The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1894-11-16
STRIKE COMMISSION,
Report on the Great Railroand and
Pullman Strikes Presented to
the President.
MANAGERS AND PULLMAN
Are Scored and a Recommendation
For a National Arbitration Com
mission Made.

ullSSlUll ulttuSs
CHICAGO, Nov. 14.-The United
States government report Oh the great
railway strike in connection with the
Pullman trouble was made public dur
ing the day. The report, which Is
signed by the federal labor commits
sioner, Carroll D. Wright, and his fel-
low Investigators. John d. Herman OF
New York and Nicholas E. Worthing-
ton Of Illinois, is addressed to President
Cleveland and abounds in passages
| which will attract wide attention, par
ticularly the portion referring to the
now famous General Managers asso-
ciaticn," the organization of high
| railway officials that encompassed the
| memorable defeat Of the American
Railway Union.
The report says the capitalization OF
the "a railroads directly represented
in the General Managers association
was 81, ,10S, ,552, GIT. The number of
employees was 2ss, o97. The commits
sion continues:
| AS Strike Fighter.
| This voluntary unincorporated asso.
| citation was formed in 1886. but until
| June, 1894, the associations possiblll-
| ties as a strike fighter and wage arbl-
traitor lay rather dormant. Its roads
| fixed "Chicago SCALE for switchmen,
covering all lines at Chicago. In
March, 1898, the switchmen demanded
more pay irom each road. The asso-
citation concluded that they We're paid
enough-if anything, too much The
roads so informed the men. The
Switchmen's Mutual Aid Association
of North America wrote to Mr.. st.
John, as chairman, acquiescing. He,
as chairman OF the General Map gers
association, concluded his reply as fol
lows:
"The association approves the course
taken by your body and desires to deal
fairly with all employees, and believes
that our switchmen are receiving due
consideration.
Working for Combine.
This seems to show, the report says,
that employees upon association roads
are treated as under subsection to the
General Managers association, and the
General Managers association. The
commission says that the General Man.
ayers association has no legal standing,
and that it has usurped powers not
granted by the charters Of the roads.
1t also says that the government should
interfere. An extension OF this associ-
alton and the proposed legalizatlon OF
spooling" would result in an aggrega-
ton of power and capital dangerous to
the people and their liberties as well
as to employees and their rights. The
question would then certainly arise as
to which shall control, the government
or the railroads, and the end would in
evitably be government ownership.
Unless ready for that result and all
that it implies, the government must
restrain corporations within the law
and prevent them from forming unlaw'
full and dangerous combinations.
A Roast For Pullman.
Taking up the subject of the Pullman
Palace Car company the report says:
This is a corporation organized il
1867, with capital Of $1,oO0,oOo. i
; has grown until its present paid uI
, capital is $36, 600, 900. Its property ha:
enabled the company for over 30 year!
to pay per cent quarterly dividends
and, i'll addition, to lay up a surplus O.
nearly $25, ,O00,O 900 of undivided profits
2 ! ~ +l,o of D,,l -
which the report states the company il
t owner and landlord, the commission
E saws: The principal church and it
parsonage are very attractive structures
but often are not occupied because tn,
D. rental required is higher than an.
church society is willing to pay to OBJ
tain the gospel privileges to be thereb,
secured.
AS a result of the Pullman system
: and its growth, when the depression o
1898 came, morally calling for mutua
concessions as to wages, rents, etc., w
= find on the one hand very
a Wealthy and Unyieldins Corporation
: and upon the other a multitude of em
e ployes of comparatively excellent char
acter and skill, but without local at
= tachments or any interested respons
!. bility in the town, its business tene
:, ments or Surroundings.
:, Some witnesses swear that at times
:, for the work done in two weeks, the
received in checks from 40 cents to s
= over and above their rent. The con
= pany has not produced its checks in rt
buttal.
No Reduction in Officers Salaries.
During all of this reduction and i,
t attendant suffering none of the salarie
d of the officers. managers or superb
e tendents We're reduced. Reductions
Q these would not have been so severel
felt, would have shown good faitl