The islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1891-1899, 1894-07-12

A number of our readers have
asked us the question ''what did
the Pullman employees strike for?'
The following statement, by Eugene
V. Debbs, president of the A. R. O.,
sets forth their alleged claims, and
is printed as a matter Of news to
our readers.
1.-The Pullman employees who struck on
May last did so entirely of their own
accord. The officers of the A. r. U. used
all their influence to pacify the employees
and advised them repeatedly not to strike.
but to bear patiently their grievances until
peacable settlement could be affected.
The truth of this statement the employees
themselves will bear willing testimony.
But the grievance of the employees, men
and women, had become so aggravated, so
CALLING, that patience deserted them, and
they abandoned their employment rather
than submit longer to conditions against
Which their very souls rebelled.
1.-The Pullman company be it under
stood, owns the town of Pullman. owns
the homes of the employees, CONTROLS the
light and water and other necessaries of
life, and wages are so adjusted to living
expenses that in large majority of cases
the employees are barely able to support
their families. At the time they struck
the employees were in arrears to the Phil
man company $4,000 for rent alone
Wages had been repeatedly reduced, but
rent and all other expenses remained the
same. The employees from the beginning
have been willing to arbitrato their differ
ences with hs~-onpany, but the company
declares that there is nothing to arbitrate.
If tils betrue why not allow board of
fair and impartial arpitratOrs to determine
the fact? Committee after committee
waited upon the officials of the company,
but all their advances were repealed. Up
to this point the trouble was confined to
the Pullman company and its employees.
How then did this strike extend to the
railways? Let the answer be given in
accordance with the facts. The day before
the order of the delegates declining to pail
Pullman cars went into effect the man
ayers association, representing all o f III
principal Western railways, met and
passed series of resolutions declaring in
substance that they would uphold the
Pullman company in its fight upon the
employees, that they would haul Pullman
cars and that they would stand together
in crushing out the A. r. L. 1t will thus
be seen that the railway companies virtu-
pany, went into partnership with them,
so to speak, to reduce and defeat their
half starved employees. In this way the
trouble was extended from system to
system until crisis has been reached.
=
1t has been asked what sense there is in
sympathetic strikes. Let the corporations
answer. When one is assailed all go to
the rescue. They stand together, they
supply each other with men, money and
equipments, and labor in unifying its
forces simply follows their example. If
the proceeding is vicious and indefensible,
let them first abolish it. In this contest
labor will stand by labor. Other organi-
cations will will not be called out but they
will go out, and the spectacle of Mr.. Pull
man, famed blythe breezes ofthe Atlantic,
while his employees are starving, is not
calculated to prevent their fellow wage
workers from going to their rescue by
the only means at their command.