Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-07-02
A Disastrous Struggle.


The great strike inaugurated out of sym7
pathy for the striking employees of the Pull
man car works, well illustrates the old
superstition that troubles never come singly.
It cannot be otherwise than a disastrous
struggle. The country in the present de-
pressed condition of trade could i'll afford
the disastrous strike of the coal miners
which resulted in much destruction of prop
erty, largely increased cost of fuel, riots
and bloodshed and virtual defeat for the
strikers. But that trouble between labor
and capital is almost nme lately followed
by another of almost equally vast proper
tions with better organization, representing
a more intelligent class of labor. But the
most noticeable feature Of the latter is that
none of these men now deserving the trains
of the railroads centering in Chicago have
any grievance with their employers or can
have any wish to cause them loss. A
sympathetic strike to the minds of most
people should not occur unless there be
extreme CAUSE IL III iii. Inc lpJuiE anu
inconvenience to the public is much greater
than it is when the employees of one indus
try 90 on strike. BY a sympathetic strike
it might be possible to paralyze Armours
big packing industry because Mr.. Pullman
eats of its products and for like reason shut
down the Touring mills from which Mr..
! 10, al o.
extremes may be attained if labor or
ganization succeeds in perfecting such
general organization as it hopes to do.
The responsibility for ordering sympa-
thetic strike of the magnitude of that in
stituted by the American Railway Union is
indeed great. .".=
May 10th, large ma jority of the EN-
ployes of the Pullman car works went out
on a strike. They made several complaints.
They were living in Mr.. Pullman's houses,
buying their food at his stores, paying him
for water aud gas. They complained that
they had been exorbtanty charged for
these necessaries of life sold to them with
out competition and to buy which was COM
pulsory.
1t is believed that these conditions had
gradually led the employees to feel lack of
independence and liberty and had greatly
increased their dissatisfaction. The en-
ployer denies that he has secured exorbi-
tant prices from the men and AYERS that
he has aided them very materially, I'M
proved their condition and provided them
with many advantages which they could
not otherwise have enjoyed. Mr.. Pullman
expressed willingness to investigate the
charges but in the midst of it the workmen
suddenly struck. Mr.. Pullman declares
that he was then running the shops part
of the time at loss and so shut down
after the men went out. The COM
pany is immensely wealthy ard is said
to have carried several millions of dollars
to its surplus last year. This fact, however
illogical in its application. no doubt served
TO increase the discomfort of the en-
ployes and to augment the sympathy be-
slowed upon the strikers. Another thiog
which favored the strikers was the absolute
refusal of Mr.. Pullman to arbitrate. He
declared he had nothing to arbitrste al
though some of the leadit g men in Chicago
went to him for that purpose.
About month after the strike began the
American Railway Union appeared upon
the scene fresh from the lsurels of having
brought the strikers on the Northern Pacific
through to successful issue. This labor
organization is not influential in the East
and only recently has concentrated the
J power it now has. Many of its members
/ are also members of smaller labor or.
CARNATIONS, some of which are more
conserva'ively managed and object
to the present strike, with the re-
suit that among their members are those
With recognize their authority while
others WELD to the order of the rail-
way union of which they are also members.
! 1t is suspr c.ed that the later organization
elated by its rcce victcry and DESTROYS of
) strengthening and lextendiDg its influence
J undertook the present strike more readily
than it would have done under other
circumstances. Having decided to aid