Here is the situation: There is a conflict between the General Managers’
Association, representing the railroads, and the American Railway Union,
representing the employes. Perfect quiet and order prevail, as I shall
show, but the railroads are beaten to a standstill, utterly helpless,
cannot even move a mail car, simply because their employes have quit
their service and left the premises in a body. Note also that the
employes were willing to haul the mail trains and all other trains,
refusing only to handle Pullman cars until the Pullman Company should
consent to arbitrate its disagreement with its striking and starving
employes. But the railroad officials determined that if the Pullman cars
were not handled the mail cars should not move.
This is how and why the mails were obstructed and this was the pretext
for Federal interference. In a word, President Cleveland, obedient to
the railroads, took sides with them and supported them in their conflict
with their employes with all the powers of the Federal government.