The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1894-08-29
APPEAL TO CHARITY.
SIX THOUSAND SOULS AT PULLMAN
lNNEEO OF BREAD.

INNEEO OF BREAD.
The Governor OF Illinois Appeals to the
People OF the State for Contributions to
Keep Women and Children from Stsrv
ing.
CHICAGO, AUG. 2l.-Atter making a
through Investigation OF the conditions
existing among the eX.cmplOyes OF the
Pullmau Company. who participated in
the recent boycott! and 0trlke, Governor
Altgeld, tonight issued the folIOwir g
relief appeal: TO the people OF the
State OF Illinois and especially to those
oil the city OF Chicago:
There is great distress growing on;
Of the want of food in and around the
town Of Pullman. More than 1000 fam
lies, or IN the neighborhoOd Of 5000
people are utterly destitute. Nearly
four tiiths OF them are women aud chill
dren. The men have endeavOrel to
get work, but We're unable to do so. |
have made a personal examination OF
the county aud learn from the eli:
Of the Pullman Company, that prior to
the strike they had 3,2G0 names on the
roll. Yesterday they had ? 1920 people
at WORK, but over COO of them are new
men, 80 that they have only about | GOO
of their old employees at.WOrk, leaving
about lego that have not been taken
back. Several hundred OF these have lett =,
but the remainder are unable to 90 away
ard have nothing 10 eat. find that
Immediately after the beginning of the
strike relief association WAS formed to
provide for the needy and the books Of
this associations shows that 2, 4G3 appll-
cations were made by the i'ullman en-
ployes, mostly heads OF families to this
association f)r aud. In fact, nearly all
Of the employees, except the few hundred
who left have been supported by charity
for nearly three months. AS rule theY
are a superior class 0flab1 bring people in-
dus,rIous, capable and steady, and some
of them have worked for the Pullman
Company tor more than ten years.
Those who have bean gwen work can
get food, but are still in such an impovor.
shed condition that they can't help their
neiehbrrs if they would. Rsliet society
is unable to get more supplies. Ga last
Saturday 1t gave TO each family two
pounds of oatmeal and two pounds OF
corn meal and having nothing leta. 1t
suspended operations, leaving the pe0.
ple in an absolutely helpless condition.
The county commissioners OF COOK
county as 0Verseers OF the poor have
rendered soma assistance, but owing to
limited appropriations, they can furnish
relief for short time Only. We cannot
stop to inquire the cause OF this distress.
The good people OF this State cannot al
low women and children by the hun.
dred 10 perish by hunger. |, therefore,
call upon all humane and charltablY dis
posed citiz.ns to )ntribute what they
can toward giving relief to these people.
[ am satisfied that anY contributions
sent to the Pullman Relief Committee at
Kensington will be iudiclnuslY distributed
fud thar treasurer has given bond to
properly account for sll moneys re-
ceived.
(Signed) JOHN p. ALTGELD,
| Governor.
The Gov 5rnor also sent a comm uni.
cation to the commissioners OF Cook
county, appealing to them as the otli
GERS upon whom dsvolvcd duty OF
providing for cases Of this kind to the
utmost in their power to furnish lmme
diate assistance to The people IN distress.
The correspondence between Governor
AlLeeld and George M. Pullman, in rela-
ton to the destituton in the town was
given to the press by the Governor. 1t
began last Sunday, when the Governor
sent telegram to Mr.. Pullman from
Springfield, in response TO number OF
appeals made to him by strikers for as
sistance. In this dispatch, the Governor
tells Mr.. Pullman that although the
State of Illinois has not the least desire
to meddle in the ali'airs Of the company,
it cannot allow whole community
within its borders to perish Of hunger,
aud Informs the president OF the com.
pany that uuless relief comes he would
either have to call special session
of the legislature to make an approprla-
ton or else ISSUE an appeal to the hu'
maue people of tho State to give bread
to the company'5 former employees. lie
adds: at seems to me you would pre-
fer to relYe the situation yourself, especl-
ally as it has Just cost the State up
wards of $50, 900 to protect ycuc proper
ty."