Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1886-04-08


Mr.. Powderly discussed the strike from its
very beginning. The conference lasted until
one O'Clock and was again renewed in the
evening. During the conference the railroad
king intimated that he was tired Of strikes,
and hoped for another method Of settling
labor troubles Nh. Powderly told him that
the Knights Of Labor had long since
discovered method In the shape
Of arbitration. Mr. Gould finally consented to
arbitrate the present difficulties and abide the
decision Of the arbitrators. He also said that
in future this would be the method employed
to settle all disputes between his company and
its employees. At the close Of the evening talk,
Mr. Powderly called meeting OF the Executive
Board OF the Knights J. W. Hayes, OF New
Jersey, and W. H. Bailey were present The
session was brief and at the conclusion OF it
the following dispatch was sent
Martin j. Irons, OF st. Louis. Chairman Of Ex-
ecutive Board District Assembly lOl, knights
President jay Gould has consented to our
proposition for arbitration and SO telegraphs
Manager II. M. Hoxie Order men to resume
work at once. BY order Of the Executive Board
Knights Of Labor. Il. v. PowDERLY,.
General Master Workman.
Nh. Powderly also sent the following order
TO the strikers:
To the knights OF Labor now on strike in the
Southwest:
President jaw Gould has consented to our
proposition for arbitration and has so tele-
graphed to Vice President Hoxie. Pursuant to
Geographic instructions TO Martin Irons, Chair
man of the Executive Board of District Assem-
bly, No l01, you directed to resume work at
once. BY order OF the Executive Board Knights
of Labor. i. v. PowDERLY,
General Master Workman.
10,
Vice President Hoxie, of the Missouri Pacific
Railroad, at st Louis:
In 'resuming the movement of trains on the
Missouri Pacific, and in the employing OF labor.
ers In the several departments OF this company,
give preference to our late employees, whether
they are Knights OF Labor or not, except that
| you will not employ any person who has in
jured the companys property during the late
strike,
Nor will we discharge any person who has
strike. We see no objection to arbitrating any
| differences between the employees and the COM
pany, past or future JAY GOULD. President.
There was O prolonged conference
between Jay Gould and T. V. Powderly at New
York on Thursday, March 80 ~The whole
discussion" New York telegram reports,
Swas on the subject of arbitration generally,
upon which unanimity of opinion was ex-
pressed Mr.. Gould is in favor of arbitration,
but, as the matter of adjusting the difficulty
on the Missouri Pacific Railroad had been re-
| ferred TO Mr.. Hoxie, the following telegram
was sent to him at the request Of Mr. Pow
DERBY:
To H. NJ. Hoxie, General Manager, st. Louis:
Will you meet the General Executive Board of
the knights of Labor, or the committee OF your
employees from the Knights Of Labor, for the
purpose Of making settlement Of present diff
10 ~ hnfl
the basis OF arbitration or by mutual agreement,
the same to be binding on all partiesP
In answer to this Mr.. Hoxe telegraphed the
| following from st Louis:
| A. l.. HOPKINS:
Replying to your inquiry OF this date, have
/ to say that yesterday received from Mr. Gould
| the following message here is quoted the mes
| sage beginning -in resuming the movement OF
| trains, etc. j to which sent the following re-
| ply:
| Ihave your message in relation to your inter-
/ view with Mr.. Powderly, and also the letter
| Of instructions, and will carry out the
| same to the best Of my ability. am, there
| fore, willing to meet a committee of our en-
| ployes without discrimination. whosare actually
| at work in the service of the company at the
| time such committee is appointed, TO adJudicate
| with them any grievance that they may have.
The Executive Committee of the Knighs Of
Labor thereupon telegraphed to Martin Irons,
| at st Louis, as follows:
to return to work, and also select special COM
| mittee from the employees Of the Missouri Pa
| cihc to wait on Mr.. Hoxie TO adJudicate any
| grievances. Do this as quickly as possible
"a serious hitch exists between tile
Executive Committee of the Knights of Labor
and the railroad officials regarding the terms
on which the knights are to be taken back,
and from present appearances the strike is as
far from settlement as ever" says St Louis
telegram of the I'd inst A committee of
Knights waited upon Master Mechanic Bartlett
at the Missouri Pacific shops and rendered him
the services of the old shop employees A list
of fifty-two names was handed to Mr.. Bartlett,
who, after scanning it, checked off seventeen
of them as the names of the men whom he
would employ. The others, he said, could not
be taken back. Attempts of a similar nature
were made by committees of the strikers at
prominent points all over the Gould system.
In every instance, the Executive Board claims,
the committees received the same reply to
their offers. Reports of the committees, re-
ceived by telegraph, determined the Executive
Board to issue an address TO the public, and
to continue the strike until the roads consent
to take back all the strikers. The address is
as follows:
To the Public:
As showing the sincerity of the railroad man.
ayers in their treatment of the Knights OF La
Dor, We respectfully state that pursuant to the
order of our general executive board we this
day sent a committee to the managers OF the
several railroads, offering to return the lnen
| to work, and in no instance would they be re-
ceived or treated with, each official in turn either
| refusing them a hearing or evading them with
specious subterfuges for direct answers, or re,
fusing them employment Mr.. Hoxie has agreed
| to receive committee OF employees 10 adj
just any grievances which may exist.
| He refuses personally and through his
subordinates to recognize any OF us as EN-
ployes and refuses to receive any but such as he
calls employees In short, after himself and Mr..
Gould have conveyed the impression TO the
world that they are willing to SETTLE they refusa
to settle. Now we appeal to a candid ana sur
fering public, ON whom is falling all the weight
OF this great conflict, II we have not been de-
ceived enough? How much Is long suffering
7 labor to bear? This great strike never would
have been had Mr.. Hoxie condescended months
ago TO hear our complaints. We DO not claim
to be moro than human. 1t should not be ex
pected of to be more than human. In
this country position makes no man king OF
slave, and imperious refusal ON the part OF one
citizen to confer with other citizens with whom
; he may have business connections, when such
refusal begots great business and social revo
} luton. is not only mistake but a crime against
: the public. Mr.. Gould is invoking the law
against little criminals who are made desperate
| by his policy Of duplicity and oppression, and
yet a terrorized public does not invoke the law
' against the arch-crimnal Of the land. II we
: cannot be allowed to return to work the strike
: must go on.
The visible supply Of wheat and corr
Q is, respectively, 49774,3OO and 16,7W,O7
4 bushels Since last report wheat decrease
: 76l ,16S bushels, while corn increased 3d.
| bushels