The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1886-04-20
Is What Master Workman Pow
derby Promises Jay Gould,
the Capitalist.
The Labor Boss BegS That
knights be Sued for All
Damages Incurred.
The Railway Presidents Reply
The Rock on Which
He Stands.
He Reviews the Late Lamentable
Strike on the Missouri
Pacific Railway,
And Asks Only His Rights, the
Same as Any Other Amer
lean Citizen.

correspondence is self-explanatOry:
SCRANTON, Pa, April Il, 1886, , a. m.
10 Jay G0uJd, Esq, President Of the Missour
Pacific Railroad:
Dear Sir The events of the past forty
eight hours must have demonstrated to YOU
the absolute necessity of bringing this ter
rible struggle in the southwest To a speedy
termination. You have the power, the
authority, the means To bring the strike to
an end. / have done everything in nv
power to bring the strife TO an end The
gentlemen associated with NE on the gen.
eral executive board of the Knights have
done the same. Everything consistent with
honor and manhood has been done in the
interest of peace. No false notions of
pride Or dignity have swayed us In our
dealings with you or the gentlemen asSo-
ciated with you. In our conference with
YOU on Sunday, March %, understood
you TO mean that arbitration would be
agreed to. The only method of arbitration
that was discussed was in line with that
suggested in the letter which | sent YOU in
the name OF our board the day previous.
There was nothing particular agreed upon,
as you well know. You said that in arbi-
tratlng the matter the damage sustained bv
the company during the strike ought TO
receive consideration. | said 10 YOU that
IL would not be the part of wisdom to bring
that question up I'm the settlement of the
strike. When / called upon you again that
evening you had prepared, as the result of
your understanding of the mornings in
terview, letter which you intended to give
TO me. That letter included a telegram to
be sent TO Mr.. Hoxie, and in that telegram
you said that the damage sustained by the
company would be proper subject for the
arbitration board 10 discuss The latter
part of the letter or telegram YOU agreed
10 strike off after We had talked the matter
over for some time. And / left YOU as YOU
were about TO go TO your room 10 re-write
the letter, which you afterwards placed in
the hands of Mr.. Mcdowell to be given TO
me, for / had to leave at that time in order
TO keep an appointment at the hotel where
| stopped.
The statement which you since then made,
TO the effect that you had prepared that let
ter before / called,
Is NOT QUITE CORRECT.
or if you did have it prepared you changed
il after we talked the matter over. This, i
believe, you will admit to be tru.e In the
conference held between the members of
our executive board and the directors of
the Missouri Pacific company, at l95
Broadway, on March 80, you said to me
that you understood me to saw that the
men along your lines would be ordered
back to work at once, they having violated
the rules OF our organization. | then reit-
Grated the statement which | made to you,
and now repeat it: "The men along the
lines of your railways can ordered back
TO work, but if they are given TO under
stand that they are deserted, that we don't
take any interest in them, it will not in any
way mend matters; on the contrary, il will
make things worse. There are along the
roads out there great many men who have
no regard for organizations or law, men of
hardy spirit, energy and daring. Such
men have left the east and taken up their
homes in a wild country. Such as that
will not submit as quietly as the men they
have left behind in the east; they are apt
10 do rasher things than they would do
elsewhere, and | have no doubt we have
some OF them in our order. In fact, my
experience with the men OF that section
leads me to think that the men on both
sides out there are more dare-devilish than
they are In the east. Even the business
men in that country are OF that stamp of
character"
Both you and Mr.. Hopkins heard me
make that statement, and | believe the lat
ter agreed that that was his experience.
The danger of the strike spreading was
also discussed, and | said to YOU that il
would not spread that an effort had been
made to have the men on the Union Pacific
take up part of it, but that the Knights
of Labor on that road had a standing
agreement with the management of the
road that there was to be no trouble or
strike until the last effort to effect settle
ment had failed, and not then until the
court of last resort had been reached.
When | made that statement, Mr.. Hopkins
remarked that they had better strike then.
for if they did not, the Union Pacific
would not much longer have sufficient
money TO pay their employees The impress
sion made on me was that YOU would be
pleased to see strike take place on the
Union Pacific.
This, believe, covers the chief points OF
discussion. | did not hear either you or
Mr.. Hopkins say that The present trouble
on your road
WOULD NOT BE ARBITRATED
with the men who were not at work. 1t was
my firm belief when / left YOU that night
that you meant TO have the entire affair
submitted to arbitration at the first posi-
bic moment. That belief is shared by Mr..
Mcdowell, who was present during the en-
tire interview. When you sent the tele-
gram to Mr.. Hoxie you sent it as president
of the Missouri Pacific Railroad company.
You sent it as the chief sends his message
TO an inferior officer, and it meant as much
to sensible man as any imperative order
could possibly mean.
When /, as chief officer of the Knights