The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1894-08-29

CHICAGO, Aug. N-Gov. Altgeld to-
night issued the following proclamation
addressed ITO the people of the state of
Illinois, and specially those east of Chi
cago:"
There is great distress growing out of
the want of food in and around the town
of Pullman. More than a thousand fam
flies, or in the neighborhood of 5000 peo-
pie, are utterly destitute-nearly four
fifths of them are women and children
The men have endeavored to get work,
but were unable to do SO.
CAS- rule the men are a superior class
of laboring people. Industrious, capable
and steady and some of them have worked
for the Pullman company for more than
ten years. Those who have been given
work get food, but are still in such
impoverished condition that they can
not help their neighbors if they would
The relief society is unable to get more
supplies. On last Saturday it gave to
each family two pounds of oatmeal and
two pounds of cornmeal, and having moth
ing left it suspended operations. leaving
the people in an absolutely helpless con-
diton The county commissioners of Cook
county as overseers of the poor, have rem
dered some assistance, but owing to linn
tied appropriation they can furnish relief
but for short time
I'VE cannot now stop to inquire the cause
of this distress. The good people of this
state cannot allow women and children to
perish by the hundred for want of food.
Il therefore call upon all humane and
charitably disposed citizens to contribute
what they can toward giving relief to
these people,
The governor has also called on the COM
missioners of Cook county to do all in
their power in the matter
The correspondence between Gov. Altgeld
and Mr.. Pullman began last Sunday when
in response to a number of appeals made
to him by Pullman strikers. Gov. Altgeld
sent lengthy communication to Mr.. Pull
man, calling his attention to the situation
as set forth in the appeal and saying of the
strikers:
ALTGELD TO PULLMAN.
ut is claimed they struck because after
years of toll their loaves were so reduced
that their children went hungry. Acceding
that they were wrong and foolish, they had
yet served you long and well, and you
must feel some interest in them. They do
not stand on the same footing with you,
so that much must be overlooked. The
state of Illinois has not the least desire to
NEEDLE in the affairs of your company,
but it cannot allow whole community with
IN its borders to perish of hunger. The local
overseer of the poor has been appealed to
but there is a limit to what he can do
l cannot help them very much at present
so unless relief comes from some other
source, l shall either have to call an extra
session of the legislature to make special
appropriation or else issue an appeal to
the humane people of the state to give bread
recent To
that you would prefer to relieve the situa-
tlon yourself, especially as it has just cost
the state upward of $4,000 to protect your
property and as both the state and the
public have suffered enormous loss and ex-
pense on account of disturbances that grew
out of the trouble between your company
and its wOrkmen."
After making a personal visit to Pull
man Gov. Altgeld today addressed letter
10 Mr.. Pullman saying:
Il examined the conditions at Pullman
yesterday, visited even the kitchens and bed
looms of many of the people. 1 learn of
your manager that last spring there were
800 people on the pay roll yet there were
2,220 at work, but over 600 of these are
new men, so that only about 800 of the
old employees have peen taken back thus
leaving over LOCO of the old employees who
have not been taken back. A few hundred
have left. The remainder have applied for
work. but were told they were not needed
1T seems to me your company cannot
afford to have me appeal to the charity
and humanity of the state to save the
lives of your old employees. Four fifths of
those people are women and children. No
matter what caused this Distress it must
be met. If you will allow me l will make
this suggeS ton:
IF you had shut down your works last
fall when you say business was poorer.
you would not have expected to get any
rent from your tenants; now while a dol
lar is large sum to each of these people,
all the rent now due you is comparatively
small matter to you. If you will cancel all
rent to Oct 1 you would be as we'll off as
if you had shut down. This would enable
those who are at work to meet their most
pressing wants. Then, if you cannot give
work to all, work some half time so that
all can at least get something to eat for
their families. This will give immediate
relief to the whole situation and then by
degrees assist as many to go elsewhere as
desire to do so and all to whom YOU can
not give work In this way something like
a normal condition could be re-established
at Pullman before winter and you would
not be out any more than you would have
been had you shut down a year ago."
MIR. PULLMAN'S REPLY.
Mr.. Pullman replied at length, making
reference to Gov. Altgeld's declination of
the escort of Vice-Presdent Wickes YES
terday, which fact Pullman regretted.
Mr.. Pullman then continues:
CAS- an indication of the importance of the
aid of local knowledge in making essential
Determinations. l may say to YOU that I
have the best reason for believing that the
husband of wife who is published as rem
resenting her family to you yesterday as
in need of help, drew more than 81 200 of
his savings from a bank on July last for
the purpose, as he said, of buying lots
While it has not been represented to the
officers of this company by any persons
concerned that there was any such ex-
tended distress at Pullman as was repre-
scented for the first time by the extraordi-
nary method of published telegram to
you in your official capacity, do not doubt
that there are many cases of need caused
by the refusal of the employees, for more
than two and one-half months to earn
wages of more than $500, 900; and that such
cases have been increased and made moro
severe by the persistence of more than GAO
of our employees, of whom $50 live in phil
man, in refusing to apply for their old
places after the strike was practically over
and after they were publicly invited on
July Is to resume their work until nv tho
gradual coming in of new men during tho
whole month, their places have been filled
and the full force engaged for all work in
hand AS to those who are not at work
the canCelling of their rents is not n ouaS
ton to which attention should first he
given at the present juncture if their nress
Your suggestion that the work should he
divided SO that a sufficient number of orr
present employees should be put IN half
time in order to give at least half time
work for all, was tried last winter
1.-The result has been that the gross aarn-
ings of various individual employees we've
last winter so small as to give an or
immersion W