The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1886-04-29


conference Continuing, he said
am told, also, that along the Iron Mountain
Railway and along the other roads In parts OF
Texas. the superintendent and foremen are in
are compelled 10 deal in these stores. The en-
ployes are not told, In so many words. that they
must deal there, but they are reminded that It
is TO their interest to do so. III murmur OF COM
plant is to reach the Of the President of the
Company 1t must go through the Superinten-
dent, and a man will be discharged AS soon as
he utters n word of complaint. The men whose
money is invested in the railroad know nothing
about this. In many places double prices are
charged in these stores.
Mr.. Powderly said that tho committee would
find proofs of all these things. The men COM
plain, also, he said, that convicts are brought
from the pententiares in Texas to work on
the railroads, and that striped suits may be seen
side by side with honest men engaged in track
repairing.
William o. Mcdowell, a prominent
member of the knights of Labor, appeared as
a witness before the Congressional Labor Com
mittee at Washington, and explained the OBJ
jects of the organization. These are, TO use
the witness own words:
To elevate the members by helping them to
educate themselves, by helping them TO save
that which the average workman has wasted
through bad habits to lift him from the condi-
ton into which he has fallen through such
habits, and make him thereafter an employer
instead of an employe: to so educate him by
comparison of ideas and by discussing ques-
tions that help to educate that he IL able to deal
with and grasp the subjects which affect not
only himself but his employer that he viii be-
come u better workman, command better wages,
and by cooperating with his employer help him
70 such profits that he will be able to pay better
wages.
Mr. Mcdowell, being asked what was the
% tlo atrik
made long statement, involving the difference
| between the principles of day work and piece
work, and quoted Gould as saying that by
making a change of that sort in the Western
Union Telegraph Company he had effected a
saving of 80 per cent He added that the gen
era cause of this strike and of recent strikes all
| over the country had been the successful
strike on the horse-car lines in New York last
! February That had commanded such univer-
sal public sympathy that workmen, whenever
they had a grievance or wrong, joined together
and made applications to form assemblies of
Knights of Labor This was so general that
the order had increased more in the month of
February last than il had in the prior eight
years AS an additional reason he alleged the
universal system of watering railroad stock,
which made il necessary for railroad managers
TO screw down the rates of labor az much az
possible
The Commissioner of the General
Land Office has demanded from the St Joseph
and Denver Railway Company the reconyey-
ance 10 the Government of 1900 acres of land
lying between Hastings and Kearney, Neb.
General Miles, in letter to the War
Department portraying the unprotected condi-
ton of the Mexican border from Ell Pass to
the Colorado RIVER, urges the appropriation
by Congress of 100000 to strengthen the
present forts or establish additional ones.
Commissioner Sparks is completing
the organization of a board to examine and re-
port to the Commissioner upon all applications
for patents TO public lands, having special
reference to detecting evidences of fraud. The
board will consist of fifteen or twenty of the
more expert clerks of the General Land Office.
Jay Gould, in his testimony before
the Congressional labor inquiry, at Washing
ton, stated that the Missouri Pacific Road has
at this time no differences with its men. He
said that after the strike last March the knights
of Labor took forcible possession of the rail
way and of eight cities on the line. He de-
clared that he had always been in favor of ar
bitration, and had given no secret instructions
TO Vice President Hoxie Gould recited
his interview with Mr.. Powderly and the COM
mittee prior to his West Indian cruise. during
which he said the knights declared that the
Missouri Pacific had lived up to its agreement,
and that they agreed not to strike again, bat
10 70 Fae .
future grievances they might have. Then
| the strike came, after his departure; "yet, )"
said Mr. Gould, "our men told Mr.. Hoxie they
| had 10 grievances, and were told 10 strike :"
what followed the striker" asked Mr.. Could
| showing signs of deep feeling. "They seized
st Louis, Kansas City, Sedalia, Texarkana,
| and our terminal facilities they took posses
| sion and said: no man shall run train over
| that road That is what they said, exclaimed
Mr.. Gould, in voice exhibiting traces of strong
| agitation. "Our loyal employees could not run
train and were deprived of the power to earn
their wages. That was what followed the strike
-forcibe possession; can't call it anything
| else-something the Gar of Russia would hest
tate to do with his millions of soldiers behind
him. " The chairman inquired why Hall had been
discharged. He would like to know what the
man had done. In reply Mr.. Gould requested
Gen Swayne to read Receiver Browns state
ment TO the effect that Hall had been guilty of
absenting himself from duty without leave.
Gould expressed himself in love with arbitra-
ton, but said he would not arbitrate with the
| Knights of Labor. Mr. Hopkins, Vice Presi-
dent Of the Missouri Pacific, then took the
stand. He favored compulsory arbitration,
and said that he thought that a strike on a rail-
road shosld be made a criminal offense.
The Treasury Department has or
dered the revenue steamer Bear TO leave San
Francisco for cruise as far northward az
possible, in search of the crew of the wrecked
whaler Amethyst
The Secretary of the Knights of La
Dor, Frederick S. Turner, appeared as a witness
before the House select committee, at Wash
ington, and testified that there were twenty
one District Assemblies of the Knights of
Labor in the United States, with about GOO0
local assemblies. In these local assemblies
| there were from 10 to 5000 members
! The Knights of Labor had no political
| object, and did not seek to influence
| legislation. He had known Of no such move
mpnt on their mart He knew nothing of