The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1886-04-16
THE LABOR QUESTION.
A Long and Bitter Struggle Begun o
the Gould Railroads.
Mr.. PowderIy Makes an Appeal to
Knights of Labor.
A Strike Ordered on the Street Rail.
roads of New York City.
Several New York soycotters Ar
raigned and Fined.
A Massachusetts Town in the Hand:
of a Mob Element.


read to Mr.. Hayes, the only member Of the Gen
eral Executive Board of the Knights Of Labor
now in this city, and in reply to an inquiry as to
his opinion of it, he said:
81 regard it as indicative of the beginning of
1How about Goulds construction of the letter
to mean that the Order would pursue him person.
ally?n
character We have nothing against Mr. Gould
s Is an e rps t6e ssce
the general committee, contributions now run
ming up to thousands Of dollars have been receiv-
ed in St. Louis every day for the men, for the last
week. They have averaged over $1,000 a day.
All this money has been sent out to be distributed
among the strikers at every point on the system
meet all demands so far, without calling upon the
reservefund of the order. But Mr.. POwderly, in
his cal for contributions has appealed to the
ecutive board because it will prove to the public
that the strike has the endorsement OF the order
in gene general s J.. 49, un,.,., 49,. :, t,au
are out with us will be helped. We have plenty
of money keep all of those who will help in the
strika More than this we intend to pay the men
for not working who are now at work, who have
been forced to go to work since the strike began,
and who. not being Knights of Labor, thought
that they could not depend upon us for assist
At East ST. Louis today, the strikers are not nu-
merous in the streets or around the railroad
premises, and the quantity OF freight handled by
the nine roads centering here is in excess of that
handled at any time since the strike was COM
menced.
The cases against j. J. McGary, Judge Advo-
cate of the Knights of Labor, and others arrested
on the charge of trespassing upon the premises of
the Missouri Pacific Railway, were dismissed to-
day, the evidence against the prisoners not being
sufficient to convict.
PHILADELPHIA, April 15.-Grand Master
Workman Powderly of the Knights of Labor to-
day issued a circular to all the members of that
order in America, in which he says that it max es
little difference now whether the men who struck
on Goulds system in the Southwest acted wisely
or not That action had now become matter Of
history. The circular recites the attempt made
by the executive board to settle the differences
with Jay Gould, states that Gould made positive
agreement with the board and that Hoxie not
only refused to carry out the agreement made by
Gould but refused to employ knights of Labor.
of every man and woman in the order to take up
the fight of the men in the Southwest and assist
them to the full extent of their means. He calls
on them to send every dollar they can to the gen.
eral secretary and treasurer, who will at once
forward the funds to st. Louis for distribution
amonga the men. on the strike who have been
out of work for two months and are sadly
in need of help. He states that the men
in the Southwest have made no appeal for charity
is your executive board that makes the appeal in
their behalf, and he who gives quickly gives
doubly. Act at once: Another appeal may be
sent to you and we ask of you to prepare for 1t
now. Do not pass resolutions condemning capi-
tal for we are not fighting capital Do not antag-
onize the contest we have before us, but let us
make friend Of every man who has suffered
through monopoly. This battle against a man
who represents monopoly must be fought. out
manfully. Watch his actions everywhere
and keep an eye on the dongs of Congress; urge
the committee that has been appointed to do its
duty fearlessly; strengthen their hands; give
them every aid. Do mot delay; and at the same
time mako ready to bring the whole power of the
order to bear on the man who wrecks railroads,
homes. fortunes and lives in his greed for gold.
Let us determine to have it go into history that
the men of 1886 struck as grand blow for liber-
ty as the men of 1776. The men of 1875 broke
the power which they wrested from the hands Of
Which yHa AHs IS nova s held By one eA' man. who v
brought brought manufacturers and and workmen 70 ruin,
The power of the king mas passed away; the
power of wealth is also passing away, and 1T must
now be determined whether man shall rule or
whether illegitimate wealth shall rule.
