Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-04-15
LABOR TROUBLES.
Everything Quiet on the Gould System
Another Death Resulting From Fridays
Shootins.COrrespOndence Between jay
Gould and MIR. Powderly.

Sys"hs quiet on tne UOOI0 system
Another Death Resulting From fridays
Shootins.COrrespOndence Between jay
Gould and MIR. POwderly.
ST. Louis, April IA.
The situation in East st Louis, Wednes-
day, remained unchanged from that on pre-
Vlous days since the arrival of the military,
with the exception that various roads are in
better shape to do business and are doing
more.
The great drawback and the principal one
to prevent the company from fully resumins.
Is The inability of the st. Louis Bridge Com
pany and Belt Line to afford sutficie Mt trans
ferring facilities across the bridge and river
and from the levee to the various yards.
The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy and
the Chicago Alton roads seem to be in the
best condition, so far as their ability are con-
cerned to handle freight. The Louisville &
Nashville and Cairo Short Line are busy
making up trains, and it is expected that
they will succeed in sending them out later
in the day.
Shortly before midnight Tuesday night,
Cass Jones, the man who was shot through
the hip at last Fridays shooting, died from
the effects of his wounds. Jones was shot
while standing just across from the place
where the Illinois and Washington deputy
sheritfs directed their fusilade This makes
nine deaths with another victim not expected
to live.
New YORK, April IA.
Jay Gould said Wednesday morning, that
he did not think the news from St. LOUIS was
of special interest as the system was working
along in an orderly way.
New YORK, April IA.
Fresh correspondence between Mr.. Pow
der and Jay Gould will be published tomor-
row. Under the date of April llth Powderlv
writes to Gould from Scranton, as follows:
1.-The events CT the past As hours must
have demonstrated to you the absolute neces-
sity of bringing this terrible struggle in the
southwest to speedy termination. You
have the power, authority and means to bring
the strike to an end. l have done every
thing in my power to end the strife. The
gentlemen associated with me on the general
executive board of the knights of Labor have
done the same. Everything consistent with
honor and manhood has been done in the in
terest of peace. No false notions of pride
or dignity have swayed us in our dealings
with you or the gentlemen associated with
you"
Gould the letter continues:
"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
are not founded to shield wrong-doing and
today the Knights OF Labor as an order stand
between your property and ruin. We are
willing to absolve men along your railroad
from their allegience to our order. We
leave that to themselves. We will not allow
any claims which the order may have or
them to stand between them and their res
toration to their former positions. The or.
der of the knights of Labor ask Of no man tc
remain a member if it is not to his interest
TO do so. You may deal with them as citi
Zens if you will. We will surrender oul
right to claim these men as members
but we will not surrender our right to see
this affair thoroughly Investigated. You have
said that the order of knights of Labor wa,
conspiracy. secret menace, etc. | am will
ling, chief officer, to lay everything
connected to the order bare to the world, il
you will on the other hand lay open to the
public the means and methods whereby vor
have piled up the wealth you control and al
low public opinion to pass in judgment on tht
two and say which is conspiracy. Do you
accept the challenge? You have instructed
your legal advisor to proceed against every
man connected with the Knights of Labor fol
damages sustained since the strike began
Two weeks ago | said, Don't do this Now
| say, Begin at once Lay claims tor dam
ages in every court within whose jurisdiction
a Knight exists. Proceed at once and il
every State where you can recover damages
Do so if the law will sustain you in it. Lee
the majesty of the law be vindicsted 1t i;
just and right it should be so. We are will
ing to face you before the law. We will
fight you with no other weapon. For every
violation of law of the State or nation we will
enter suit against you. Don't understand
that we mean to pcrsecute in this cOnsad'
against you. On the contrary we wish t
see the law vindicated.
IF YOU have at all times obeyed the laws il
your dealings in methods by which you ac
quired YOUR immense fortune then it is tim,
that the many offenses with which you ar,
charged should be refuted. You have re
mained silent under mauy damaging charges
We will be your avengers. If you have beer
wronged we will let it be known to the worlC
through the medium of the courts of justice
and let me say right here that no money wil
buy verdict at the han0s OF these courts
There are people who say that this Is the be
ginning of war between capital and labor
That statement is false. This means war
but it is war between legitimate capital, hon
est enterprise and honest labor on one hant
and illegitimate wealth on the other. Thi
is war in which we count the fullest invest
CATION of our acts. Do you dare do tn
same? don't write this to you either il
spirit, anger or revenge. For you PERSONAL,
have no dislike. l believed if allowed II
follow your own impulses in this matter yol
would had the strike ended ere this. Yor
have been warned that your life was in dan
ger Pay no attention to such talk.
ssNo man wao has the interest of his coun
try at heart would harm hair of your head
but the system which reaches out on all sides
gathering in millions of dollars of treasur,
and keeping them out of legitimate channel,
of trade and commerce, must die, and mer
whose money is invested in enterprises which
stock gambling has throttled must make com
mon cause with those who have been denied
the right to earn enough to provide for th'
merest necessaries of life for home and fam
lily. When l say we will meet you in court
I do not speak rashly or ILL advisedly. hav'
taken counsel from the best legal minds o
the United States. We are prepared to fac
YOU before the courts, and now await you
ection IN tho matter II in NO threat I MIA