wages,
says that it has been taking contracts at
rates that involve loss, that such con-
tracts have been taken solely with the
purpose of supplying work-though at
reduced rates-during period of uni
versal depression of trade. The COM
pany offers to submit its books to in
spection of a committee of the workmen
in proof of its assertions. The workmen
DENY all the statements of the company
and go on a strike, but as they refuse to
| inspect the books offered by the COM
pany the presumption of evidence is
| against the men and favorable to the
company. Furthermore, inasmuch as
| the company does not try to hire men in
place of the strikers, but placidly keeps
its shops closed, the conduct of the COM
! pany subsequent to the strike is confirm
atory of its original statements, that ces--
sation from work, even at the reduced
rate of wages, is more profitable than
continuance, and that its policy of con-
| tinuance was in the interest of the men,
and not of the stockholders. This, we
apprehend, is a statement of the cause,
or rather the pretext, OF the Debs strike,
the fairness of which none can ques-
tion."