The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1886-04-20


understood To be my wishes, and those
wishes are respected by the subordinate
officer 10 whom they are sent. Ii l. not his
place TO put a different construction on
them and give them his own Interpretation.
| His duty is TO obey the spirit of the in
structions The man in power need not he
an autocrat in order to have his wishes
respected. 81 would like to see it done, "
comes with as or at force from the man
in authority as, IL must have ii done"
| That was the idea that j entertained when
left your house that night. / also ex-
planned TO YOU al your house that night,
that the men who had entered upon the
strike bad not violated any law of the
order in SO doing; that while | thought 1t
would have been better if they had laid
| their grievances before the general eNecu-
| tive board before striking, that there was
nothing in our laws TO command them TO
do SO. | said that district assembly OF
the Knights of Labor bore the same rela-
lion to the general assembly, of which
was the chief officer, that one of the states
of the union bore to the general government
of the United States, and that while could
interfere, il was under the law which gave
me jurisdiction over entire order, and
not under arv particular law. further
more explained 20 YOU that the spirit of
our organization
MAS OPPOSED To STRIKES.
And that was the reason why rur general
convention never enacted any particular
legislation for the government of them. j
also said that the occasion had never be-
fore called for any interference from the
general officers, but this strike would show
the necessity for the passage, at our next
convention, of laws that would place the
subject OF strikes under the control of the
general executive board of the order.
When on Monday, March 20, YOU sent
me the letter marked Personal" YOU at
the same time told a newspaper correspon-
dent that you had done so. What your
motive was in marking your letter personal
and at the same time informing a repres n
tative of the press that YOU had done so |
do not know, nor do / question your mo-
tive. | felt it TO be my duty to let the pub
lie see the letter, which contained nothing
OF personal nature whatever. There are
people who might be uncharitable enough
to say that your intention was To give the
impression that there was something be-
tween YOU and me which would not bear
THE LIGHT OF PUBLIC SCRUTINY.
| have had no such dealings with any man
since the trouble began, nor previous TO
that time. | am willing to allow the full
est light possible TO shine on my every
transaction. / have nothing to conceal.
You can settle this strike. Its longer con-
tinuance rests with you and you alone.
Every act of violence, every drop of blood
that may be shed from this time forth,
must be laid at your door. The Knights
of Labor were not founded to promote or
shield wrong-doing, and to-day the order of
the Knights of Labor stands between your
property and ruin. We are willing TO alb
solve the men along your railway from
their allegiance to our order. We leave
that TO themselves. We viii not allow
any claims which the order may have on
them to stand between them and their re-
storation to their former positions. The
order of the Knights of Labor asks no man
TO remain a member of il if not to his in
terest to do so. You may do with them as
citizens if YOU will Wewill surrender our
right t. claim these men rs members ii
they wish, but we Will not surrender our
rights to see this affair thoroughly investi-
gated.
You have said that the order OF the
Knights of Labor was conspiracy, a Sc
cret menace, etc. an willing, as the
chief officer, to lay everything connected
with our order
BARE To THE WORLD
if you will, on the other hand, lay open To
the public the means and methods whereby |
you have piled up the wealth YOU control. |
and allow the tribunal OF public opinion 10
pass in turn on the two and say which Is |
conspiracy. Do you accede to the chal- |
lenge? You have instructed your legal
adviser to proceed against every man con- |
nected with the Knights OF Labor for the |
damages sustained since the strike began.
Two weeks ago said edo not do this" To- |
day say begin at once. Lay claims for |
damages in every court withiR whose juris- |
diction a Knight exists. Proceed at once, |
and in every state where Won can recover |
damages where the law will sustain YOU in |
it. Let the majesty of the law be vindi- |
Gated. 1t is just and right that il should be- /
so. We are willing
To FACE YOU BEFORE THE LAW
and we will fight with no other weapon.
For every violation of the law OF state or
nation we will enter suit against you, and |
III tiAS CIuSdue against you 10 NOT uuuST- 4
stand that We mean TO persecute. On The /
contrary We wish To see the law indicated. |
If you have at all times obeyed the law in |
your dealings, in the methods by which
you have acquired your immense fortune,
then it is time the many otienses with |
which you are charged should be retuted. |
You have remained silent under many a !
damaging charge of injuring the state. We
will be your avengers. If YOU have been !
wronged We will let it be known TO the |
world through the medium of the courts OF
Justice. And let me say right here that no /
money viii buy verdict at the hands of
these courts. There are people who say
this struggle is the beginning of the war
between capital and labor. That state
ment is false. This certainly means war,
but it is a war between legitimate capita /