The Indiana State sentinel., 1894-08-29

| Il DO not know as 10 that. Ii has al
ways sought to pay fair wages. and the
! strike is pretty good evidence that the
] men have been satisfied"
What do you see that is Objectionable
! IN submitting difference like this to
| arbitration?"
Not Proper TO Arbitrate.
There are some matters that are
proper subjects for arbitration. but 1
cannot arbitrate on a question where :
know the facts to be thus and so. The
| question as 10 whether our shops should
! continue to run at a loss is a thing that
| could not be arbirated.'
why was il impOssible2"
Because IL violates the priciple that
man has right to manage his own
| business"
Suppose the arbitrators were to say
! to you: We see you are losing money,
| but these men have been with you a
long while; you can afford to share their
| losses; we think you should at least pay
them a living wage what would you say
TO that2"
MY point at the time was to work with
the men and secure the disbursement Of
the large sums Involved in the contracts
and lose money for the company If the
men would agree 10 bear their share in
a reduction of 20 70 % per cent. in their
wages
wherein it was wrong to take the money
of the stOckho,defs and pay higher wages
when the management was ready 10 take
contracts at loss. or take the stockhol-
ders money TO keep the plant going: Mr..
Pullman said the execution of contracts
at loss was better for the plant than to
let it lie idle.
$50" interrupted Mr.. Herman. you
had that in view as well as the employ
ment of the men2 You did not want u
l loo hot
would be a loss 10 stockholders, and you
did not want to scatter your men be-
cause you krew II would be difficult to
get force together again that would do
economical work p
Yes"
was your salary reduced. Mr.. Pull
The witness replied that it had not
| been.
"Nor the salaries Of superintendents or
foremen?"
No"
"Why?"
Mr.. Pullman said it was not good po.-
icy to reduce the salaries OF nigh Off
cials because men Of their caliber were
not easily replaced.
MIR. WieI<es Called.
Mr.. Pullman was then excused and
Vice-President Wickes called. He re-
hearsed the story of the strike and the
part he p.ayed in il. lie said the dis
charge of the members Of the grievance
committee after he had promised that
they should not be mOlested for the part
in the committees work was altogether
without his knowledge. and 1t was not
Intentional on the part OF the minor Off
cias who had laid them off. In support
of his declaration Mr.. Wickes presented
the affidaVits of the foremen who had
laid off the committeeman averring that
81. 4 limo -n~
course Of the cOmpanys business and
was due entirely 80 lack Of work in the
department where the committeeman
were employed. Witness said he had
agreed TO remedy the so-ca,led shop
grievances wherever they were proved
true and had begun the work OF investi-
cation when the Strike was precipitated
and ended the investigation. The ba1-
ance Of Mr. Wickes's evidence was main-
ly corroborative Of the statements made
by Pullman.
Other Witnesses.
The strike commissioners devoted
a large share Of their session to-
day TO the examination of Man
ager f. =. Bryant of the bank at
Pullman. Mr. Bryant appeared with a
yard or two Of typewriter statistics. but
at the request of Commissioner Herman.
laid the statements aside and answered
questions. He was particular 10 state
that he was not an employe of the Pull
man company, as the bank was owned
BY the Pullman Southern car company,
but later admitted that the latter is con-
trolled by the Palace car company. Mr.
Bryant said that the capital stock of the
bank was 100000 and that in July 1893.
the deposits amounted TO about S65S. 600.
OF the depositors 2,425 at that time were
Pullman employees. their accounts aver
aging S24O. In July. 1894. the deposits
a nj p1 n M
ployes accounts, which averaged 500.
The witness said that the Pullman work
men were paid in checks; that each
month the men were given two checks,
II they rented company dwellings-one
representing the amount OF rent due, ana
the other the balance of wages earned.
Mr. Bryant was questioned sharply re-
garding the system of paying, but en-
phatcally stated that there was nothing
compulsory about the men paying their
rent.
..The checks are only made for the
convenience of the men," said he, and
they may or may not indorse the rent
check back TO the company as they
choose
"It is Just as a gentle reminder that
the rent is due" suggested Mr.. Herman.
1T is simply for the mems convent
ence" the witness persisted. The bank
manager was then rigidly examined as
to the methods of the company for col
leEung DaCk rent
Mr.. Bryant was asked regarding the
case of Jennie Curtis, Pullman en-
ploye who had claimed that she had been
compelled to pay back rent due on the
house which her father had occupied
previous to his death. The witness said
the company had not compelled Miss
Curtis to pay the rent, but admitted that
she had done so.
The Rev. DR.. c. II. Eaton Of the
Church Of the paternity Of New York,
surprised the audience by his testimony.
He asserted that the reports of suffering
at Pullman had been grossly exagger-
ated He had visited forty houses, he
said and found no destitutOn, and no
distress. The men had told him that
they had no real grievances. he de-
clared and had no real cause for strik-
ing Dr. Eaton did not believe that
compulsory arbitration would prevent
strikes. giving as his reason that one
side of such controversies, the labOring
men. were not responsible, and that any
agreement that might be reached would
be liable TO violation The clergyman
said that the proper method of prevent
ing strikes was to build up and improve
the character of the workingman. He
had found Pullman, he said, a very sat
isfactory place in that regard, as the
mems characters there were under good
influences.
SOME MILLS WILL START.
Result of m Conference Between the
Wenvers and Managers.
NEW BEDFORD. Mass. Aug. 27.-As
a result Of the conference today between