The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1886-04-22

The Former Reviews the Latter 8
Course Throughout the
Present Strike.
The Railroad King Replies Deilantly-
Interesting Correspond
ence.
POWderly 10 Gould.

SCRANTON, Pa, April IL, 1886.
"To jay Could Esq. President Missouri Pacific
Railway, New York
DEAR SIR: The events OF the past forty weight
hours must have demonstrated to you the abso-
Lutte necessity of bringing this terrible struggle in
the Southwest to speedy termination You
have the power the authority and the means To
bring the rtrike TO end. 1 have done every
thing in my power TO end the strike. The gem
tIemen associated with me on tAe General
Executive Board q the Knights of Labor have
done the same Everything consistent with
honor and manhood has been done in the in
terest of peace. No false notion OF pride or
dignity has swayed us in our dealings with
you or the gentlemen associated with you. In
the conference with you on Sunday, March y,
1 understood you e. mean az arbitration would
be ayr sed TO. The only method OF arbitration
that was discussed was in line with that
suggested in the letter which i sent TO you
In the name of our board the day pre-
vious. There was nothing particularly agreed
upon as YOU we'll know. You said that in arbi-
trating the matter the damages sustained by the
company during the strike ought to receive con-
sideraton. SAID to you that il would not be the
part OF wisdom to bring that question up in the
settlement of the strike. When called on you
that evening you had prepared as the result OF
your understanding OF the morning interview
letter which YOU intended To give me. That letter
included telegram to be sent 70 Mr.. Hoxie, and
In thot telegram you said that the damages sus-
u
iect for the Arbitration Board to discuss. This
latter part of the letter or telegram You agreed
TO strike off. After we had talked the matter
over for some time, L LETT you as you were
about to 60 TO your room to rewrite the letter,
which you afterward placed in the hands OF
Mr.. Mcdowell TO be given TO me, for L had 20
leave at that time in order 10 keep an appoint
mt n ut the hotel where / stopped. The state
ment which you have since then made, to the
effect that you had prepared that letter before
/ called is not quite correct or. II you did
DrpDared changed
we had talked the matter over for some
time. This, l believe. YOU will admit to be
true. In the conference held between the men,
bers OF our Executive Board and the directors
of the Missouri Pacific Company on March 30
you said you understood me TO say that the men
along your lines would be ordered back 20 work
Mt once. / then reiterated the statement which
made to you, and now repeat it: The men
out along the lines of your railways can be or
dered back TO work. but il they are given 70
understand that they are deserted, that we do
not take any interest in them, il will not in any
way mend matters on the contrary II Will make
things worse. There are all along the roads ont
there great many men who have no regard fof
organization or law men OF hardy spirit, en-
ergy, and daring. Such mon as have left the
East and have taken up their homes out in
wild country, will not submit so quietly as the
men they have left behind in the East. They are
apt to do rasher things than they would do else
where and L have no doubt we have some OF
them in our order.
Both you and Mr.. Hopkins heard me make
that statement and believe the latter agreed
that was his experience also. Inc danger Oh INC
strike spreading was also discussed, and / said
to you that il would not spread that an effort
had been made 10 have the men of the Union
Pacific take part in it, but that the Knights of
Labor on that road had n standing agreement
with the management Of the road that there
was 70 be no trouble or strike until the last ef-
fort to effect settlement had failed, and not
then until the court of last resort had been
reached
ut was my firm belief VIXEN left you that
night that you meant to have the entire affair
auhmittpl n nOSsiDlo
moment. That belief is shared in by Mr..
Mcdowell, who was present during the en-
gram To Mr.. Hoxie, you sent it as Presi-
dent Of the Missouri Pacific Railroad Com
pany. You sent il as the chief sends his
message to an inferior officer and il meant as
much TO a sensible man as the most imperative
order could possibly mean. When l. as the
chief officer of the Knights of Labor, send a
message such as that, il is understood TO be my
wishes, and those wishes are respected by the
subordinate officer TO whom they are sent. 1t is
not his place to put n different construction ON
them and give them his own Interpretation. His
duty is TO obey the spirit of the instructions.
The man in power need not be an autocrat in
order 20 have his wishes respected Il would
like 10 see il done, comes with us great a force
from the man in authority as i must have it
done.
"Yol can settle this strike. It's longer contin-
uance rests with you, and you alone Every act
of violence, every drop OF blood that may be
shed from this time forth must be laid at your
door. The Knights of Labor were not founded
to promote or SHE'D wrong-doing, and to-day
the order Of the Knights of Labor
stands between your property and ruin.
We are willing TO absolve the men
along your railways from their allegiance TO
our order; we leave that t. themselves. We
will not allow any claims which the order may
have on them to stand between them and their
restoration to their former positions The order
of the Knights Of Labor asks Of no man to re-
main n member IL ii is not 10 his interest to do
so. You may deal with them as citizens il you
will. We will surrender our right to claim these
oh INIT not
surrender our right TO see this affair thoroughly
inve stigated You have said that the order Of
the knights OF Labor was conspiracy, "A secret
menace, etc. / am willing, as its chief officer,
TO lay everything connected with our order bare
to the world il you will, on the other hand, lay
open TO the public the means and methods
you control, and allow the tribunal of public
opinion TO pass judgment on the
two and say which is the CON
spiracy. Do you accept the challenge? You
have instructed your legal adviser TO proceed
against every man connected with the Knights
OF Labor for the damages sustained since the
strike began. Two weeks ago / said: DO not
do this : to- day say begin at once lay claims
for damages in every court within whose jurs
diction knight exists. Proceed at once, and in
every State where you can recover damages do
so IL the law VIII sustain you in it, 1t is just
and right that il should be so. We are willing
to face you before the law; we Will hight you
with no other weapon
There are people who say that this struggle
is the beginning of the war between capital and
labor. That statement is false. This certainly
means war, but il is a war between Legitimate
capital. honest enterprise and honest labor on
the one hand and illegtimate wealth on the
other hand. This is n war in which we court the
fullest Investigation of our acts. Do you dare
TO do the same? This war means further
strike, no shedding OF blood 1t is war
IN winch every business man, every commercial
man, every professional man, every working
man will be invited TO enlist. IL will not be
war upon the innocent, and the battlefield upon
which it will be fought out will be before the
courts of law and that which makes law pub
preme hour TO silence any mans opinion. No
converts will be made by physical force. 'Th u
flng which floats press or mansion at the
bidding Of mob, disgraces both victor and vic
tim and under such flag rs that we will not
wage the battle but this battle OF the people
against monopoly may rs we'll be fought out
now as ten years from now, and what field 50
eminently proper in which to fight it out
as before the courts? Let US know whether
laws were made to be obeyed or not and
IL they were not so framed thon the people
must make laws that will be obeyed No man,
whether he be rich or whether he be the poorest
OF the poor shall in future shirk the response
bility of his acts and shield himself behind the
courts. It was TO see that the laws were obeyed
that tho order OF the Knights of Labor was
founded and II the day has come TO make tho
trial. 30 let il be.
~You have been warned that your life is in
danger PAY no attention 10 such talk no man
who has the interest OF his country at heart
would harm hair in your head, but the system
which reaches out on all sides, gathering in
millions of dollars OF treasure and keeping