San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1886-03-20
MR.. HOXIE'S REPLY.
He Declines to Meet the Knights Of Labor
and Gives His Reasons.

Powderly's telegram OF yesterday. sent
late this afternoon:
Missouri Pacific Railway Company
Executive Department, st. Louis, March
1T. V. Powderly, Kansas City, Mo
i have just received your telegram of
the 18th instant, asking II | will meet
yourself and committee to arrange a set
Element of the pending difficulties. As
this company now has contracts and re-
quirements with various labor unions
and organizations, and is not unwilling
to continue to make such agreements as
circumstances may require with such
unions and organizations of their en-
plOyes as have shown disposition to
carry out in good faith their undertake
ings, and as it has had in the past con-
tracts with your organizations and its
representatives, and has heretofore had
conferences with yourself and other
members OF your Executive Committee,
ii Is but just and courteous that should
give you the reasons for this company
now declining to meet yourself and
your Executive Committee, which iC
would have done before this strike was
inaugurated. The usual object of sucn
meeting between railway companies
through their representatives and COM
mittees of their employees, is either
10 discuss such differences as may
have arisen, in order that an under
standing may be reached of the rights
and relations existing between them and
such mutual concessions made rs Will
avoid strikes and the losses resulting
therefrom, or on the other hand to settle
anG compromise such differences be-
tween the parties, after the grievances
of the employees have been presented and
redress refused, and after resort has ac-
tually been had to the strike, as the only
remedy. In the present case neither of
the above reasons for a conference exists,
but the anomaly is presented of a strike,
which is without redressable grievance,
which was entered upon without notice
to the company and which has resulted
in the wantOn and malicious destruction
OF this company's property by violence
and incendiarism; and in the almost total
stoppage of its business by threats, in
timidation and force.
A review Of the history of the past year
Ia essential to a full understanding OF the
present conditions. The differences be-
tween this company and its employees,
resulting in the strike of March, 1885,
were settled by the voluntary interCes-
sion of the executives and officers of the
States of Kansas and Missouri, and not
with your organization. The agree
ments subsequently entered into with
committees of your organization
have been faithfully carried out
by this company. Minor grievances
under these agreements have, from
time to time, been presented,
considered by the management
and adjusted in a manner apparently
satisfactory to the petitioners; and for
the sake of peace and harmony this com
pany has repeatedly, on the demands OF
your organization, made changes in its
staff by the removal of officers entirely
satisfactory to the company, but ObieC-
tionable to some efyour members. In
our meeting with you OF last August in
New York, your committee then stated
that no grievances or complaints existed
against the Missouri Pacific railway on
the part of your organization through
noncompliance with the contracts then
existing, but that it was necessary to
utilize your organization upon the Mis-
souri, Pacific road to force an adjustment
of the difficulties then pending with
other corporations. Similar action has
been taken by your organization IN
three instances within the last eight
months:
l. In threatening that the members of
your organization upon the Missouri
Pacific railway would strike if it con-
tinued to exchange business with the
Wabash road.
2. When the members Of your organi-
cation compelled strike of portion of
the employees of this company in carry
ing out your boycott against the Mallory
line at Galveston, Texas.
3. In the present instance, when the
atrik a L.
pany by the discharge OF one, &. A.
Hall, by the receivers of the Texas
and Pacific railway, a road in the
hands Of the United States court, and
in the management of which this COM
pany has no voice or control, fact
which your organization fully recog-
nized when your committee made appli-
cation to the receivers of that road for
the reinstatement Of said employe.
Instances might be cited where en-
deavors have been made to use this COM
pany for the purpose Of boycotting in
diyiduals who had incurred the displeas-
ure Of your organization. A specially
aggravated case Of failure of your organ
lzation to carry out its agreements was
that of the workmen at the Palestine
shops, who in the last days of February
stopped work on account of an alleged
grievance, which was thereupon adjus-
ted in manner TO their entire satisfac-
tioh, so that they resumed work, with
an agreement to continue under the con-
eessions made by the company. but with
in 10 days thereafter again left their
work on demand of your organization in
ordering the present strike and with
out any grievance whatever against the
company. These continued stOppages
of the work of this company without
cause have come so frequently that, be-
lieving the future will be as unsettled as
the past, we cannot consent to renew
the agreement voluntarily and arbi-
trarily ahrogated by your organization
and longer submit to it the management
ofour business.
This company through its representa-
tives Is, and always has been willing TO
meet the public through committees or
individuals on matters of public con-
Germ, and If yourself or other intelligent
citizens should suggest practicable meth
DDS whereby the present situation can
be changed and traffic permanently re-
sumed, this company will be pleased to
meet yourself or them as citizens, but
not as representatives of your organize
tion to discuss the pending difficulty or
any other matters of public interest.
In conclusion | desire emphatically to
state that the responsibility for the fu-
ture continuance of the present unJusti-
fable strike will not rest with the man.
agement OF this company, but inasmuch
as your organization has committed the
error OF striking first and sndeavoring to
negotiate afterwards, it has the power
to, and should prevent trouble by per-
hitting such Of our former employees
and others as desire to work TO do so
without fear of threafs nd In ii m do tinn