SCRANTON, Pa, April 15.-In an interview this
afternoon Grand Master Workman Powderly,
when asked what he thought of Mr.. Gould's reply
and an evasion. All there is in his communica-
tion has been said before He evidently wants to
but the knights of Labor don't propose to honor
him with martyrdom. AS soon as possible we
shall appoint a committee of the order to investi-
gate the Southwestern trouble from root to
branch all along the line, from st. Louis to the
Mexican border. The result of this will be pub
lished to the world and if the knights of Labor
who struck are at fault they will not be screened"
NEW YORK April 15.-Wm. Mcdowell of the
executive board OF the knights of Labor, receiv-
ed q letter from Mr. Powderly referring to the
strike on the Gould system, in which he says he
is told that Mr.. Hoxie had expressed himself very
strongly against being dictated to by Could. III
that is true, Mr. Powderly says There can be
is to aid the men financially as much as poss
BILE. Ii they will not be permitted to return to
work we cannot be n held responsible for future
ent with manhood to have the matter ended, but
without avail. 1t would have been much better
for Gould to settle it and end it than to pro-
lpcOmHC
an open and avowed enemy of his. He said he
had very little faith in the national arbitration
commission being complete remedy. He believed
the best plan to have parties interested agree
on plan to bind themselves to abide by its opera
ton, whether for or against them. In this partic-
uar instance the men cannot arbltrate and the
company will not treat with them. Mr.. Hoxie
said he would meet with the men who were at
work. Why, these men had no grievances. 1t
is the man who is out who has a cause for COM
plant or grievance. He thought the best plan was
for Mr.. Gould to assert his authority. and meet
with him to settle the affair, but he would never
seek an audience with him again. The final up
shot of the affair in the Southwest would be the
disruption OF the organization OF labor there. The
men will feel wrOnged, and without the restraint
of the organization they Will haraSS the company
at every step The trouble for Mr.. Gould viii not
end with the end of the strike, in the dissolu
tion of the knights of Labor on his line. His
trouble is only beginning.
On April 10th, Mr. Powderly wrote to Mellow
Field had interested himself in the matter SO far
as to offer to act as mediator. He believed, how
ever, the only thing to be done now was for Mr.
Gould to assert his authority as president of the
company and say to Mr.. Hoxie that he will take
the settlement of this vexed question off his hands
allowing hlm to manage the other business of the
company and that he (Gould) will undertake to
put the road in running operation with the men
now out there, employees of the company. Under
tlement could be reached. The knights of Labor
as an organization, he says. is not deSirous of
holding the men to their allegiance to it only so
orr Organization m viii never s in ''ESi any Way be
barrier to the success of the company
Leave the organization out of the question and let
Mr.. Gould meet with his men if he does not care
to meet with the representative OF the organiza-
ton, and let him settle 1t in that way if he pre-
fers. MI. Powderly felt certain that Hoxie could
not now meet with the men or representative of
the knights of Labor and effect settlement of
the difficulty, That, he thought could be done
only by Mr.. Gould himself. Mcdowell was re-
quested to see Mr.. Field and say to him what he
had written.
In conclusion Mr.. Powderly said: 81 will do
an end, and will do anything in my power to see
TO and arrange matters so that an occurrence of
this trouble will never again take, place. With
the Knights of Labor driven from the employ of
the company they will form another society of
some kind and with the new organization the
same ground will again be travelled over some
day in the future. As 1t Is now both sides can
draw lesson from the struggle that will prevent
further troubles from arising"
Would Not Accede to the Demand.
CHICAGO, April 15.-The furniture factory of
F. Mayer & Co.. one of the largest in the city, has
been closed by the proprietors rather than accede
to the demands of the workmen, who wanted an
advance of 90 per cent in wages and eight hours
day. Three hundred men are idle in conse-
quence.
A Strike Ended.
PROVIDENCE, r. l., April 15.-The prolonged
strike of the weaverS and mule spinners at the
mills of the Messrs Aldrch at Baltic Conn.,, is
ended, and 600 of the $50" looms are running to-
day. The strikers are returning to work rapidly,
at the same pay and under the same conditions as
when they went out.
Boycotters Arraigned for Conspiracy
Three different labor organizations were repre-
sented among the 18 boycotters arraigned in the
police court today. Seven came from the ranks
of the tailors, as many more from the mule spin
ners in the Chelsea jute works, and four were of
German Bakers Union, No. /, who were interest
ed in the boycott of Mrs Gray's bake shop. JUS
tice Duffy decided to make it a test case and en-
tertained complaint of conspiracy against Geo.
l. Enhart and Matthew Murray, members of the
Tailors' Union, and bail in the sum of $3.50 each
was furnished A few more aggressive boycotters
were fined So, and others were discharged. Mrs.
Gray intends to make a stubborn fight against the
German Bakers Union. The law construes the
offence as a misdemean0r, and provides as pun
ishment year in the penitentiary, or fine of
$500, or both.