Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1886-04-17
GOULD'S ANSWER TO POWDERLY.
The following is Mr.. Jay Gould's
answer 10 Powderly s declaration of

/ The following is Mr.. Jay Gould's
answer TO Powderly 8 declaration of
war:
Ever since then Mr.. IoXie has
stood ready TO receive all persons in
the actual employ of the company, as
i. committee or otherwise. and confer
upon. or arbitrate anv matter of
difference or complaint either between
! the company and themselves, or be-
tween the company and its late en-
! ploves. and for that matter between
/ the company and ANYBODY else. No
such committee or individual employe
/ has, so far as known TO me, ever made
any such application. In this connec-
/ ton, it will be remembered that they
left not because of any complaint
whatever of this company 5 treatment
of themselves, but only because of this
company's refusal to comply with
their demand, that this company re-
fused to do what the law re-
quires in the way of inter
change of business with another
company with which some of your
order had a quarrel. In the meantime
this company has, of necessity, gone
in TO extend employment to such of
those persons who recently, and with
out even alleged provocation, left its
service. rs saw. fit to return. These
returning employees have been very
many, aud in this way its rolls are al
ready nearly, if not quite, As full as its
shops and equipment, crippled by acts
of violence attendant upon recent ac-
ton of your order, can employ. Mr..
.foxie advises me that every such per-
son applying TO be received back has
been employed, unless believed to have
taken part in The recent acts of vio-
lence.
"This company still stands ready to
make good in the fullest sense its
agreement As expressly set forth. In
the face of all this YOU notify me that
unless by 5 O'Clock | personally con-
sent To something, precisely what do
not see, then personal consequences.
of sort vaguely expressed. but not
hard to understand, will. ST the band
of your order, be visited npon me.
LET me again remind you that ii is
all American citizen whom you and
your order thus propose TO destroy.
The contest is not between your or
der and me, but betw cen your order
and the laws of the land. Your order
has defied those laws in preventing
by violence this company from oper-
ating It's road, 1t you held then that
this company should not operate its
road under conditions prescribed by
YOU, you now declare in effect that |
hold my individual property and
rights. not as other men hold theirs,
but only AT the peril of your letting
loose irrevocably after O'Clock your
order upon me. Ii this is true of this
company and Of me. il is true of all
other men and companies. Ii so you
and your secret order are the law and
an American citizen is such only in
name.
ALREADY, for weeks. your order
has, in your attack upon this company,
not hesltated 10 disable il by violence
from rendering its duty TO the public
and from giving work and paving
wages 10 men at least three times
your own number, who, working As
they were by your side, were At lesst
deserving OF yonr sympathy. Having
pushed this violence beyond even the
great forbesraDce of the public
and found in this direc-
ton cause {. hesitate, you
now turn upon me sad propose
that the wrongs you have hitherto in
flicted on the pull lie shall now culmi-
nate in an attack upon m individual.
In this, ss have said, tbs real issue
is between YOU and the laws Of the
land. II may be, before you are
through, those lava will efficiently sd
wise you thst even I, IS - individual
citizen, am not beyond their care.
Very respectfully,
JAY GOULD.