The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1894-08-23
THE STRIKE COMMISSION
FURTHER TESTIMONY TAKEN AT
YESTERDAYS HEARING
According to Witnesses Pullmans EN-.
ployes Are Badly Treated and no
Strikers or American Railway
Union Men Were Rioters.

CHICAGO, Aug. eli. NJ. Carroll,
editor of the Eight Hour Herald, was
the first witness called by the strike
commission today. Mr.. Carroll told
of the efforts of the Civil Federation,
of which it is member, to settle the
Pullman strike. He was informed by
the Pullman officials, he said, that
they had nothing to arbitrate and for
this reason the Federation accom-
plished nothing. The witness said
that hard times were the cause of the
railroad, also other recent strikes, and
thought that manufactured in time
of business depression should give
their employees the benefit of the
profits made in good times. He said
he believed compulsory arbitration
applied to public industries would be
beneficial, and read letter from a
friend in New Zealand showing the
beneficial effects ofgovernment owner
ship OF railroads and telegraph.
Malcolm Mcdowell, q newspaper
reporter, told of the overturning of
the cars at Pullman. He said tina
the mob at that point was composed
of outside men, mainly foreigners, aud
that there were Lo railrosd strikers in
the disorderly crowd.
Rev. e. l.. Wickham, pastor of the
| Swedish Methodist church at Pull
man, was emphatic in his denunca-
ton of the method of the Pullman
company. "When business was
Nslack," he said, "the company's EN-
ployes LIVING outside of Pullman are
ordered to move into the company
houses on peril Of losing their posi-
tions. Some OF the men have at.
tempted to buy houses on the Install
menJ plan, but this Is discouraged as
such men are always the first TO be
laid off when the force is
cut down. The men are I'M
fairly treated in various ways. l
know of one instance when q m an was
injured in the shops and unfair means
were taken to prevent suit for dam
ages. The man was taken to the
hospital and later L saw sworn
statement purpOrting to be signed by
him in which he said the accident
was entirely unavoidable. know
that paper to have been forgery, for
on that date on which it was made
the man was unable to write and
could not have signed his name. One
of the worst features of the Pullman
system of house renting Ia the immor-
ality which it encourages. Many OF
h
rent rooms to help pay their rem B.
The houses are so arranged that the
roomers must pass through the family
sleeping apartments and as a
result the morality Of Pullman is
much below that of surrounding
towns. There is no way for the
workiDgmen to avoid this, as many
of them are practically compelled to
live in the company's houses"
Roy Baker, Chicago reporter, was
called upon for an account of the riot
at Hammond. Mr.. Baker stated he
was in the center of the mob and saw
no American Railway Union men or
railroad strikers, the crowd being
made up of toughs and outside men
He said that shortly before the United
States troops fired, small body Of
men surrounded by women, children
and other spectators, attempted to
overturn some Pullman cars. With
out warning, the witness declared,
the troops fired, killing and wounding
several people, all Of whom were limo.
cent spectators. Mr.. Baker said that
at no time during the trouble did he
see a railroad man or member of the
American railway Union In the mob.