The Daily Texarkanian., 1894-08-31
COST OF THE GREAT STRIKE.
Railway Managers Submit Figures to
the Investigating Com
mittee.

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announces that Chauncey Kelsey
was the first witness of the day.
He took the witness chair immedi-
ately after the opening hour, and
testified as to the losses sustained
by his road during the strike. He
declared that the total loss was
1888, 1850.
Then William McMadden, of the
Lake Shore and Michigan Central
road, testified that the loss on cars
alone to that road was s., 154. The
Chicago and Eastern Illinois road
reported $21 500, and the Chicago,
Burlington and Quincy reported
$3.50, 900 in destruction of property,
with other losses that had not been
tabulated,
Charles E. Webb, chief clerk of
the bank at Pullman, testified that
Jennie Curtis, who had claimed she
was compelled topay back rent, paid
the rent voluntarily.
Then Vice-President Wicks took
the stand. Questioned by Chair
man Wright, he said the cost to the
company of building the cars under
contract at Che time of the strike
was about 81, 100000 The labor
would cost about $24O,000. The
contracts were taken on basis of
reduction of 20 per cent, and thus
under the old prices the labor
would cost him $34O, 900.
Mr.. Wicks admitted that on this
basis the company had reduced it's
receipts $50, 600 and the employees
wages $50, 900. This, the vice-pres-
ident said looked hardly fair, but
he thought it much better than to
throw the men entirely out of en-
ployment.
In answer to the chairman, Mr..
Wickes said that the cut in pay had
been made to fit the depression in
business and the low selling price of
cars, and not to stop any encroach-
ment upon the profits that we're
paid to the stockholders. The sur
plus of $25, GOO, 600 undivided profits
consisted partly Of idle cars whose
value was constantly deteriorating
The cost of the cars was counted in
the surplus, SO there was, to some
extent, a fiction in the figures of
the surplus.
He said the Worlds Fair did not,
in his opinion, do his company any
particular good. The company
spent 81, 500, 600 building cars for
fair traffic, and the traffic was not
nearly so large as was expected.
He thought the fair work had
something to do with the cause of
the strike. When the rush was
over the prices got down to bed
rock and the men were dissatisfied.
He did not think that a voluntary
division of profits in prosperous
times would be better than the
present system. 1t would not be
fair to the stockholders to divide
the profits.
Mr.. Wickes said the amount of
back rent due to the company from
strikers was 100000 No eviction
lists had been made and there had
been no orders for eviction. Very
little effort had been made to col
lect back rent. He said the com
pany had contracts with the roads
to run its cars over about three
quarters of all the mileage in the
country. On the territory covered
by the contracts the Pullman COM
pany had monopoly.
Mr.. Wickes denied that Pullman
employees we're compelled to rent
the company's dwellings, He said
he did not believe the principle of
arbitration could be applied to a
man In the operation of his own
business. A matter of opinion was
available to arbitration, but not
the matter of a man running his
own business. The witness was
questioned as to the salaries paid
the company's officials, but declined
to answer.
Gen. Nelson A. Miles took the
stand when the commission met al
ter luncheon, He denied the story
that, on his arrival from Washing
ton, he had at once consulted with
the general managers. On July 2,
when this conference was said to
have taken place, he was in Wash
ington, and arried in Chicago on
July 4.
Asked il it was true that he had
declared that he had broken the
backbone of the strike, the general
said that this was not quite exact.
What he said was that he had