Altgeld Case Summary
1)What is Governor Altgeld’s responsibility and his judgement on the situation?
Altgeld considers it his responsibility to seat the health and well being of the city’s inhabitants, and after numerous unsuccessful attempts at negotiating with Pullman, he decides to intervene for the good of the city’s people.
2) What is the situation of the workers and people in Pullman, Illinois?
While there overall quality of life was high in regards to commodities and access to basic necessities before the depression, the people were not allowed much personal free from their company as the entire town was ran under Pullman’s control. To make matters worse, after a massive layoff during the 1893 depression the remaining workers found themselves in a state of extreme poverty with no feasible escape due to the rent pricing remaining astronomically high. …show more content…
3)What does Pullman argue?
Pullman placed the blame on the workers who decided to go on strike, faulting them for the community’s suffering rather than admitting to his impossible living conditions. He obfuscates the reality with carefully selected students statistics and reports of monetary distribution through the company, masking the core issue so as to paint himself as merely a professional businessman with no ulterior
motive.
4) How does it all turn out?
Pullman’s refusal to cooperate results in the railway Union refusing to transport Pullman’s cargo, vandalizing his property, and causing a huge clog in the greater American railway system. Once this reached a point of alarming severity, the government intervened by sending Federal troops resume mail delivery, and arrested Eugene V. Debs, the founder of the union.
Altgeld considers it his responsibility to seat the health and well being of the city’s inhabitants, and after numerous unsuccessful attempts at negotiating with Pullman, he decides to intervene for the good of the city’s people.
2) What is the situation of the workers and people in Pullman, Illinois?
While there overall quality of life was high in regards to commodities and access to basic necessities before the depression, the people were not allowed much personal free from their company as the entire town was ran under Pullman’s control. To make matters worse, after a massive layoff during the 1893 depression the remaining workers found themselves in a state of extreme poverty with no feasible escape due to the rent pricing remaining astronomically high. …show more content…
3)What does Pullman argue?
Pullman placed the blame on the workers who decided to go on strike, faulting them for the community’s suffering rather than admitting to his impossible living conditions. He obfuscates the reality with carefully selected students statistics and reports of monetary distribution through the company, masking the core issue so as to paint himself as merely a professional businessman with no ulterior
motive.
4) How does it all turn out?
Pullman’s refusal to cooperate results in the railway Union refusing to transport Pullman’s cargo, vandalizing his property, and causing a huge clog in the greater American railway system. Once this reached a point of alarming severity, the government intervened by sending Federal troops resume mail delivery, and arrested Eugene V. Debs, the founder of the union.