The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1894-09-01
A WHlfED sRPULCHRE.

world. ltisa city made 10 order the
property of an American sutocrat II
Is beautiful with stately edldces, wide
ooulevards, broad expanses of green
lawns, beds of brilliant flowers, yi.tas
Oh landscape aud sparkling fountsins.
AS these charms meet the eye of the
visitor he exclaims @here is an earthly
paradise here is the true Utopia; here
Is practical philanthropy on msguid.
cent sealo.n The great company who
rule this ideal city under the control
OF a great republican potentate insist
that poverty aud squalor eau have no
place in 1t. Prosperity and happiness
alone meet the eye. They have adver.
Used II lar and wide as a paradise for
their army Of employees u place
where every elevating and ennobling
influence Is provided, and from which
every debasing one is banished.
Peace, content, health and beauty,
reign supreme In the ideal city OF
Pullman. The vast army Of working
men live there secure from evil sur
roundings or dread of want, In the
enjoyment Of schools, churches, com.
Portable homes, places of Innocent re.
creation, and parks aud pleasure
grounds provided by the paternal
benefcence OF George NJ. Pullman.
Such was the ideal city. Such was
the picture held out to an admiriug
world, while the author and owner of
this superb scheme of philanthropy
like Jack Horner, "put in bis thumb
and pulled out plum aud said what
. good boy am T." But suddenly the
admiring world was startled by des-
perate outbreak from these same
pampercd and petted workmen, who
claimed that they were starving 10
death In their beautiful playhouse
These ungrsteful people ragged against
the beneflccnt Pullman with such fury
that they seemed to have gone mad
with what they called tyranny aud OPP
preston. They fell to burning aud
des,royipg their beautiful city; they
trampled the works Of philanthropy
under their feet they threatened aud
sought the life of their paternal cm-
ployer; they insngurated reign of
terror which paralysed industry and
menaced tho existence Of the nation.
The strength Of mighty government
! alone suificed to stop the progress of
revolution aud the spirit of murder
and ruin which grew out of the spec
ious smoothness of the city Of Pull
man. But the veil was torn down.
The skeleton was exposed. The truth
has come forth and the Model City Is
at last known for what 1t is--"all
glorious without, but full of rottenness
and dead mems bones.' Investigation
shows II to be the most gigantic fraud
on record--a system of philanthropy
for revenue only, a city owned exclus-
ively,--dwellings, public buildings,
schools, churches even-by the Pull
man company, with the. one sole OBJ
ject Of utilizing its every industry, ell
terprise, employment and energy as a
machine for the pouring of revenue
into the pockets of its masters. Inc
| flower and fountain spangled vlstaS
were for the eyes of visitors. The
working people were warned away
from them. Huge brick barracks OIL
back streets held the employees and
their families, crowded together six
or eight persons into one or at most
two rooms. School houses were rent
ed from the company and paid Tor oy
the city of Chicago. Churches were
the property of the company aud
promptly shut up when their congre-
gatious failed 10 pay the ren'' Ine
largest church in the city was cioseu
for two years because no congregation
lin Pullmsn could raise the rent de-
manded. Rent for the wrctched dwell
llu9s was regularly deducted from
wages on pay day, leaving often only
/. dollar or two--sometlmes only a
fsw ceuts--to buy food for the labor
ara family. Whole families we're sup
nor,ed on three or four dollars
month. Mechanics of the hlgnes'
grade found it impossible to save
a dollar a day from the Unsuitable
avarice of the company. A who'e
block of families cooked their mlser-
able scraps Of food Oh one stove 10
sove fuel. Unexampled suffering ana
v.,t and actual starvation was Tue