The herald., 1894-11-14
CORPORATIONS STRIKE BACK.
A Reply to the Strike Commits
sion'S Report.
The Railway Age Publishes a Caustic
Criticism.
The Commissioners Charged With Mis-
representing Facts and Drawing
False onclusions-An EN-
phatic Kick.


CHICAGO, Nov. 13.-The Railway Age
in its next issue will contain q reply to
the report of the United States strike
commissioners. addressed to those gen.
tlemen. 1t says in part:
The personal opinions as conveyed in
the report of the federal strike commits
sion are invested with unwonted interest
to the public at large from the fact of
the official dignity with which they have
been clothed. All good citizens must of
necessity be interested in commission
ers' official conclusions, and it appears to
be the part of citizenship to call atten.
ton to, and If possible correct, any over
sights or misstatements of facts into
which the commissioners may have
fallen.
The report says: SIT should be noted
that until the railroad sets the example
q general union of railroad employees
was never attempted. The union had
not until then gone beyond enlisting
men upon different syatems in separate
trade organizations"
This statement is wholly false. The
report says in another place:
"The order of the Knights of Labor,
with an estimated mem bership OF from
100000 to $4,000, has always advocated
the solidifcation of labor"
The history of railway labor organi-
cations of the last 20 years is largely
made of what the report says was never
attempted, Again and again in many
instances have the different classes of
labor on the same roads and the same
classes OF labor on different roads stood
together. Again and again has the
allied labor of several companies been
called ON to enforce the demand OF one
class of labor against one company. The
ignorance of this fact and of the further
fact that it was the repeated experience
OF it which at length drove the railways
reluctantly to unite also in self-defsnse,
is to any one at all familiar with the
history OF labor almost incomprehensi-
bic. The misstatements are made the
more gross by the Importance which the
commission seems to attach to its as.
aertions.
The report, speaking OF the Pullman
phase of the trouble SAYS: THE cut in
wages during this period averaged about
20 per cent"
This 10 not true. The amount OF the
reduction was placed in evidence before
the commission in great detail and with
exactitude. The average reduction in
wages for journeyman mechanics was
22.S per cent, and the average reduction
for all other shop employees was 10 per
cent,
Again the report says: "Under the
contracts between railway companies
and the Pullman company. the railroads
have paid since 1877 2 cents a mile for
each mile run by Pullman cars"
This in not o fact, nor from the one
form OF standard" contract placed in
evidence before the commission was it
justified in concluding it to be a fact.
The contract specifically provides for
exceptions to the rate of payment which
enters so largely in the aggregate busi-
ness OF the company with the railways
as to totally falsify the generalization
which it made.
On page 1868 the report says: Through
out the strike the strife was simply over
ready TO do their duty otherwise"
This is not only untrue but is radical
and gross Misrepresentation Of the entire
circumstances of the strike. 1t is only
necessary to point out that the strike
Michigan Central. the Lake Shore and
Michigan Southern and Waba6h compa-
hies, on which no Pullman cars were in
operation. The statement quoted shows
an amazing and almost inoomprehensi-
BILE Misunderstanding of the essential ell
ements of the strike.
Further on the report says in refer
ence to the Pullman tenants: GAS the
bank is rent collector it presses for the
rent. and is aided in collecting it by
knowledge on the part OF the tenant
that by arrears he may lose his job"
On what was this knowledge" based e?
During all the years there has never
been an employee who Lost his lob"
for the non-payment of rents and the
employees had knowledge of it. How
lie the statement reconcilable with the
very sentence: ''At the time of
the strike $500 of unpaid rent had &C.
cumulated"-and the debtors still were
in possession OF their jobs.
Further on the report says: ''It is
in evidence and uncontradicted that no
violence or destruction of property by
strikers or sympathizers took place at
Pullman, and that until July Sd no ex-
traordinary protection was had from the
police or military against even antici-
pated disorder"
1t was not until July Sd that the SER
vices of the military we're called for,
even in Chicago itself. The commission
omits to mention the extraordinary
protection of the 22l guards of the Pull.
man company, who we're in service be.
fore the end OF June and who (the dam
ger of anticipated disorder being 80
great were increased to 250 in the frat
week in July.
Moreover there was violence at Pull
man, physical assaults upon persona
who attempted 10 return TO work. When
the military were put in the field they
were used at Pullman longer than any,
where else. Nowhere did the police
have more difficulty than in protecting
from violence those who wished to re-
sumo work at Pullman. Some or all OF
these acts we're clearly in evidence be-.
fore your commission.
Later the report says: There is no
evidence before the commission that Of
ficers of the American Railway union at
any time participated in or advised in
timidetion, violence or destruction of
property"
The evidence before the commission
not only included testimony as to specific
California Herb Toa