Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-06-04
THE PULLMAN
COMP ANY ON
THE CARPET
Mysteries Of Huge Sleeping
Car Concern Will be. I'm
raveled by Interstate Com
merce Commission

Washington, Bureau of
Ottumwa Courier
Washington, June /.
There is going to be a complete un-
tanglipg of the mysteries of the Pull
man Palace Car company in the next
few months.
The big sleeping car company has
now one Of the most complete mcnopo-
lies in the country. There is probably
no railroad corporation which makes
so much money. The railroads pay the
Pullman company for the privilege OF
hauling it's cars, the public pays for
the service in tips, and the company
gets everything earned.
Moreover, the railroads cannot help
themselves. The huge profits OF the
sleeping car business have been In
vested to an immense extent In the
securities of railroads, until the Pull
man company is one of the biggest
powers which appear at the share
holders meetings of a half score of
the great railroad systems. In other
cases instead of the Pullman company
being big owner in railroads. rail.
road companies are stockholders in
the Pullman company. For instance,
the Pullmans bought the Wagner
Sleeping car work from the New York
Central interest, and in the deal the
New York Central became strong Ia
the Pullman concern.
The sleeping car business Is neces-
sarily conducted on larger scale than
the operations of a single railroad
The railroad that would have its share
of passenger business nowadays must
be able to advertise through Pullman
service from every corner of the
country to every other. So, when a
few of the great dominating roads
are tied up with the Pullman COM
pany, the smaller roads, desiring to
participate in the benefits of throug
service of sleepers, are compelled TO
use the Pullman sleepers, and to pay
whatever the Pullman people dictate.
The story is we'll authenticated, of q
minor railroad which was forced to
gay an exorbitant mileage for the priv.
lege Of hauling sleepers over it's lines,
and concluded to rebel. Denied a
SCouCl1OA III lullCd6Oy IuS SnlcaAs 1OOA
appealed to the big system with which
it exchanged sleepers, and after much
parleying was told that the Pullman
company was the largest single stock.
holder in the railroad corporation!
That negotiation ended at once.
Nobody knows anything about the
Dull the 3rcjS0r1
The limelight has never been turned
on it. Before the Hepburn law passed
Is was not q common carrier, and
nobody had any authority over It. Its
earnings have from time piled up into
unwieldy surplus funds, and then a
huge stock dividend would be issued
to wipe out the surplus. The last
Of these big divides added about $685.
100000 to the company's capitaltza-
ton. But aside from that its capital
has grown till 1t has become one Of
the greatest corporations in the coun-
try, and that 1T has grown out Of the
earnings, little Is known.
The filing Of complaints by Geo. s.
Lotus of ST. Paul, demanding that
Pullman charges be reduced so per
cent on upper berths and about Is
per cent on lowers. is the start to-
ward an inquiry which the Interstate
commission will take up just as soon
as possible. 1t will not be before
autumn, however. If it Is not begun
before congress meets, there will be
congressional orders for an investiga-
ton, unless the company is able to
prevent passage of the resolution,
which will surely be offered.
The Pullman company has always
protested that it's big money was
made in manufacturing cars, not in
operating them. Nobody believes this
any longer, though it served useful
purpose for many years. Now at last
the facts are to be learned. The
books of the concern will be investi-
gated with care, and the cost of oper.
ating and building Pullmans will be
studied in detail Likewise, the oft
repeated charge that some railroads
are favored with especially contracts
while others are held up for call the
traffic will bear" will be looked into
in all aspects. 1t is believed by those
most competent to pass on the matter
that the result will be some important
reductions of Pullman rates on the big
through lines where the cars are al
ways filled.
The Pullman company has long been
powerful in politics, especially in
Illinois. Colonel and Congressman
Frank o. Lowden, of Chicago, wht
came near being governor and who
expects some day to be senator, mar
ried the favorite daughter of Geo. M
Pullman, and has been, in conjunc