Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1886-04-22
MISCELLANEOUS.

The April report OF the Department
of Agriculture showed a decrease of 8 per
| cent from last year in the acreage of winter
| wheat, Illinois leading in the decrease.
In an interview at Scranton, Pa,
Mr.. Powderly said that he did not think Gould
had answered his letter, his reply being a
bubble and an evasion. @We have invited him
to carry his threats Of prosecution into the
courts, he said, sand we are ready TO meet him
there. He announced some time ago his in
tention to commence a series of prosecu-
tons against us, and we want him to
proceed at once. We shall not be swayed
from our course by anything he may
say or do Just as soon as possible
we shall appoint committee of the order to
investigate the Southwestern trouble, from
root to branch, all along the line from st Louis
to the Mexican border The result of this in
vestigation will be published to the world, and
if the Knights Of Labor who struck are at
fault they will not be screened. We are anx-
ious, however, to have a Congressional COM
mittee inves tigate the strike first" Mr.. Pow
derby further said that he would reply to
Gould's letter.
The furniture factory of F. Mayer &
Co., in Chicago, employing nearly three hun
dred men, has been closed because Of demand
for 20 per cent advance in wages and an eight
hour day.
The authorities of Montreal are about
to take action against one of the wea!thest cit
liens for displaying in his residence copies OF
Powers "Greek Slave" and other nude works
Of the sculptor.
General Master Workman Powderly
Of the Knights Of Labor has addressed the
following circular to members of the order:
Noble Ordor Of the Knights OF Labor Of America:
'To the order, wherever for nd, greeting: You
have all read OF the great strike ON the Gould
lines Of railway in the Southwest; its history is
being written day by day. It makes but little
difference now whether the men OF the South
west acted wisely or not. Let us pass that part
Of the affair over, for IL, too, has passed into
history. The general Executive Board of the
order attempted to settle the trouble and restore
harmony. Agreements were mhde with them
by Jay Gould, ESQ., but when the board reached
st. Louis Mr.. Hoxie would not treat with them;
not that alone, but he positively refused to en-
ploy Knights Of Labor whether they had been
active in the strike or not
1T now becomes the part OF every man and
woman in the country to take up the fight OF the
mon Of the Southwest, and assist them to the full
extent of their means They have been idle for
nearly two months. They have had most try
ing ordeal to go through and are i'm need OF
funds. 1t requires no eloquence or rhetoric to
plead the cause Of these suffering people. They
require aid, and It becomes our duty to extend
that aid as quickly as possible for us TO do so.
Send every dollar you can spare to the general
Secretary Treasurer, who will at once forward
IL to the men at st. Louis for distribution. Re-
member the men out there do not ask for chart
ty; they do not ask at air 1t Is your Executive
He who gives quickly gives doubly. Act at
once.
Another appeal may be sent to you, and we
ask Of you to prepare for IL now. We must be
judged by our actions In this matter. DO not
pass resolutions condemnng capital, for We are
not fighting capital. Do not antaRonize the con-
test we have before us. Let US make a friend OF
every man who has suffered through monopoly.
This battle against the man who represents
monopoly must be fought out manfully. Watch
his actions everywhere. Keep an eye Oh the
doings Of Congress Urge tho committee that
has been appointed to do its duty fearlessly;
strengthen their hands give them every aid.
In conclusion, let us again ask that you send
at once every dollar you CAN at present raise to
uphold the men who are now out along the
lines of the Southwestern system OF Gould's
railways. Do not delay and at the same time,
make ready to bring the whole power Of the order
70 bear upon the man who wrecks railroads,
homes, fortunes, and lives In his greed for gold.
Let us determine TO have IL go into history that
the men Of 1886 struck as grandly for lib
erty as the men Of 1776. The men of 1776 broke
the power Of monarchy and dethroned the king
The power which they wrested from the hands
OF a king was not SO great as that which is now
held by one man, who, through the corrupt use
Of money, has brought manufacturer and work.
man to ruin. The power of the king has passed
away, and IL must now be determined whether
man shall rule or whether illegitimate wealth
shall rule. T. v. PowDERLY,
General Master Workman"
Colonel 7. H. Ruger has been or
dered TO relieve General Miles of the command
of the Department of the Missouri
J. w. Walters, Company F, Eighth
Regiment, Illinois National Guard, while pa
trolling the vandalia yards at East st Louis,
was fred upon by an unknown man, who inn
mediately afterward ran Walters fired after
him, but he escaped A second shot raised
another man, who also escaped Orders were
Immediately issued TO patrol all the yards in
the hope of capturing the men, but the search
proved futile.
In the Criminal Court at st. Louis,
Judge Noonan discharged J. J. McGarry and
other Missouri Pacific strikers who had been
charged with obstructing traffic, basing his de-
cision on the ground that q coupling pin is not
part Of q railroad