Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1886-03-11
the BIG STRIKE.

The Knights OF Labor On the Southwest.
ern Gould system Inaugurate Big bue
Orderly Strike to Bring About Settle
ment of the Texas Pacific Trouble.
ST.. LOUIS, March between ten and
eleven O'Clock yesterday morning tine
Knights of Labor began the general strike
along the five lines of the Gould system
of railroads, which they claim will enc
only in the granting of their demands by
railroad officials, or the suspension Of
work by $4,000 men and the stoppage OF
every wheel on the Southwestern system
of railways within four days. Five thou
sand Of the railway employees are now
out, 1000 more win be called out Monday
If the companies involved make no pro.
position by that time to the Knights fol
an adjustment of their grievances, and the
1000 remaining employees of the roads
who are directly concerned in their
mechanical operation, but who are not
Knights of Labor, will be forced to join
the strike, it is expected, by the force OF
the tremendous pressure brought upor
them by their organized brethren. This
appearance of the situation can be
changed in a day by ex-Governors
J. C. Brown and Lionel A. Shell
don, receivers of the Texas Pacific,
with an order reinstating in his former
position C. A. Hall, late foreman of the
wood-workers in the Texas Pacific car
shops at Marshall, whose discharge for
attending a Knights of Labor meeting
caused the strike, and in whose case the
Knights intend to make a second test OF
their strength on the Gould lines. The
strike on the four roads connected with
the Texas Pacific was ordered yesterday
by Chairman Martin Irons and his execu.
tive committee in session in Marshall, and
was intended to bring out only the shop
men and local switchmen. Fifteen hun
dred of these received the order before
noon and left their work, st. Louis, Sc
dalia, Little Rock and DeSoto turning out
the largest bodies of men. All of them
left their stations quietly and have been
employed since principally in holding
meetings and initiating new members.
J.V. PowderIy, Grand Master Work
man of the Knights of Labor, is on his way
to st. Louis from Scranton, Pa, and A. A.
Talmage, general manager of the Wabash,
st. Louis & Pacific, who has been away
from the city on a vacation, is expected
to return tomorrow.
THE STRIKE IN ST. LOUIS.
The programme the Knights of Labor
have determined upon has been COM
municated to only few of the most
prominent members of the order in st.
Louis, the remainder knowing generally
that it is to "stop every wheel on the
Gould system" if G.. A. Hall is not given
back his position in the car shops at Mar
shall. The details of the plan of the ex-
ecutive committee were given to re-
rfa 10 Of " nf a
Hall speakers. "The executive commit
tee," said he, els pretty certain that
Governor Brown will yield when he sees
that the Knights are determined, and will
call upon them for a conference by Monday.
There are now 5000 men out altogether,
but the committee has not ordered out
it's switchmen, yardmen or brakemen,
who number about four thousand. If
nothing IS heard from Governor Brown
these will be ordered out. Then
will come the engineers, firemen and con-
ductors. They don't belong to us, but
we can bring them out. But we think
that the strike has gone far enough now
to show the Texas Pacific receivers what
they have to deal with, and it is likely
that they will be asked by four other
roads in the system, which are inconveni-
anced by the strike, to confer with the
committee as soon as possible and arrange
The difficulty"
"where would this conference b.
leld?"
cat Dallas, probably"
elbow would the strike be declared at
IN end?'
"Just as it was declared begun. If the
executive committee receives satisfacto-
lccedes to it, an order will be issued an
to the men that the Knights of
Labor have won another victory, and that
he strike is off. This will be followed
~ q resumption of work all along the
ines"
The Knights of Labor have made it q
,oint of honor that during one of their
strikes property, both private and corpo-
alton, shall be protected. Yesterday
Ifternoon committee from the strikers,
ust after the men had abandoned work at
he shops, waited upon Master Mechanic
Bartlett and Master Carpenter Hodge and
'fered to station watchmen over the rail-
Dad property in the yards and shops dur
ng the continuance of the strike. The
ffer was accepted, and the Knights placed
line men on guard over each of the five
departments of the shops, who will keep
lternate watches of eight hours, with
hree men in watch, until the strike is
ver. These men will be paid from the
District Assembly treasury.
Although the Gould lines NAV not be
BILE to carry pound of freight over
heir rails if the strike is made compre-
lensive, the United States mails will not
e delayed, and the trains carrying them
will not only be allowed to run, but will
e operated with the strikers assistance.
We are making no war on the people,
nd we know too much to interfere with
he mailS.S said n StrikiuU Eniohf voofor
ay. eff the strike stops the trains we
7ill either have knights detached to run
ne mail trains or hire other men-I don't
now which the executive committee
onsiders the better plan. We're sorry
or the merchants whose freight is being
elayed, but we can't help that. Being
ut to trouble and expense by the strike,
hey become our allies and hope to see us
ct what we ask''
The Knights at Sedalia, Hannibal, Kan.
as City, DeSota and other points in Mis-
our, at Argenta, Ark, Dallas, and Pales-
me, Tex, were also ordered out and
responded, in every instance
an orderly and quiet manner, but all
determination to remain out
ntil the Texas Pacific trouble is settled.
% passenger or mail trains are molested
in any way delayed, and the men will
ee in every case that the railway prop.
rty is protected from any aggressive
lement from outside their ranks.
The Presidents Reception.
WASHINGTON, March THE Presi-s
ent's reception next Tuesday night to
congress, the diplomatic corps, the army
nd navy, the judiciary and the gentle
len of the press, will undoubtedly be