Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-05-07
PLACING the BLAME.

- IA
PLACING THE BLAME
The Congressional Committee Begins HI
h. investigation Into the Causes and Curs
of tho Labor Troubles -atessrs. Powder
ly aud Mcdowell Testify.
j WASHINGTON, April 21.-The special com
5mittee appointed by the House OF Repre-
s~entatives to Investigate the labor difi'
culties in the Southwest commenced opera
tions yesterday at Washington with the
testimony of Il. v. Powderly. Mr.. Pow.
DERBY said that the o%pinionwhich prevailed
that the strike on the Missouri Pacific road
was caused by the discharge of q man
named Hall was The real3cause
was the payment of low wages long houra
OF service, ETC., as net forth in the
bill of grievances recently made
public BY the knights 81 Labor at st.
Louis. When asked for redress by the men,
the officials ofstle company had refused q
conference. An other cause was stated to
be that OF the practice OF tho company Of
compelling their men along tho Iron Mount
ainsroad, and along some roads il Texas,
TO purchase food and other snecessaries OF
lie from stores owned! BY the COM
pany. Still another war the em-
ployment by several branches OF
the Missouri Pacific road OF convicts,
who were placed at repairing tracks, the
sight being often Witnessed OF . convict in
his prison stripes and another anclothed
in the garb Of ON honestlaborer working
side by side. Against such q levefing Of
conditions the honest workman naturally,
and with pardonable indignation revoated.
Mr.. Poxderly, in reply to q question. said
that the Organization Of Knights
of Labor had for its object
the protection OF labor against
the exactions Of employers. Its aims were
to secure, ii possible by honorable means,
a peaceful settlement OF all difficulties. II
would ever be found as ready to punish
wrong as 1t was to aid IN redressing it. A
was it's chief aim. II had never legislatedi
,restraini il. At the request Of the commit
tee Mr.. Powderly promised to lay before it
at some future time his views Us to what
might be done by way Of, statute or con
stitutional amendment.
WASHINGTON, April &2.-Mr. William O.
Mcdowell, of the knights Of Labor, was
questioned yesterday by the committee APP
pointed by the House to investigate b
causes Of the strike IN the Gouldsroads. In
reply to question: he described the objects
of the knights Of Labor organization in
terms similar to those used by Mr.. Powder.
" Tuesday. He then detailed the efforts
mado to settle the strike by arbitration,
and related the interviews between Mr..
lPowderly and himself on one side and Mr..
Gould on the other.
Mr.. Burns asked the witness IL he had
any information that Mr.. Gould had issued
any Instructions to MI. Hoxie which were
inconsistent with the Representations Mr..
Gould had made to the Knights Of Labor
Representatives in New York.
The witness replied that while the
knights Of Labor Representatives were on
their way to st. Louis to carry out the ar
rangements for arbitration I. Rockwell
issued a n0rder declaring that no man would
be employed or retained in the employ
OF the company as foreman Of section men
who was a member of the Knights Of La
boz, and notifying those employed that
they must give up their Knight Of Labor
cards. The witness thought Mr.. Gould and
his subordinates had In various ways acted
In bad faith with the representatives OF the
Knights Of Labor in thiscontrcversy.
Mr.. Mcdowell was asked IL he thought
Jay Gould was fairly disposed during his
interviews and dealings with Mr.. Powder
". He thought Gould meant to be fair at
the start but i seemed 70 the witness that
"a ~ AAAA AVxO0SI - 0k4Wf
when Mr.. Gould found him rebellious on
the agreement t arbttrate, in place OF
making it q positive order, he turnedround
n split hairs with the COMMITTEES. In
fact, 10 appeared to the witness that Mr..
Gould was in q measure controlled by Mr..
Hoxie 1t was his impression that to Mr..
Hoxie belongs the responsibility Of the
strike.
Mr.. Grain asked witness what was the
original Of the strike, and Mr.. Nc
DOwell made q long statement, involving
the difference between the principles 81
Gould as saying that BY making q change
of that sort in the Western Onion Teie-
graph Company he had effected a saving
of eighty per cent. he added that the
general calse of this strike and OF recent
strikes ell ever the country had been
che 1 lines nj 1 Nsk y On the q horse e4ss
ruary. They had commanded such univer.
sal public sympathy that workmen, when.
ever they had q grievance or wrong, Joined
together and made applications 10 form
assemblies Of knights OF Labor. This wa
30 general that the order had increased
1t hadi the prior eight years. AS an al.
.ditional reason he alleged the universal
system OF watering railroad stock, which
made 1t necessary for railroad managers
to screw down the rates Of labor as much
s&6 pOS41D10.
Mr.. Grain asked what remedy he could
suggest for that. Witness replied that The
remedy was to enforce the law. The Law
Of every State required that dollar
for dollar. should be paid for rail.
road stock; but that provision 81
law was evaded by the railroad managers
forming themselves into q Credit
Mobilier or construction company and is
suing to themselves 500 worth Of stock fol
every dollar or tendollars Of work. He did
not think the systemsof pooling earnings o
railroads had anything to do with it
Neither was 4, in his opinion, attributable
tothe competition in labor. Asked for hi
views on the subject OF labor competi
ton, Mr.. Mcdowell said that it hae
been suggested that a conference should
take place between representative me1
from the laber Organizations and repre-
sentative men from trade organizations
that they should meet and thoroughly dis
cuss the whole subject. Such q discussion
as that would be approached By railroad
men IN q different spirit from that which
they would manifest in a discussion with
insubordjnate brakemen. In this way there
would be gathered the wisdom Of able meu
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