The morning call., 1894-06-30
Mr.. HUNTINGTON'S VIEW.
II. E. Issues an Exposition of the
Railroad Side.


The following letter was issued for pub
lication yesterday by II. E. Huntington.
| assistant TO president and director South
ern Pacific Company:
The determination of the controversy bar,vaen
the railroads OF the country and an organization
OF railway employees styling itself the Americ. IN
Railway L ntOn Is attenued with such far-reacb.
ing consequences to the industries the Commerce
and to every attribute of civilized life as TO de-
mana at the hands OF all who att .nnt IN form ar
to lead public opinion perfect candor in its dis.
eussion. With such clearnesS and conciseness as
are at my command beg leave TO define the issue
involved
The Pullman Manufacturing Company has work
shops located at several places in the United
states That company is manufacturing he sleep
| ing-cars used by the railways of The country In
| the manufacture of these cars 1t EMPLOYS MANY
! persons OF various trades and callfngs They are
not railway employees, but simply artisans en-
gagged in the wood and iron WORK necessary 10 the
construction OF the cars.
The pressed financial condition of the conntrv
| induced the conductors OF the Pullman Car Com
pany to suggest reduction of pay To ITS employees
| with the merit or demerit OF that suggestion 1
! have nothing TO do. 1t was question solely be-
| tween the Pullman Car Company aud the men en-
! plOyed by It, Inc employees OF that eompany
however, refused to accept the scale of wages
| onered by the company, whereupon, according TO
my best information. he WORKS were closed Thls
is the simple statement OF facts which constitutes
the basis OF the present tieup. practically of an
the arteries OF inla commerce in the United
states. The Pullman Car Company finding fC
Improbable TO conduct business sus pended its
operations.
is germane to the purpose of this letter. bat reci-
tation OF the facts is necessary a complete dis
closure OF the issue underlying the eN sting con-
troVersy. he employees OF the rullman Car Com
pany declared boycott agsinSt the cars manu-
tactured Oy that company. and sought the aid and
sympathy OF the AmeriCa an Railway Mon in the
enforcement or that boycott
The organization Of LABOR among the different
/ crafts aud caliingS of workmen is not new The
boy OFT, although matter of somewhat recent
origin in the history OF labor movements is still
not new. But the apple .tIon of the boycott aud
the n Cument used for its Justification n
stance under cOusideFati Is new and its sue
cessfui establishment IS fraught with more serI.
GUS consequences 10 the industries OF this country
than have heretofore attended labor movements
In any form.
man cars are In no respect parties the cOntro-
versy between the Pullman Car Company and its
empi yes. They have entered into contricts with
the Iulman Company for the use Of their rolling
stock as sleepingcars. These contracts legiti-
mate In al respects Nor are they In any respect
menace 10 the rights OF the public nor TO indi-
viduai citizens of the country The public com
Tort and convenience are conserved by their use.
The labor employed In their manufacture. after
the cars have left the shops, has no right to
troll their use.
he railway employees confederated under the
rame OF the American Railway Union seek TO
tFblIsh the principle Ihat no work put out by the
Pullman Car Company's shops snail be used un-
less the relation between the Pullman Car Con-
pany and the labor employed 10y Ii Is satisfactory.
by this declaration he American Railway Union
is attempting TO establish a precedent which. II
carried to It's logical conclusion, would become
factor IN the railway transportation OF this cOun
servator OF the industries and commerce of the
country.
4 the railroads are to be denied the use of Pull
man cars because of a misunderstanding between
the labor used In their constrnetion and be cor
applied TO locomotive WORKS suppose. Tor in
stance. strike occurred In the BALDWIN Locomo-
tive WORKS and the American Railway Union de-
clareS that nc railroad using Baldwin lOcomO-
tlves shall haul their trains with locomo-
tives produced at that factory. Such case
would be completely analogous 10 the one
under consideration The purchase OF loco
motive under such circumstances would
be attended constantly with the da ger that the
factory producing them would not maintain bar
mouious relations with ITS employees, and the
railroad purchasing suen locOmoti We would have
a guarantee of lis Use only SO long meehan cs
engaged in the manufacture OF other locomotives
at the Badwi1 WORKS were satisfied with their
wages or the hours of labor Thus the use OF the
locomotive would not pass TO the railroad pur-
chasing IL, but would remain subject to the exl-
gencies OF the scale OF wages In the factory pro-
ducing It.
