Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1894-07-17
PULLMAN EXPLAINS.
A Detailed Statement About The
Strike.

"There is hardly anything new to b.
said as to the position of the Pullman
Company, but have so many indica
tions of the facility with which my ex
pressions and those authorized by 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 it is wei
that 1 should again make a public as
surance that the deplorable events OF
the last few weeks have not been caused
by the Pullman Company taking any OBJ
stinate stand in debatable matter and
refusing to listen to reason.
"The leaders of the strike have at.
tempted to harass the public by all
means in their power because, as they
say, the Pullman. Company would not
submit to arbitration, and, now that
disorder seems to be quelled, they are
reinforced in their clamor for arbitration
by some prominent newspapers, but SC
far as know by very few, if any, busi.
ness men in the country.
What is the demand concealed under
the innocently sounding word arbitra.
tionP A little more than a year ago the
car shops at Pullman were in a most
prosperous condition; work was plenty,
wages were high, and the condition OF
the employees was indicate by the fact
that the local savings banks had of saw
iugs deposits nearly 100000, of which
nearly all was the property of the en-
ployes. Our pay rolls for that year
shows aPaverage earning of over 5000 a
| year forN very person on the roll.
Then came the great panic and de-
preston of last summer Many GUS
toners stopped negotiations and can.
celled orders, and our working force had
to be diminished from nearly 5000 to
about 1000 in November, 1893. The
great business depression existing
throughout the country had naturally
resulted in wage depression, and the
only hope of getting orders was by bid
ding 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 Pull
man. This was arranged satisfactorily,
as supposed, and in close competi-
ton, disregarding all account of capital
and machinery, l secured enough work
to gradually increase our force to 1920,
the number on the rolls last April.
mine weeks ago the car shops at Pull
man were working with car building
l COuOl dSlO Oal udtllu W kGGD
going about go days, and with all bust
ness forecasts leading to the belief that
no considerable new orders could soon
be had. The most important of the
work had been taken by me, in competi-
ton, at prices that were less than the
actual cost to the company of delivering
the cars, without any reckoning for the
use of capital and plant. This work was
taken to keep the large force of men en-
ployed and to postpone, and with the
hope of avoiding, the numberless en-
barrassments to all classes of people at
Pullman and its vicinity, of closing
down of the works, to prevent which
the company considered it wise policy
to operate the shops temporarily at IN
actual loss. ~
''In the condition of things came the
agitation seeking to create labor organ
izatiOn embracing all railway employees,
aud apparently other industries. 1t is
my belief that the controversy excited at
Pullman was merely move in the great
scheme, these shops being selected, not
on account of discomfort in them, but
because of their prominence in various
ways, and because of chance of show
of justification for simultaneous and
causeless attack upon the railways of
the country for the use, under long con-
tracts, by three-fourths of them, of the
Pullman sleeping car system, branch of
the company's business totally distinct
from its manufacturing of cars for sale.
''In the early part of May committee
of employees demanded restoration of
the wages of year ago. explained to
this committee minutely and laborious-
ly the facts, showing that the company
was already paying more than it was re-
ceiving for their contract work, and
offered them, for complete assurance
and to end all question, an inspection of
our books and contracts in hand.
This, and the beginning at Pullman
of a proposed careful investigation of a
number of shop complaints seemed to
end all trouble, but few days later, un-
der the excitement of their recruiting
into the new organization, the workmeu
quit the shops by abandoning their
work, thus themselves doing what was
strenuously trying to prevent being done
by the depression of car building busi-
ness, and the employees who have quit
their work have deprived 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 ef-
feet that the actual outgoing money loss
es, then being daily incurred by the
company in car building should deliber-
ately be made up to the employees. 1t
must be clear to every business man and
to every thinking workingman that no
prudent employer could submit to arbi-
tration the question whether he should
commit such piece of folly. Agree
ment always implies acquiescence in the
arbitrator whether favorable or adverse.
How could l, as president If the Pull
man Company, consent to agree thar If
any body of men, not concerned with the
interests of the company shareholders,
should, as arbitrators, for any reasons
seeming good to them, so decree,
would open the shops, employ workmen
at wages greater than their work could
be sold for and continue this ruinous
policy indefinitely or be accused of
breach of faith?
'Who will deny that such question
is plainly not subject for arbitration?
Is it not then unreasonable thai the COM
pany should be asked to arbitrate,
whether or not it should submit such
question to arbitration? Removing the
original and fundamental question one
stage does not help the matter; the ques-
ton would still remain: Can l, as busi-
ness man, knowing the truth of the facts
which have stated, bind myself that
will, in any contingency, open and oper-