Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-04-23

AN'' you haVe.| wei, tnen,' SAID
!, want it now understood
Una! II you nave any grievance hereafter
against the Missouri Pacific you shall not
strike, but you VIII come to me, man
I9snion, and we will talk it over and set
ttie tie ~ They reed to that, and l said,
Nood-by' and left. | had no further COM
municatIon with them. | went off on a
yachting cruise In January, relying on
the good faith Of that arrangement being
carried out.
STRUCK WHILE HE WAS AWAY.
,r Ihls strike came onlwhile was away.
The Texas Pacific road was in the hands
OIL the United States Court, and not under
my control at all. In the course of busi-
ness, the receivers discharged man
named Hall. | do not know who he was;
1 had never heard OF HIM; but that act
was taken as preteXt. and the sole pre-
text, for the strike on our road. Our
men told Mr. HOXie that they had no
grievance. They were ordered to strike,
ana that was the only thing they could do,
men the strike occurred Mr.. Hopkins,
our vice president, VINO was present at
that agreement in August, naturally took
1t up with Mr. POwderly. There was a strike
on our road contrary TO agreement, and
ne penned dispatch to Mr.. Powderly just
as coolly as business man would do"
hOPkINS' DISPATCH
The witness then read the dispatch sent
by Mr.. Hopkins to Mr.. Powderlv on
March 6, in which he informed Mr.. Pow
derly of the strike, stating that the men
nave no grievance, and eX pressing a wish
TO talk the matter over with him. Two days
afterwards Mr.. POwderly telegraphs
That he saw from the public press that the
strike was caused by the discharge of
Hall, and askingif he could be reinstated.
Mr.. Hopkins replied that Hall was en-
pIoyed by the Texas Pacific and not by the
Missouri Pacific, and that the latter road
had no control over the receivers. ''To
this message" continued the witness, "nO
answer was VOuchsafed. The Eastern
offices of the great railroads are their
financial repositories. They have moth
ing to do with labor. Mr.. HoXie had con-
troll of that anyway, but the board in
order to make it dOubly distinct put it in
his hands, and he managed it from that
time until after my return"
THE MEN WHO STRUCK.
''Let me explain to the committee what
the strike was that took place in March,
and what the effect would have been if 1t
had been simply strike. We had at the
date of the strike 14,3l5 employees
knights OF Labor. The strikers numbered
3,1I7, but they were not men who were nee
Coocl " luG Op6ldLlOu Vi bu6 IOdus 4 uGH
were men in the machine shops, men
along the track, switchmen, men who per-
form the lower duties of the railroad;
thai if the 3, III men had struck and left
the premises we would not have
missed a train, our business would
have gone along as regularly as
clOckwork, but following the leaving of
our employment, What did they do p"
AS he asked this question, for the first
time during the course of his statement,
Mr.. Gould raised his voice and showed
symptoms Of excitement, and it was with
energy that he proceeded to answer his
own query.
SEIZED THE ROADS.
"They exercised more than the right of
eminent domain. They took the st. Louis,
Sedalia, Atchison, Kansas City, Parsons,
Fort Worth, Little Rock and Texarkana
divisions. They took fOrcible possession
of them and said, NO man shall run a
train of that road That is what they
said. What did Mr.. HoXie dOY He said:
They have taken possession of
our road. We have got no earn
ings nOw,' and he was forced to write
an address to all the men suspendmg pay
ments, and thus 10000 men who were
loyal to the company, who could run our
trains every day, were deprived Of their
That was what followed the strike-seiz-
ure-yOu can call 1t by no other word
fOrcible seizure-somethlng that the Gar
Of Russia would hesitate to do with mis-
millions OF soldiers behind him."
POwDERLY ENTERS.
Mr.. HoXie's address to the men was
then read by Gen. Swayne. As he was
reading it MIR. Powderly entered the room
and secured a position opposite Mr..
Gould.
The Chalrman-What was Hall charged
with2 What crime had he committed?
What was the reason OF his discharge!
In response to this question Gen.
Swayne, at the request Of Mr.. Could, read
a statement issued by Receiver Brown
declaring that Hall was incompetent, and
that he was discharged for absenting him
self without leave. He also read circu-
lar issued by the Missouri Pacific on
March9, notifying all persons who bad quit
the employ Of the company since March
that their names were no longer upon
the rolls, and that they must leave the
premises Of the company, and also a
notice Of March 10 advertising for me-
chanics and laborers to ill the places Of
the strikers, aud stating that all good and
competent men would be employed re-
gardless Of their present or past cOnnec-
ton with the knights Of Labor.
THE RESORT TO VIOLENCE.
The reading being ended, Mr.. Gould
proceeded: "This brings the status OF the
strike down to March 10. At that time
the strikers had taken possession Of the
line. When we undertook TO run
trains. they would 'kil' the engines, and
# that were not sufficient, they would
uncOuple cars or would assault trainmen
who undertook 90 get trains out. Day
alter day we were met by that opposition.
Then the two Governors Of Missouri and
Kansas, who had been arbtratOr5 OF the
agreement Of March, 1857 under which
we had been acting, wore called ON TO
meet at Kansas City. There they heard
everything winch the strikers had TO say.
After hearing both sides. they prepared a
formal report, whicl was published"
THE COMPANY UPHELD.
The report was read by Gen. Swayne.
n declares that The strike OF March, 1885,
was not based on violation By the COM
pans OF the terms Of the agreement Of
March, lSSs. Gen. -wayne also read in
the same connection letters Ot Mr. liOXie
to the TWO Governors, stating that good
and comIeteut men would be employed
bv the company without regard b. their
mast or present relations TO the company
or 10 the Knights of Labor. He also read
the reply of the knights Of Labor TO the
two Governors. Mr.. Gould then
resumed his statement. He said:
"that correspondence shows pretty
conclusiyely the truth OF the prOYerb,
that you may lead a horse to watering
trough, but cannot make him drink. our