Los Angeles daily herald., 1886-03-07
MONSTER STRIKE.
Knights of Labor Assert
Themselves.
THE GOULD SYSTEM SUFFERS,
Thousands of Railroad Men Quit
Work in Missouri and Texas
For Cause.

--~%-~
this morning an order was Issued by the
executive board Of the Knights OF Ia
Dor. district assembly l6l. in session .
Marshall, Texas, ordering q strike o
the machine.sho men employed on tn
Missonri Pacific or the Gould south
western system Of railroads. in com
pliauce with the order the men strue'
at sedalia, Desoto and st. Louis, and
is expected that like action will fol
low at various other points. Seven hun
drsd men quit work at.the sedalia shops
l4O at the works at DeSoto. and be
tween 200 and 800 at the shop
in this city. The running forc
on the Gould system. including
shopmen, traekmen and trainmen i
1900. OF these 5000 are claimed to b.
knights Of Labor, but up to this after
noon only those employed in the ma
chine shops had struck. It is estimatet
that st the preaent time from 2500 Il
5000 men have gone out, but it is though
probable that II the managers do not &C
cede promptly to she demands of ih'
strikers that all the remaining Knights II
the system will be ordered out. The
cause Of the strike has been very diff
cult to get at, but the following state
hent is comprehensive and perhaps Il
as accurate ss has been made. On the
10th Of last month the District Assembly
IOl, Knights Of Labor, held q genera
business convention at Marshall. Texas
Among the delegates to that meeting
was Mr.. @. A. Hale, foreman of the
woodworkers in the Texas Pacific cal
shops at Marshall, Texas. He had se.
cured, It is alleged, leave Of absence fol
the purpose Of attending this Convention
from his Immediate superior. Mr.. J. A.
Cosby. master car-builder. This per.
mission, it il said, was witnessed by J
McGeary, Of St. Louis, and John Thorn.
berg, Of Desoto. Mo-, visiting knights.
The convention. with Mr.. Hale q del
egate, sat four days, and on the l4th I'D.
jorrned. At noon On that day Mr.. Hale
resumed hIs work a. usual. On quitting
his duty In the evening he received
= note from Mr.. Crosby stating that hi
services were NO longer required. 1t L
said that the reason assigned for his dis
charge was that he had been absent frou
his business without lesve. The LooA
Grievance Committee Of the Knights q
once considered the matter. His re-
instatement WAS demanded, but wal
either refused or neglected. A strike
was then ordered by this committee, and
upon the failure Of the men to obey ths
order Q meeting Of the Executive Bosrd
Of Knights was called. The Executive
Board ratified the action of the loca
committee and issued general order
upon which the men quit work at Fort
Worth, Marshall and Dallas. This action
Of the Board, 1t 10 claimed, was not q
much the interest a. the principle in
volved. One year ago there was ~
aere ement between the Knights and thu
managers OF the system that no mar
should be discharged without due notics
and Investigation. This contract the
Knights contend has been violated in
this instance Of Hall'a discharge. The
Texas Pacific Railway il one Of the five
roads in the States OF Missouri, Ksnsas
Texas. Arkansas and Louisiana which
comprises the southeastern Gould sys
tenn, The Knights Of Labor employed
on these Ave roads are under the imme
diate direction Of District Assembly No
1O1. When the other strike in Texa
failed OF the desired result. the Execu
tive Board Of the knights o
this southwestern system. which was Ii
session at Marshall wasin communication
with Receiver Brown and other officer
Of the Texas 4 Pacific railroad sinc'
March lst. When the first lot Of mel
walked out. they asked not only an I'D
justment OF the trouble, but the roin
statement Of Hall and some others. witt
were subsequently discharged. Will
this request the Board gave notice tha
refussi to comply would be followed b.
. strike on the Gould system. The rail
way refused to do ~ desired, and to-day
the Executive Board gave word for |
general strike. When Master Mechani
Bartlett was informed by the committe,
Of the order thst had been issued, ani
that the men In his shop would 60 ou
Immediately. he asked them II the mel
were dissatisfied with anything, or II thsy
had any grievance, but they only replied
ave have been ordered to quit worl
aud leave the shops" and they obeyes
the order at once. About 200 men wer'
employed In the shops. At the ofilcs ol
the yard superintendent II was ascsr
taiaed that some trouble was anticipated
in handling engines. Locomotives ar'
fred and made ready for the road by thu
shop men and are not touched by engi
nsers or firsmen until ready to 60 out
-. kIn.. ~ ~ 70 A.. cfrsL
continued engines would have to be ruI
into round houses Of other roads. as wa
done during the last strike ON the Goul'
system, aud have them got ready 70
work in that way,
The Globe Democrats Palestine, Tex.
special says $50 International and Grea
Northern shopmen quit work at II
o'clock this morning. They have n
special grievance, but they say the
walked out in obedience to orders from
the headquarters of the Knights Of Ii
Dor. After holding a meeting the me
returned to the shops and yards an
'.killed' all the engines except regnls
passenger locomotives. The compan
will not attempt to run any but passer
ger trains. Including shop and lin
men, nearly 800 men belonging to thI
city will be out Of work as long as th
trouble lasts.
The Knights Of Labor, or more paI
ticularly the railroad branch Of that o.
ganiEatiou, has been in pretty continl
Gus and secret session all day, and t.
night their proceedings are not known
but one Of the speakers ct the meetin
said to reporter tonight that it is the
intention to stop every wheel on th
Gould system II Hall 10 not reinstated j
his position in the car shops at Marshal
f'The Executive Committee, be added,
pretty certain that Governor Brown, tn
Recover of the Texas aud Pacific, vii
yield when he sees that the Knights I
Labor arc determined, and will call 0
them for conference by Monday
There are now 5000 men out, but III
committee has not ordered out i
switchmen, yardmen or br2kemen. wh
number about 1000. ii nothing IL hear
from Governor Brown on Monday, thes
men ~'ill be ordered out. Then wi
come the engineers. fremen and co.
ductors. They do not belong TO us, b,
we can bring them out, but we think I'll
s.rike has gone far enough to show I'll
Texas and Pacific receivers What the
have to deal with, aud Il is likely tn,
they III be asked by the other fos
roads in the system which are incol
vlniencod by the strike TO confer wit
the committee as soon as possible an
arrange the difficulty.
There was report 10 circulation L
Mig that the yardmen in the Unio
Pa Q yards at the western end of ii
Un. Depot had struck, but y was q
certasned that the men we're all at wor
up 70 8 o'clock.
FoRT WoRTH, Tex, March 9Th
situation in connection with the strikel
Is worse here. the Executive Board {
District No. rs was in session from
o'clock till night and among the fir
things done was ordering q strike Of q
the knights Of Labor on the Missou
Pacific. Texas d Pacific and the Inte
national 4 Great Northern roads. At
O'Clock the strike was to go into effec
and the Executive Conmittes in NEE
ing with 800 enthusiastic Knights Mega
to receive kilograms at o o'clock as