The morning call., 1894-11-13

June. 1892, was clearly justifable. The bust
ness in May. 1894, could not pay the wages Of
Jun, 1898. Reduction was carried TO excess,
but the company was hardly more at fault
therein than were the employees Ia insisting
upon The wages of June, 1898. There was
little discussion as 10 rents. the company main
tanning that the rents had nothing TO do vii b
It's wages and that its revenue from its tene-
menIs was no greater than ii ought to receive.
The company had a legal right TO take this
position, but between man and man The de.
mand for some rent reduction was fair ana
reasonable under all the circumstances Some
slight concessions in this regard would prob
ably have averted The striNe, provided the
promise not to discharge men who served upon
the committee had been more strictly regarded.
The strike occurred on May IL, and from
that time until the soldiers went o Pullman,
81 bout July 4, 300 strikers were placed about The
company's property. professedly to guard it
from destruction or interference. This guard
ing Of property in Strikes as rule is a mere
pretense. Too often the real object of guards
Is TO prevent newcomers from taking the
strikers places. The Pullman Company claims
this was tile real object of these guards The
strk ers al Pullman are entitled to be believed
TO the contrary in this matter because of their
conduct and forbearance after May IL. l. is in
evidence and uncontradcted that no violence
paInizers took place at Pullman. and until July
3 no extraordinary protection was had from
the police or military against even anticipated
disorder. Such dignliied manly and conserya-
tive conduct in the midst OF excitement and
threatened starvation is worthy of the highest
type OF American citizenship and with like
prudence in all other directions will suit in
due time in lawful aud orderly redress of labor
wrongs. To deny this is to forswear patriotism
and to declare this Government and its people
a failure.
AS 10 the great railroad strike proper the
report says:
Ii is apparent that the readiness TO strike
alphabetically was promoted by the dis
turbed and apprehensive condition OF railroad
employees resulting from wage reductions on
different lines, blacklisting. and from the re-
cent growth of the General Managers Associa.
ton, which seemed to Them menace.
Further on the report says:
1t is seriously questioned, and With much
force whether courts have Jurisdiction to en-
join citizens from "persuadng" each other in
industrial or other matters of common interest.
However. It is generally recognized among
good cliiZens that a mandate of court is TO be
obeyed until it is modified and corrected by the
court that issued IL.
The policy. the report says, of both
GijS L ullIidu pdLJ duu bu6 hdlIWdy
Managers Association in reference to ap-
pications to arbitrate closed the door to
all attempts at Cancellation and settlement
of differences. The commission is i'm
pressed with the belief, by The evidence
and the attendant circums tances as dis
closed, that different policy would have
prevented the loss of life and great loss
of property and wages occasioned by The
strike.
The report declares that the arrival of
troops at Chicago was opportune and says
the fact that the policemen sympathized
with the strikers rather than with the cor
porations cannot be doubted, nor would i.
be surprising to find the same sentiment
rife among the militia. These forces are
largely recruited from the labOring classes.
Indeed, the danger is growing that in
strike wars between corporations and en-
pioyes military duty will have to be done
by others than volunteers from labor
ranks. United States deputy marshalS to
the mum Der of 5000 were selected by and
appointed at the request of the General
Managers Association and of its railroads
They were armed and paid by the railroads
and acted in the doubls capacity of railroad
employees and United States officers. While
operating the railroads they assumed AID
exercised unrestricted United States au-
thority when so ordered by their employ
ers, or whenever they regarded it as neces-
sary. They were not under the direct
control of any Government official while
exercising authority. This is placing Off
GERS of the Government under control of
com bnation of railroads and is a bad
precedent that might well lead to serious
consequences.
The commissio briefly disposes in this
way OF the matter OF the use of the Federal
troops:
Section 4, article ", Of the Federal con-
stitution reads as follows: THE United States
shall guarantee to every State in this Union a
republican form OF government and shall pro-
tect each of them against invasion, and on APP
plication of the Legislature or OF the xecutve
(when the Legislature cannot be conyened)
against domestic violence"
United States troops were not sent into
Illinois upon the application of the Legislature
nor of the Executive. against domestic violence;
/. e., violence affecting the State and its govern
ment as such. The President ordered the
troops TO Chicago.
Flrst-To protect Federal property.
Second-To prevent obstruction In the carry.
ing of the mails.
Third-To prevent interference with inter
state commerce.
Fourth-To enforce the DEGREES and mandates
of the Federal courts.
He did this under the authority of section
5299 of the Revised Statues OF the United
States, which provides: wherever by reason
of unlawful distractions. combinations or
assemblages of persons or rebellion against the
authority Of the Government of the United
States il shall become impracticable, in the
Judgment OF The President enforce nv
ordinary course of judicial proceedings, the
laws OF the United States within any State or
Territory. il shall be lawful for the President
to call forth the militia OF any State or all
States, to employ such parts of the Iand or
naval forces of the United States as be NAV
deem necessary to enforce the faithful execu-
ton Of the laws of the United States or TO sup
press such rebellion In whatever State or Ter
ritOry thereof the laws of the United States
may be forclbly opposed. or the execution
thereof forcibly INSTRUCTED
Section 5299 is also quoted, and the re-
port adds:
Other statutes tend to confer authority In the
same direction. There Is no evidence before
the commission that the officers of the A. R
at any time particpa ed in or advised intimida-
lion, violence or destruction OF property They
knew and fully appreciated that as soon as
mobs ruled the organized forces OF soct tv
would crush the mobs and all responsible for
them IN the remotest degree, and that this
meant defeat. The attacks upon corporations