St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-07-14
SIR GEORGE TALKS
Pullman Breaks His Long Sic
lence With a Statement.
HIS HISTORY OF THE TROUBLE
Prosperous Condition OF His
Shops a Year Ago.
RUINED BY THE GREAT PANIC,
Compelled to Reduce His
Force and Their Wages
By BUSINESS DEPRESSI0K
Why He Will Not Submit to
Arbitration.
Why He Will Not Submit to
Arbitration.
TREATMENT OF HIS TENANTS.

TREATMENT OF HIS TENANTS.
NEW YORK, July 13.-"There is hard
ly anything new to be said as to the po-
sition of the Pullman company" said
George NJ. Pullman this evening, ..but
l have so many indications Of the
facility with which my expressions and
those authorized by me have become so
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 l should
again make public assurance that the
deplorable events of the last few weeks
have not been caused by the Pull man
company king an obstinate stand in a
debatable matter, and refusing to listen
to reason. The leaders of disorder have
not hesitated to harass the public by all
means in their power, because, as they
say. the Pullman company would not
submit to arbitration ;and, now that dise
order seems to be quelled. they are res
inforced in their clamor for arbitration
by some prominent newspapers, but,
so far as | know, by very few if
any business men in the country.
What is the demand concealed uuder
the innocently sounding word arbitra-
ton? A little more than year ago
the shops at Pullman were in a pros
porous condition.; work was plenty,
wages Were high, and the condition Of
the employees was Indicated by the fact
that the local savings bank had of saw
ings deposits nearly 500, 900, of which
lit arly all was the property of the en-
ployes. Ourp rolls for that year show
an average earning of over 500 per an
mum for every person, man, woman
and youth, ON the roll. Then came the
great panic and depression of last sum.
mer. Many customers stopped nego-
tiati0ns a3d Cancelled orders, aud our
working force
HAD TO BE DIMINISHED
from nearly 5000 to 900 i'll November,
1898. The great business depression
existing throughout the country had
naturally resulted in wage depression,
and the only hope of getting orders
was by bidding for work at prices as
low or lower than could be made by
other shops, and this, of course. neces-
STATED reduction in wages of the EN-.
pIoyes at Pullman. This was arranged
satisfactorily, as 1 supposed, and in
close competitions, disregarding all
account OF capital and machinery. Sc
cured enough of work to gradually in-
crease our force to 1920, the number on
the roll last April. Nine weeks ago
the car shops at Pullman were working
with car-buildIng contracts Oh hand
enough to keep them going for about
sixty days, and with all business fore
casts leading to the belief that no con-
siderable new orders could soon be had.
The most important of the work i'll hand
had been taken by me in competition al
prices which were less than the actual
cost to the company of delivering. with,
out any reckoning for the use of capital
and plant. This work was taken ia
keep the large force of men employed.
and to postpone, and with the hope OF
avoiding, the numberless embarrasss
ments to all classes of people at Pull.
man and its vicinity OF closing down
of the works, to prevent which the CON-
pany considered it a wise policy to op-
crate the shops. temporarily at
AN ACTUAL LOSS.
"In this condition of things came the
agitation seeking to create a labor
organization embracing all railway en-
plOyes, and apparently other:industries.
1t is my belief that the controversy ex-
cited at Pullman was merely move in
the greater scheme, these shops being
selected, not on account of discomfort
in them, but because of their promi-
nence in various ways, and because of
the chance of a show of justification for
a simultaneous and causeless attach
upon the railways of the country fol
the use under longtime contracts by
three fourthS of them of the Pullmau
sleeping car system, branch of the
company's business totally distinct
from its manufacturing of ears for sale.
In the early part OF May committee of
the employees demanded restoration of
the wages OF year ago. | eX-
planned TO this committee Immediately
and laboriously the facts, showing the
was already paying them
more than it was receiving for their
contract work, and l offered them, for
complete assurance, and to END all ques.
ton, an inspection of our books aud
contracts in hand. This, and the be-
ginning at once at Pullman of a prom
ised careful investigation of a number
of shop complaints, seemed to end all
the trouble; but day later, under the
excitement of their recruiting into the
new organization, the workmen closed
the shops by abandoning their work,
thus themselves doing what was stren-
uously trying to prevent being done by
the depression of the car-building busi-
ness. and the employees who quiz their
work have
DEPRIVED THEMSELVES
and their comrades of earnings of more
than 100000 up to this time. The de.
mand before Quitti work was that the
wages should be restored to the scale Of
last year, or, in effect, that the actual
outgoing money losses then being daily
incurred by the company in gar building