New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-07-14
HE EXPLAINS THE POSITION OF HIS
COMPANY.
THERE WAS NOTHING TO ARBITRATE-DEMANDs
MADE BY THE woRKMEN WERE UNREAsoN-
ABLE-CHARGEs AGAINST THE COM
PANY ANSWERED.

vi
as his company was concerned there was nothing
10 conceal. The railway companies simply dd
not order cars he said. and without orders he
could not carry on his business. His views are
given herewith In full and I'm an authorized form:
There Is hardly anything now to be said as to the
position Of the Pullman Company, but have so
many indications OF the facility with which my ex-
pressons and those authorized by me have become
distorted and thus misleading to the public ana OF
an entire forgetting OF earnest efforts TO prevent
the strike that perhaps :: j. Well that should again
make A public as-urant that The deplorable events
pullman company taking an obstinate stand in DE-
baabie and refusing to listen To reason The
LEADERS, OF disorder have not hestated To haass the
pub.lc by all means their power, because a. they
say the Pullman Company would not submit to ar
biration and now that disorder seems to be quelled
| they are reinforced In their cllmor FOR arbitration
| by some prominent newspapers bu;. so far as
know by very few, II any. business men in the
country.
WHY WAGES WERE REDUCED.
What Is the demand concealed under the innocent
/ IS sounding work arbitration? little more than a
year ago the car shops at Pullman were In most
prosperous condition. work plenty, wages were
high and the condition OF the employees was Indicated
| by the fact that the local savings bank had of
savings deposits nearly f7000c. II which nearly all
| was the property OF the employees. our payrol'
I that
per annum for every pe-son-nln. woman or youth
on the roll Then came the great panic and 10
| preston OF las; summer. Many customers stopped
! negotiations and cancelled orders. and our working
force had to be diminished from nearly coo t. about
/ 300 IN November. 1895 The great business de-
preston existing throughout the country had nat
| uraly resulted in a wage depression, and the only
| hope Of getting orders By bidding for work At
| prices ~ low as, lower than. could De made by
other shops and this. Of course necefsitaiei re-
I duciion In the wages u the employees az Pullman.
| This arranged satisfactorily. As supposed and
In close competitions. d-sregarlns all account of
| capital and machinery. / secured enough work %
gradually Increase our force - 1900 ihe number on
the rolls last April Nlne weeks ago the shops
Pullman were working with car-huill.ng contracts
ou hand enough % keep them going for about sixty
DAYS and with al business forecasts leading % the
belief that no considerable new orders could soon Doe
had The most important ot the Work IN hand had
been taken By mo In competition prices which
We're less Than the actual cost 70 the company of
delivering the cars wihou; any reckoning for the
usc 90 capital and plant This work was taken to
keep the large force of men employed anl to post
pone and with the hope of avoiding the numheress
emharrassmen's to al, classes Il people AT Pullman
anl iis vicinity u closing down u the works. -
prevent which the company considered u wise poll
lcy % operate tho shops temporarily at actual
loss.
In his condition ~ things cam, the agitation
KING 10 Great" a labuF organization embracing
all railway employees and apparently other in
dus;rlcs & Is my belief that the controversy eN-
cited at Pullman was merely move In IN" greater
scheme these shops being selected not on account
of disconent In them. but because Of their prom!-
ncncc IN various ways. and because OF the chance
u Justification FOR II simultaneous and causeless
attack upon the railways OF the country for the
us. under long time contracts. by fourths OF
them. ~ the Pullman sleeping car system. a branch
OF the companys business totally distinct from
It's manufacturing OF cars FOR sale.
AFFAIRS EXPLAINED TO THE EMPLOYEES.
In the early part Of May committee OF the
employees demanded restoration OF the wages OF
a year ago / explained TO this committee minu,ely
and laborously the facts showing that the COM
rany was already paying them more than 1t was
receiving for their contract work. and | offered
them for complete assurance. and 10 end all ques-
ton an Inspection OF our books and contracts In
hand. This and the beginning at once at Pullman
OF a promised careful investigation Of a number
Of shop complaints. seemed to end all trouble. but
a day later under the excitement Of their re-
crulting into the organization. the wOrkmen
closed the shops by abandoning their work. thus
themselves doing what | was strcnuously trying 10
prevent being done by the depression Of the car
building business. and the employees who quit their
work have deprived themseves and their com
rades Of earnings OF more than $3,oOOJ up to this
time
The demand made before quitting 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 carbuiding should be deliberately increased TO
an amount equal 10 about fourth Of the wages
OF the employees. 1t must be clear to every bust
ness man. and to every thinking workman, that
no prudent employer could submit to arbitration
the question whether he should commit such Il
piece OF business folly. Arbitration always implies
acquescencc in the decision Of the arbitrator,
whether favorable adverse? How could |. as pres-
dent OF the Pullman Company consent TO agree that
II any body OF men not concerned with the interests
Of the companys shareholders should, As arbitra-
tors Tor any seeming good to them 50 de-
cree would open The shops employ p Worhmsn at
accused OF breach Of faith? Who win deny that
irotione Is II not then unreasonabe that the com
pany should he asked to arbrate whether or not
RcmoVins SmTIT the original and Fundamental question
one stage does not help the matter the question
would still remain: Can !, as business man know
ine The truth OF the facts which have stated bind
myself that VIII in any coniinssncy open .d ana
party that | should do so? The answer seems to
The e''p public should not permit the real question
ton was as TO the possibility. Of the creation and
duration Of actaorshp wnch could nd maxi ma oy n
comfort OF the millions dependent upon them on nos
,assS fST the sranns ssbsSn S to him would have
been a long step in that direction. ana IN tne IN,
terest OF every law-abldng citizen or the tulted |
States was not to be considered FOR moment.
CHARGES MET AND ANSWERED
few words pertinent as to some indus |
triousy spread charges against the company.
one OF these charges Is that rents are eNorbtant,
and II IS implied that the Pullman employees have |
no choice but to submit. The answer Is simple |
The average rental OF tenements at Pullman Is at
the rate of 50 "A room month, and the renting |
OF honses at Pullman has no relation to the work
In the shops Employees may. and very many do. |
own or rent their homes outside Of the town. and |
the buildings and business places in the town are |
rented to employees or to others In competition with
neighborng properties. In short the renting busl-
ness OF the Pullman Company Is governed BY the
same conditions which govern any other large