St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-08-19
The Knights of Labor on the Union Pacific
and Gould's Southwest System Re-
ceive Instructions.
Official Orders Issued that They Must Re-
fuse to Handle or Repair Wabash
Rolling Stock.
If the Order is Antagonized by the
Railroads, the Full Force to be
Ordered Out.
Eighty Thousand Men Affected--
VIII the Great Strike Prove
Succ eSsfuI.
The Strike.

ST. LOUIS, Aug. 1S.-A meeting of the
executive board of the Knights of Labor
and of the committee representing the em-
plOyes OF the Wabash system was held this
morning. A body OF resolutions was adopted
denonncing the Wabash officials fa-
trying to break the knights of Labor.
and for causing the arrest of its members
by United States marShals like common
felons. Congressman William Warner Of
Kansas City, Mo-, and Gen. j. NJ. Palmer
OF Springfield, ILL.,, were requested per
resolution to defend the impris-
oned and prosecuted knights; to
prosecute the Wabash railroad for con-
Splracy, and to impeach Judges Treat,
Brewer and Krekel. l.. j. Russell of the
Gould system committee says that the
wabash order issued yesterday was prelimi-
nary to a general order, but declined to saw
when the general order would be issued, or
give an idea of its extent. This afternoon
a general strike was ordered on all the lines
west OF the Mississippi. The Wabash road
has only two very small repair shops and
small roundhOuse here, employing, all told,
perhaps fifty men. 1t therefore cuts but a
slight hgure in a strike. All these men re-
manned at work to-day, and there is not
likely TO be any trouble at this point. The
SSAO4eth SACSutlNO COulullJJ6C OIL the hnlgQUS
OF Labor were in session again this after
noon, and formulated and issued the follow
ing
IMPORTANT ORDER:
Office of the General Secretary and Treas
urer, st. Louis, Mo-, Aug. IS, 1SS5.-To all
whom it may concern, Greeting: Owing to
the persistent fight of the Wabash company
against the Knight of Labor, the general ex-
ecutlVe board deem it advisable to issue the
following order to all assemblies on the Union
Paclhc railroad and GOulds Southwest sys-
TEN. To all assemblies on the above lines of
railways: All Knights of Labor in the
employ of the Union Pacific and its branches
ana Goulds S Southwest system or any other
railroad must refuse to repair or to handle in
any manner Wabash rolling stock until
1urther orders from the general executive
board, and if this order is antagonized by the
company, through any of its officials, your
executive committee is hereby ordered to call
out ali knights of Labor on the above sys-
TENS without further action. BY order of the
general executive board,
FREDERICK T. OUMER,
Grand Secretary and Treasurer.
1t develops that it was the intention of
the board to issue this order before the one
sent over the Wabash, as the actual weak
ness of theKnights on that road was known
to the executive committee, and there was
good reason to believe that the effort of
to-day would have been favorable, but
from some unexplained cause it was held
back. The order was, however, tele-
graphed all over the specified roads this
evening, and assembly meetings were called
at every point to receive it, and it is ex-
pected that tomorrow the real strike will
be fairly on. In this connection the Globe
Democrat will say tomorrow: 'sUnder
this order all Knights of Labor
MUST REFUSE ,a
in any way to handle Wabash railroad
stock, and should any yard master, master
mechanic, district or division superintend-
enE, or any other official of the road en-
deayor to force the men to handle such cars,
then district strike is ordered. The situa.
ton is about this. On the Wabash road
the Knights of Labor are all, or nearly all,
out and have been for some time; but on
the Missouri Pacific, Iron Mountain, the
Union Pacific and other roads the Knights
are said to fill the shops and yards. Thus
Is this last order a guarantee of a
revolution OF labor. 1t will at any rate
force public test of the strength of the
knights of Labor and the fealty to the
principles which each has sworn to uphold
In fact, the fate of the organization seems
to be in the issue, and it remains to be seen
whether the $4,000 Knights, as are claimed
to be employed on the railways west of the
Mississippi river, will obey the call
Of the executive board, whom they vested
with this absolute power" Dispatches from
Council Bluffs, Andrews, Ind, Decatur,
and in fact from all points on the Wabash
road, especially Stanberry Mo-, received
by officials and by the press here,are to the
effect that the men remained at work to-day
and that no demonstration was anywhere
made. So far the strike, in its relations to
the Wabash road at least, is regarded as a
complete fiZZle.