Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-04-15

eNtc was nothing IN our laws TO com.
nand them 10 do 80. said that a district
assembly OF knights fLabor bore the same
Ielatlon 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, aud
mat while could interfere, It was under
lie law which gave me jurisdiction
over the entire order and not under any
particular law. furthermore explained
10 you that the spirit OF our organization
was opposed 10 strikes, and that was the
reason why our general convention never
enacted any particular legislation for the
government Of them. also said that an
occasion had never before called for any
interference from the general officers, but
that this strike would show the necessity
for the passage at our next convention OF
law that would place the subject of
strikes under the control Of The general
executive board Of the order.
When on Monday, March %, You sent
me the letter marked "personal,n you at
the same time told a newspaper CORE.
spondent that you had done so.
What your motive was in
marking your letter personal"
and at the same time informing repre-
sentative OF the press that you had done
SO do not know, nor do question your
motives. felt II my duty to let the
public see the letter which contained
nothing OF personal nature whatever.
There are people who might be unchar-
table enoughto say that your intention was
10 give the impression that there was
sonnet hing between You and me. which
would not bear the light of the peoples
scrutiny. ] have had no such dealing
with such a man since this trouble began
nor at any previous time, and | am will
ing TO allow the fullest light possible
shine on my transactions ] nave moth
ing TO conceal.
You can settle this strike. Its longer
continuance 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 mine. We
are willing to absolvc the men along your
railways from their allegiance 60
our order; we leave that TO them
selves. We will not allow claims
which the order may have on them
to stand between them and a restoration
to their former position. The order
Of Knights d Labor asks no man TO
remain member II 1t is not to his inter
est to do so. You may deal with them
as citizens If you will. We will sur.
render our right to our claims as
members If they wish, but will
not surrender our rights to see this mat
ter thoroughly investigated.
You have said that the order, Knights
of Labor, was conspiracy, a
menace. am willing as the
chief officer TO lay everything
connected with our order bare to the
world IL you will on the other
hand lay open to the public the
means and methods whereby you
have piled up the wealth which
you control and allow the tribunal of
public opinion to pass in Judgment on
the two and say which is the conspiracy?
Do you accept the challenge? You
have instructed yonr legal adviser to pro-
coed against every man connected with
the Knights of Labor for damages sus-
tanned since the strike began. Two
weeks ago l said, edo not do
this" to-day say, begin at
once. Lay your claims for damages
in every court OF jurisdiction where
Knights Of Labor exist, proceed at once
and in every state where you can re-
cover damages; do so If the
law will sustain you. Let the
majesty of the law be indicated
1t Is just and right that it should be So
We are willing to face you before the
law, and we are willing to fight you
with no other weapon. For every
violation of the law Of state or
nation, we will enter suit against you,
and in this crusade against you, do not
understand that we mean to per-
secute. On the contrary, we wish to
see the law INDICATED. If you have
at all times obeyed the law in your deal
in IS, in the methods by which you have
acquired your immense fortune 1t
is time that the many offenses
with which you are charged
should be refuted. You have remained
silent under many damaging charges in
turing the state. We will be your aveng
ers If you have been wronged we
will let 1t he known to the world
through the medium of the courts OF JUS
tice, and let me say right here that no
money will 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 is false. This certainly
means war, but it is war between legit-
innate capital, honest enterprise
and honest labor on the
one hand, and illegltimate
wealth on the other hand, This is the
war in which we court the fullest investi-
cation of our acrs. DO you dare to do
the same? This war means no
further strike, no shedding Of blood,
it Is a war in which every business man,
every commercial man, every pro'es
sional man, every workingman, will be
invited to enlist. 1t will not be
war upon the innocent, and the battle
field upon which 1t will be fought out win
be before the two courts--law and that
which makes the law-public opinion.
There will be no mobs in this supreme hour
to silence any mans oplnloni no con.
verts viii be made by physical
force. That flag which floats over
the palace or the mansion at the bidding
Of mob dsgraces both the victors and
the victims, and under such flag as
that we will not wage the bat
tie. But this battle of the people
against monopoly may as well be fought
out now as ten years from now, and what
| Held so emiueutly proper on which