Great question, Scott. I am also unaware of Twain specifically commenting
on the Pullman strike, and I think Taylor's reasoning is credible. However,
if you are interested in Twain's evolving, complex, and contradictory
thinking about labor organizing, you should definitely check out "The New
Dynasty," his effusive endorsement of the Knights of Labor from 1886.

Alas, I was digging into related questions for a recent podcast episode
(link below) and discovered that Twain's speech happened almost exactly
simultaneously with the C19 peak of union membership. The Knights (and
other C19 unions) enter a decline phase almost immediately thereafter and
don't fully rebound until the 1930s (after which we enter the famous peak
in US union density, running from roughly 1935-1970).

Podcast Link: MarkTwainStudies.com/GreatResignation

*Matt Seybold, PhD*
Associate Professor of American Literature & Mark Twain Studies
Scholar-in-Residence, Center for Mark Twain Studies
Editor, MarkTwainStudies.org
Host, The American Vandal Podcast
<https://marktwainstudies.com/the-american-vandal-podcast/>

Peterson Chapel Vestry, Cowles Hall
[log in to unmask]
MattSeybold.com
<https://www.elmira.edu/>


On Tue, Mar 22, 2022 at 7:54 PM Taylor Roberts <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:

> Hi Scott:
>
> Clemens' financial problems and the Pullman Strike were embroiled
> within the same financial Panic of 1893 and affected many people and
> industries. Clemens may not have willfully avoided discussing the
> Pullman Strike with Rogers--though, if he had, it would have been
> understandable considering that they had only met in Sep 1893, and
> that Rogers had been rendering crucial business help to Clemens.
>
> However, the strike of May–July 1894 also occurred when Clemens and
> Rogers had some serious problems of their own: Charles L Webster & Co
> declared bankruptcy in April, and Rogers' wife died in May. Clemens
> also returned to Europe at that time, where Susy was very ill. To add
> further distraction, the Clemenses were in France in June when the
> President was assassinated, which led to mobs of rioters. In these
> circumstances, I would not be surprised if Clemens had missed the
> far-away Pullman Strike.
>
> As Barb said, there is no mention of it in the correspondence with
> Rogers, but maybe Clemens wrote something about it later, to someone
> else?
>
> "We live in strange times." (SLC to HHR 25 Jun 1894)
>
> --Taylor
>