The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-07-14
RENTS AND OTHER MATTERS
He Says Houses Are Let Cheap
and Water Rates Low.
Work of President Cleyeland's Proposed
Commission to Be Limited TO Inves-
tigatiOn-SOvereign's Views.

NEW YORK. July 13.-"There. is hardly
anything now 10 be said as TO the position
OF the Pullman company said George W..
Pullman this evening, but L have so
many Indications Of the facility with which
my expressions and those authorized b.
me have become distorted, and thus mis-
leading TO the public. and of an entire
forgetting OF my earnest efforts to pre-
vent the strike, that perhaps il is well
that / should again make "A public assur-
ance that the deplOrable events OF the last
few weeks have not been caused by the
Pullman company taking an obstinate
stand in a debatable matter and refusing
to listen to reason. The leaders Of disorder
have not hesitated TO harass the public
by all means in their power. because, as
they say, the Pullman company would not
sumbit TO arbitration, and now that dis
order seems to be quelled they are rein
forced in their clamor for arbitration by
some prominent newspapers, but, SO far
as L know, by very few, ii any, business
men in the country.
What is the demand concealed under
the notwithstanding word arbitration?
y little more than a year ago the shops
at Pullman were in a prosperous condition;
work was plenty, wages were high, and
the condition of the employees was indi-
Gated By the fact that the local savings
bank had of savings deposited nearly $780,
60. Of which nearly all was the property
OF the employees. Our pay rolls for that
year show an average earning Of over $500
per annum for every person. man. woman
or youth on the roll. Then came the great
panic and depression of last summer.
Many customers stopped negotiations and
Cancelled orders. and our working force
had to be diminished from nearly six
thousand to two thousand in November,
1895. The great business depression exist
ing throughout the country had naturally
resulted in a wage depression, and the
only hope OF getting orders was by bidding
for work at prices as low or lower than
could be made by other shops, and this,
OF course, necessitated a reduction in the
wages of the employees at Pullman. This
was arranged satisfactorily, as L supposed,
and in close competitions. disregarding all
account of capital and machinery. | Sc
cured enough work TO gradually increase
our force TO 4,40, the number on the roll
last April.
SHOPS OPERATED AT \ LOSS.
Nine weeks ago the car shops at Pull
man were working with car-building con-
tracts on hand enough to keep them going
for about sixty days, and with all business
forecasts leading to the belief that no con-
siderable new orders could soon he had.
The most important of the work in hand
had been taken by me in competition at
prices which were less than the actual cost
10 the company of delivering, without any
reckoning for the use of capital and plant.
This work was taken to keep the large
force of men employed, and to postpone,
and with the hope of avoiding, the num-
berless embarrassments to all classes of
people at Pullman and in Its vicinity of a
closing down of the works, to prevent
which the company considered it a wise
policy TO operate the shops temporarily at
an actual loss.
In this condition of things came the az
itation seeking to create a labor organiza-
ton embracing all railway EMPLOYEES and
apparen>-s other industries. 1t is my belief
that the controversy excited at Pullman
was merely a move III the greater scheme.
these shops being selected. not on account
OF discomfort in them, but because of their
prominence In various ways, and because of
the chance or a show or Justification for "A
simultaneous and cauSeless attack upon the
railways OF the country for the use, under
longtime contracts. by three-fourths of
them. OF the Pullman sleeping-car system.
a branch OF the company business totally
distinct from its manufacturing Of ears
loI Sdlc- III the early part OF May, a COM
mittee Of the employees demanded a res
toraten of the wages OF a year ago. l eX-
planned TO this committee, infinitely and
laboriously. the facts, showing that the
company was already paying them more
than IL was receiving for their contract
work. and j offered them. for complete as
surance. and TO end all question, AN in
spection of our books and contracts in
hand. This, and the beginning at once at
Pullman OF a promised careful Investigation
or "A number of shop complaints. seemed
10 end all trouble, but a day later. under
the excitement OF their recruiting into the
new organization. the workmen closed the
shops by abandoning their work. thus
themselves doing what L was strenuously
trying TO prevent being done by the de-
preston OF the car-huilding business. and
the employees who quit their work have de-
pTiVed themselves and their comrades of
earnings OF more than 100000 up to this
time The demand made before quitting
work was that the wages should be re-
stored To the scale of last year. or. in eff
feet, That the actual outgoing money losses
then being daily incurred by the company
I'm car building should be deliberately in