Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-11-16
Commission Comes in Tor Criticism.

1t would be surprising if the report OF
the commission that investigated the great
railway and Pullman strike did not come
in for liberal criticism. The well known
character of Mr. Wright, at least, gave the
report of the commission great weight.
But if one had not read the report there
would be little doubt as to which side OF
the controversy it favored, when Debs and
leading labor agitators have not fastened
to denounce it and the railway and Pull
man authorities have The editors of the
Railway Age in an open letter say among
other things, quoting the paragraph In the
commissions report which says that 1t
should be noted that until the railroads set
the example, a general union of rail-
road employees was never attempted,
''This statement is wholly false. The
history of railway labor organiza-
lions of the last 20 years is largely
made up of what your report says was
never attempted The statement Of the
commission that the "cut in wages during
this period averaged about 25 per cent, y
is pronounced untrue. The average re-
duction in wages for all shop EN-
ployes was 10 per cent, says the
letter. The letter closes as follows
"These errors of fact in your report
range all the way from the inaccurate quo
tation of comparatively trivial figures to
false congratulations as to the whole scope
and essence of the trouble. There are many
minor points in your report OF which
criticism and correction would be easy.
1t would be equally easy to pillory the
cheap levity with which you treat the
educational institutions and the aesthetic
| and sanitary features of Pullman. But
these thinge-errors of taste or fallacies
| in theory-will be apparent enough to the
| general readers, and will receive their
proper treatment from the frank critic OF
the daily press The letter says that the
curious accident that these mis-statements
are all on the same side-all tending to
throw discredit upon the corporations and
to increase the bitterness of the laborlng
classes against capitals an accident
from which the writer prefers to draw no
differences
Counsel Runnells of the Pullman COM
pany scores the commission for saying that
there is nothing to show that the officers
of the Railway Union having participated
in or having advised violence, and quotes
Vice President Towards advice to the
strikers to gain their ends with a coupling
pin if necessary.
1t certainly will take more than the re-
port of this commission to exculpate
the leaders of that great strike in the
eyes of the public. The readers of that
history will not easily forget or overlook
the dastardly deeds inspired at least by
that ill advised strike under leaders whose
motives, or at least the wisdom of whose
motives were considered very question
able by the large majority of the think
| ing practical citizens of this country.
| On the other hand and notwithstanding
denials, there is likely to spread from the
commissions report an impression that
| its investigation revealed to the commits
sioners grounds for believing that collu-
sion existed among the railway Organiza-
lions to regulate wages and to anticipate
any threatening organization of labor
that there did exist among the railroad
men fear of such combination and that
otherwise they would not have been so
ready to adopt rash measures, SO ready to
yield to irresponsible dictation in so
short time and so completely. An
other impression has, we believe, gone
abroad that it is not best to encourage
such philanthropy" as is claimed by
the Pullman Company, so far as it relates
| to owning and managing the homes of its
employees and assuming certain of their
civic rights. The ownership of town by
one corporation is not illegal, indeed it is
doubtful if it would be wise to attempt to
| leglSlate against IL. InaG III Is not cOnuu-
Give to the desirable American independ-
ence of it's citizens will be quite generally
believed. We have seen no denial of the
statement that while Mr.. Pullman's rents
may not have been high for the priv,
leges furnished, in some instances the
wages offered would leave but a
few cents over after paying that
rent and that the workman by NOV
ing into another town aud putting up
with cheaper accommodations would dc
so at the risk of losing his place. Natur-
ally the company, if it followed business
like methods, would adopt such measures
as would keep its tencments filled and
paying at least fair dividends and that in
order to do this the employees would have
to yield to certain restrictions upon such
independence as they might enjoy in a
town not wholly under the control of their
employer. 1t seems to be quite clear that,
whatever philanthropic motives Pullman
may have had in building that town
and supplying his operatives with adj
!