The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1894-11-14

CHICAGO, Nov. 12.-The United States
government report the great railway
strike in connection with the Pullman
trouble made public today. The re-
port. which is signed by the federal labor
commissioner, Carroll d. Wright, and his
fellow inves tigators, John d. Herman, of
New York, and Nicholas L. Worthington,
of Illinois, is addressed to President Clevc-
land, and abounds in passages which will
attract wide attention, particularly the
portion referring to the now famous Gen
cral Managers Association" the organiza-
tion of high railway officials that COM
passed the memorable defeat of the Amer
lean Railway Union.
The report says the capitalization OF the
y railroads directly represented in the
General Managers Association was $2,10S,-
o52,6l1 The number of employees was 22l,
o9t. The commission continues:
This voluntary unincorporate2 associa-
ton was formed in 1856. In its constitu-
ton the object of the associa ton is stated
10 be the consideration of problems of
management arising from the operation
OF railroads terminating or centering at
chicago. 1t further provides that all funds
needed shall be raised by assessments di-
NIded equally among the members There
are no limitations as to consideration of
problems or funds except the will of
the managers and the resources of the
railroad corporations.
Until June, 1894, the associa tons posi-
blities a strike fighter and wage arbi-
traitor lay rather dormant. Us roads fixed
IL Chicago scale for switchmen, covering
all lines at Chicago. In March. 1893, the
switchmen demanded more pay from each
road. The associa ton concluded that
they We're paid enough-if anything, too
much The roaus so informed the men.
The Swtchmen's Mutual Aid Association
of North America wrote to Mr.. St. John,
as chairman, acquescing. He, as chairman
of the General Managers Associa ton, con-
cinded his reply as follows:
The association approves the course
taken by your body and desires to deal
fairly with all employees. and believes that
our sWltchmen are receiving due considera-
ton
This seems to show" the report says
that employees upon association roads are
treated as
UNDER SUBJECTION
to the General Managers Association"
and the report, after detailing the action
Of the association in establishing agencies
ana employing men, adds:
This was the first time when men upon
each line We're brought sharply face to face
with the fact that in questions $ to wages,
rules, etc, each line was supported by "a
combined railroads. This association like
wise prepared for it's use elaborate Sched-
ules of the wages paid upon the entire
ines OF its q members The proposed OBJ
ject of these schedules was to let each
road Know what other roads paid. Find
ing that the men upon some lines urged
increase to correspond with wages paid
elsewhere, committee of the associa ton
prepared and presented uniform sched-
ule for all membership roads. 1t was
deemed wise not to act upon the report.
1t was distributed to members in Novem-
Der, 1893. This distribution alone enabled
the report TO be used as an equalizer. AS
the result during 1898, it being then well
understood that to wages, etc, it was
an incident of the General Managers Asso-
citation to assist each road in case of
trouble over such matters, one form of
the assistance being for the associa alton
to secure men enough through its agen-
cIeS to take the places of all strikers
Reductions were here and there made on
the different roads, the tendency and eff
Tort apparcntiy being to equalize the pay
on all lines.
1T is admitted that the action of the
asSocial ion has great weight with outside
lines and this tends to establish one uni
form scale throughout the country. The
further single step of admitting lines not
running into Chicago to membership
would certainly have the effect of combin-
ing all railroads in wage contentious
against all employees thereon.
THE commission questions whether any
legal authority, statutory or otherwise,
can be found to Justify some of the feat
ures of the association which have come
to light in his investigation. If we re-
gard its practical workings rather than
its professions expressed in it's consti-
tuition the General Managers Association
has no more standing in law than the old
trunk line pool. 1t cannot incorporate be-
cause railroad charters do not authorize
roads to form corpora lions or associa-
tons, 20 fix rates for services and wages
nor to force their acceptance nor to bat
tie with strikers. 1t is
ISJRPATION OF POWER
not granted If such an association is
necessary from a business or economic
standpoint, the right to form and main
tain it must come from the state that
granted its charter In theory, corpora
lions are limited to the powers granted
either directly by clear inference We
do not think the power has been granted
in either way in this case.
The association is illustration of the
persistent and shrewdy devised plan Of
corporations to overreach their limita tons
and to usurp indirectly powers and rights
contemplated in the charters and not OBJ
tainable from the people or their legislators
An extension of this association, as above
suggested, and the proposed legaliZ ton
of pooling would result in an aggre-
cation of power and capital dangerous to
the people and their liberties as we'll as to
employees and their rights The question
would then certainly arise as to which
shall control, the government or the rail-
roads, and the end would inevitably be
government ownership. Unless ready for
that result and all that it implies the gov
eminent must restrain corpora tions within
the law ana prevent them from forming
unlawful and dangerous combinations. At
least so long railroads are thus nor
united to combine to fix wages and for
their joint protection, it would be rank in
Justice to deny the right Of all labor upon
railroads TO unite for similar purposes.
1T should be noted that until the rail-
roads set the example a general union Of
railroad employees was never attempted
The unions had not gone beyond existing
them upon different systems in separa tie
trade organiza tons. These neutralize and
check each other to some extent and have
no such scope OR capacity for good or evil
as is possible under the universal combina-
ton idea nausurated by the railroads and
followed by the American Railway Union
The refusal of the General Managers Asso-
citation to recognize and deal with such
combination of labor as the American Rail-
way Union seems arrogan. and absurd
when consider its standing before the
law, its assumptions and it's past and OBJ
viousy con templa ted future action"
THE PULLMAN CASE