The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-07-14

= ltr1NN ~ many i141ANdAlOlio VI tic Ia
cility with which my expressions and
those authorized by me have become
distorted. and thus misleading to the
public and of an entire forgetting of
my earnest efforts to prevent the
strike, that, perhaps, it is well that 1
should again make a public assurance
that the deplorahle events of the last
few weeks have not been caused by
the Pullman company taking an OBJ
stinate stand in a debatable matter
and refusing 10 listen to reason.
The leaders of disorder have not
hesitated to harras the public by all
means in their power because, as they
say. the Pullman company would not
submit to arbitration. and now that
disorder seems to be quelled, they are
reinforced in their clamOr for arbitra-
ton by some prominent newspapers.
but SO far rs I know by very few if
any. business men of the country
What is the demand concealed under
the innocently sounding word 'arbitra-
ton" A little more than a year ago,
the shops at Pullman were in pros
porous condition; work was plenty,
wages We're high, and the condition of
the employees was indicated by the
fact that the local savings bank had
savings deposits in it of $40. 000 of
which nearly all was the property of
the employees.
Average Earnings,
Our pay rolls for that year show an
average earning of over $500 per an
mum. for every person, man, woman
or youth. on the roll. Then came. the
great panic and depression of last
summer. Many customers stopped ne
EQUATIONS and cancelled orders. and
our working force had to be reduced
from nearly 5000 to 1000 in November.
1893.
THE great business depression ex-
listing throughout the country Ead
naturally resulted in wage depCes-
sion. and the only hope Of getting or
ders was 10y bidding for work at prices
as low or lower than could be made
by other shops, and this, of course ne
cesSitated a reduction in the wages OF
the employees at Pullman. This was
arranged, az I supposed, and in close
competition. diSregarding all account
of capital and machinery, l secured
enough work to gradually increase our
force to 1920. the number on the roll
last April.
Nine weeks ago the car shops at
Pullman were working at ear building
contracts on hand enough to keen
them going for about sixty days, ana
with business forecasts leading to the
belief that new orders could soon be
had. The most important of the work
in hand had been taken by me in
competition At prices which We're less
than the actual cost to the COMPANY
of delivering without any reckoning
for the use of capital and plant. This
work was taken TO keep the large
force of men employed, and to post
pone. and with the hope of AVOIDING
numberless embarrassments to all
classes of people at Pullman and its
vicinity az q elneirac Of h.
works, to prevent which the company
considered it wise policy TO operat
the shops temporarily at an actual
loss.
Agitators Did IT.
In this condition of things came
the agitation seeking to create labor
organization, embracing all railway
employees and apparently other indus
tries.
In the early part of May, com
mittee of the employees demanded a
restoration of the wages of a year ago.
1 explained to this committee minute
" and laboriously the facts, showing
that the company was already paying
them more than it was receiving for
their contract work, and l offered
them. for complete assurance, and to
end all question, an inspection of our
books and contracts in hand. This,
and the beginning at once at Pullman
a number of shop complaints. seemed
to end all trouble. but day later, I'M
der the excitement OF their recruiting
into the new organization. the work
men closed the shops. thus themselves
doing what I was str nuousiy trying
to prevent being do and the employ
ees who quit their work have deprived
themselves and their comrades of
earnings Of more than $500, 900 up to
this time. The demand made before
quitting work was that the wages
should be restored To the scale of last
year, or, in effect. that the actual out
going money should be increased to an
amount equal about one-fourth the
wages of The employees. 1t must be
clear TO every business man and to
every thinking workman that no pru-
dent employer could submit to arbitra-
ton the question whether he should
commit such piece of business folly.
Arbitration In.HiscS Al suEcNvcEce.
Arbitration always implies acquie-
scence in the decision of the arbitra-
tor. whether Favorable OF adverse.
Bow could l. as president of the Pull
man company. consent to agree that if
any body of men not concerned with
the interests OF the company's share
holders should, as arbitrators, for any
reasons seeming good to them so de-
cree. / would open the shops, employ
work could be settled for and continue
this ruinous policy indefinitely or be
accused of breach of faith? Who
viii deny that such a question is
plainly not a subject of arbitration?
THE public should not permit the
real question which has been before
il to be obscured. That question as to
the possibility Of the creation and dur
alton Of a dictatorship which could
make ali the industries Of the United
States and the daily comfort Of mil
lions dependent upon them, hostages
for the granting of any infanatic
within Of such dictator. Any submits
sion to MIN would have been long
step in that direction, and in the in
terest of every law abiding citizen of
the United States was not to be con-
sidered for a moment
"A few words are pertinent as to
some charges against the company.
One of these charges is that rents are
eXorbitant and ii is implied that the
Pullman employees have no choice but
TO submit The answer is simple.
The Average Rental.
The average rental of tenements at
Pullman is at the rate of SO per room
per month, and the renting of houses
at Pullman has no relation whatever
to the work in the shops. Employees
may, and very many do, own or rent
their houses outside of town, and the
buildings and business places in the
town are rented to employees or 9TH
ers in competition with neighboring
properties. In short, the renting bus
iEess Of the Pullman company is gov