Moreover. the policy would logically extend
itself to the carriage OF goods produced by yari-
Gus factories. A completely analogous case would
be found In strike az the Studeoaker Wagon
MOrkS at south Bend, Ind. Should that CORPORA
tion encounter unfortunate Disagreement between
itself and ITS employees as 10 the rate or wages or
could, in strict consistency with the policy 1t Is
now adopting concerning the Pullman cars. de-
maud that no wagons produced II the Studebaker
factory should be carried or delivered to the
chants who had purchased them. and tie up
every railroad train carry ing the product of that
| factory to the merchant or consumer In response
TO such a demand the railways would have to
Violate their contracts for transportation with
/ the StudebaKer Company by cutting out the cars
Carrying the output OF that factory, OF suspend
the entire internal commerce of the country.
! he logic OF the principle sought TO be estab-
! iished extends itself even beyond this. Suppose
| the labor employed In orchardng in California
! should form Itself into labor organization and
that single fruit gr pwer ike A. 4. Hatch should
| hnd himself In controversy with the organ zation
over the rates of wages or the hours OF labor ana
! the American Railway Union should deny To his
/ fruit the use of trains I'm search of a mark et
should the demand be conceded In short each
i fflRnal -
have his freight transported by the railway com
panies OF the country regardless OF the contrActuaI
| relat tiOn which he may sustain to the labor en-
ployed Dy himself.
All these cases are parallel. The railway com
pan es may enter into a contract TO move Pullman
ears over their lines OF TO carry the wagons manu-
featured by the Studebaker Company or the fruit
grown and shipped by Mr.. Hatch. and the Ameri-
| can Railway Union cannot indemnify them from
damage ensuing by breach OF such contracts
| Individual manufacturers or producers have a
right TO demand that persons under contract to do
perform any service for them in the wav OF de-
vering OF materials or the transportation of their
goods shall do so regardless of the relation whcb
they themselves may sustain to the labor employ ed
| by them
| This principle once abandoned puts the entire
regulation Of transportation in the hands of the
| American Railway Union, and in utter disregard
CT the rights of production or the rights of com
mer G. TO yield to 1t means the abandonment of
every civilized notion of natural Justice.
The principle involved IN this controversy is as
! broad and as deep as the foundations on Will b
society rests. Further tnan this the triumph of
the policy sought to be established by the Ameri-
can Railway union puts the entire railway system IN
of the United States IN the hands OF the employees
or the smallest factory the country as az aid to
| the coercion of any demand 20 the rate OF
wages OF the hours OF labor. or any other subject
| OF controversy between the employer and the en-
! ployed
| The labor employed in the production of iour.
mails in this country is OrganizedaS it has ght
| to be. suppose, however, the boycott should be
/ declared upon single mere tntile establishment
\ by an organization OF clerks cmpoyed therein.
would the typographical union feel called upon
to strike because the paper continued a contract
a. m Ifahl
| ing? Or, suppose a strike occurred in a news
/ paper office. Would the American Ra lway Union
feel called upon TO demand that no express-car be
| run upon the tracks OF American railroads carry
/ ing the issues OF the paper having a contention
with Its typographical force?
lt is within the bounds OF sober probsbiity that
this policy, once successfully established VIII ex-
/ tend itself 10 individuals obnoxious 10 labor
organizations, and railroads Will be denied the
privilege OF carrying such individual. notwIth.
| the transportation OF his person. ticket over
| their lines.
| Practically the American Railway Union has
declared that railroad operations in the United
States shall be confined to the movement OF sue h
\ cars or such freight OF such persons as may not
have incurred its dtspleasure. In that event all
the railway traffic Will be under the dir ection and
control not OF Governme 1t, not OF States not OF
communities, not OF society, but of single BOZ
organization, which, by reason of its intimate re.
| clutches IL by the throat and declares that il
shall De subseryient to the purposes of conserv
the rates OF wages in the smallest factory In the
country and party to every controversy which
may arse between employers aud employed In ali
| the activities of life.
To recur more specifically to the existing con-
troVersy The railroads are under contract with
the fullman Car Company to move its cars over