The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-03-12
The Engineer Abandoning His Post at the So
licitation of the Strikers-The Demands
Made by the Knights of Labor.
Master Workman Powderly Proposes
Arbitration to Receiver Brown.
And that Gentleman Responds by Saying the
Texas Pacific Has No Trouble with It's
Employees, and Declines the Offer.
HOW WILL 1T END?


Make Stand in Their Support.
New YORK, March 1.-THE following edit
orial from the Evening Post, on the Southwest
ern strike. is said by business men of this city
to represent their opinions:
''The statements published by Receiver
Brown, of the Texas Pacific, and Vice president
Hoxie. of the Missouri Pacific, showing the ma
ture OF the demands made upon them by the
Knights of Labor very significant, because
symptomatic Of the condition of industry and
society everywhere There very few en-
ployers of labor, whether individual or corpor
ate, who are not lying awake O. nights. thinking
about what is going on in Texas and Missouri.
There are no intelligent persons, whether en-
ployers or employed, who are not looking with
anxiety for all the news from that quarter, and
trying to form some idea of what the end will
be. There are those who believe that Social
ist revolution is impending, and has been for a
long time impending. Although the ayowed So
cialists are an extremely small part of even the
most densely populated cities, the belief is
tertained by careful observation that their ideas
are spreading among the trade unions, which
have been for the most part their avowed oppo-
nents hitherto, and that if some great strike or
sconvulsion of industry should result cisastrously
to the strikers, the main body would adopt the
creed of the Socialists for better or for worse.
Socialism has great many queer fancies, but
division of property is at the bottom of them
all. This signifies the overturn of law and the
temporary stoppage OF civilization. We say
temporary, because, after any possible social dis
turbance-the worst conceivable-society must
right itself somehow. In the first two years of
the French revolution those who called them
selves the people employed themselves in butch
erng the aristocrats, and the next six years in
butchering each other But the result proved that
anarchy could not last forever. If there is such
a coming evil, it is quite useless to run away
from it. The supporters of law and order,
whether capitalists or non-eapitalists: ought TO
aud must put themselves in readiness to meet it,
and instead of compromising the law and yield
ing here point and there point of its authori-
ty and majesty, they should make a firm stand
on tbs first well-defned issue that presents
itself. The Texas Pacific case appears to be
such an ISSUE The statement of Receiver
Brown is to be taken as a true one until proven
otherwise by something better entitled to cre-
dence than the outgivings of q secret society.
1.-The Texas Pacific road is a bankrupt corpor
alton. 1t was built In advance of any real need
for it. By real need is meant such need as
would enable its corporation in the country ad-
jacent and tributary to it to pay running ex-
penses and fair rate of interest on the capital
employed. The indispensable co ndition of sue
cessful industry was wanting 1t was accord
ingly taken possession Of by the officers Of the
law of whom Receiver Brown is one ian inferior
one), to be be made the most of in the interest
of its creditors. It's creditors, in the order of
preference, are: First its employees; second,
those who furnish its needed supplies. and third,
those who have loaned money to build it OF
the seven propositions submitted by the Knights
Of Labor to the receiver for his signature, all
but one are of kind which he had no authority
to sign or agree to, because his position was that
of a subordinate officer OF the law. He refused
to sign, and the Knights of Labor struck. In
order to make the strike more effective they
struck on the Missouri Pacific and its leased lines
also. This was the largest boycott that the
country has yet seen. 1t boycotts not only the
Missouri Pacific, but to large extent the States
Of Texas, Arkansas and Missouri. There are
probably more working men in the city of st.
Louis than the whole number of boycotters in
the Gould Southwestern System The ques-
ton now is, whether Receiver Brown
and Vice-president Hoxie will stand firm
until public opinion is aroused by the oncoming
Of misery to assert the majesty and authority Of
law A telegram from Fort Worth, Tex, says
that the Farmers Alliance is in sympathy with
the strikers and will join them in political steps
to control the State. This is not at all unlikely.
The farmer has been so accustomed to look upon
corporations as his enemy that he will naturally
join forces with any other enemy who comes in
sight. Yet the alliance will be of short dura-
ton, because the farmers interests require
speedy and uninterrupted railway transporta-
ton. Moreover, in the long run he will find
that to whatever extent the artisan class get
more than a fair share of the aggregate earnings
of the Nation-more than the share which free
competition would yield-it must come out of
agriculture. There is other source from
Wnlcn ~ can come. Stlll, the FARMER Will prODa-
bly, side with organized labor in the beginning
IF Receiver Brown yields to the demands pre-
sented to him, ne must begin by asking tho
court whose officer he is for permission to sign
paper which is virtual abdication of his Office.
If Vice-president Hoxies statement is true-and
it must be true, unless there has been some
recent change in the practice of law-no yielding
on his part would affect the status of the Texas
Pacific in any degreA. 1t would seem, therefore,
that no case could be imagined upon which the
supporters of law and order could take frmer
stand. or whera the necessity of their doing so
could be more imperative, let the consequences
be what they may"