Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1886-04-22

have boon engaged IN the dtetructon OF
property or broken the laws. WI you do
this2 You San then make rules and agree
mcnts with YOUR men that Will over preclude
the poss biity OF another s9ch q sastr9us
'''''" '' T. " PowDEELr.
The Magnate's Reply.
T. Y. Powderly, ESQ. q. ". W. X. OF f.i
NEW NoRK. April 14-Dcar Sir: ] received
your letter 10 me, dated scranton. April II,
1896, at the same time and by the same agency
that received your letter of instructions TO
Mr. Mcdowell. The an mus aud purpose of
your letter to me can not be fully Understood
without knowing the contents OF THAT AT
onco. I was pcrcmptorily notified at the
same tine that must answer your letter hy
Ave o'clock to-day, aud was grnciousy
given until that hour TO respond. Your lot
ter to me embraces two subjects. ono relating
to me personally, and the other Ia relation OF
the Knights uf Labor To railroad company
Of which am president aud in some dc,
gree the representative OF its public and
private duties
/ shall refer TO the first subject very briefly.
Tho circumstances above given under which
your letter was delivered, rs well as its tenor
md spirit, place the purpose ~ writing u
beyond any ardouht. u would seem 10 ne
an official declaration that the knights OF
Labor had determined to pursue me person.
ally unless the VI ssOuri Pacific Company
should yield 10 It's demands in what you call
the strike on that road. In answer to these
personal threats beg to say that am yet
an American citizen. | am past torty-nine
years Of age, was born at RoNbury, Delaware
County this state. began lie IN n lowly
way and by Industry temperance and Rtten'
oInfo my own bus ness have been success
ful, perhaps beyond the measure OF my
ms HABITS or tNpusrRY,
IL. you sav, am to be DESTROYED by the
knights or Labor unless will sink my man.
hood, so be IT, Fortunately. ! have retained
my early habits OF industry; my friends,
nclghbors aud business associates know me
well. ana am quite content to leave my per-
soma. record in their hands. II any OF them
have aught TO complain Of, | will DO only too
glad to submit TO any arbitration. IL such
part es or any OF them wish to appoint the
Knights Of Labor or you Us their attorney,
such appointment is quite agreeable 10 me;
but until such an election Is made, II will nat
urnlly occur to YOU that any interference on
your part In my personal affairs Is, 10 say
the least quite gratuitOus. Since ] was
nineteen years OF age | have been In the
habit OF employing in my various enter.
priscs large numbers of persons. probably NJ
times as b gh as bOO0n. distr buting often
SiW1OD or Sf.O10O0 por month To different
pay rolls. II would seem a little Grange that
durr~ all these years the difficulty with the
knights OF Labor should be my fret. An NJ
tempt 20 connect me personally with the
late strike on the southwestern roads or
any responsibility therefor, is equally gratu'
itous. as you well know. N II true, nm the
president of the Missouri Pacific, but when
this strike occurred | was far away on the
ocean, and beyond the reach Of telcgrams.
] went away relying on your promise made
To me last August that there should be no
strike on that road. and that n any ncul'
ties should mr. sc YOU would come frankly 10
me with them. Mr.. Hopkins the vicc.ptcsi.
dent OF the company, who WIS present and
Coguzan' of ia arrangement with you. In
my absence sent you promptly whcn the
present strike broke out the following tcle'
gram
tGould here refers 10 tho telegram an.
nOuucing the strike and a telegram referring
20 the discharge OF Hall by the Texas Pa
Cinc Company. A telegram from Hopkins 20
POwdcrly that the Missouri Pacific could not
NnHaN NaNa 81
claims, was never answered aud snysl;
This correspondence places the cOntinu
ance 0t this strike on your shoulders. You
sat still. were silent after Mr.. Hopkins urged
| appeal and allowed tn str ke TO 20 on, al
| lowed the companys property 20 be forciblv
| seized and the citizens Of four states and
one Territory 10 be deprived Of their right
| ful railway facilities Thus forced, the board
/ Of directors. prior 10 my return, placed the
| matter in Mr. hONlc's hands bv formal res
| olutiou and that disposition OF u mas never
| been changed. You knew this well, because
| you had correspondence with him on this
subject.
Hence u was that, when Mr.. Turner secre'
| tarY OF your order. wrote to me on the sub
] icct fully advised him In my letter Of March
| q, that the matter hnd been placed by the
/ board In the hands of Mr.. Hoxic. and that /
! must refer you to him ~ rs continuing rep.
rrscutat'vc. At the same time ! reminded
| you that Standing advertisement OF this
company was az that moment inv ting us for
/ mer employees to return TO Their accus.
toned posts-and that regardless Of
l thcif being or not be ng members OF
your order. and regardless also Of
/ thcir individual part cipatIon IN the strike
/ which your order had recently innugurated.
/ when, IN spltc of all IN ;, YOU desired 10 500
me personally, cord ally met you, and hav.
/ ing put myself in cummun cation with Mr.
IiOX O arranged with him for you the dis.
patch which was widely published by
you at the time authorizing u
the ompioyes actually IN the service Of The
~ nN.s.sf "A
be appointed. Ever since then Mr.. HoNie
has stood ready 20 receive any and all per.
sons in the actual employ Of the company,
I as committee or otherwise. and confer
/ upon. or nrbitrntc any matter Of difference
| or compla nj eithor between the company
. and themselves or between the company
| and its la q employees. and for that matter
| between the company ana nYhOdy else. No
| such committee or individual cmpiOyc has
20 lnr ~ known 10 me ever made any such
| application. In this connection, n Will bc
| remembered that they loft not because uf
/ any compia M whatever Of this company
! treatment OF themselves. but only because
/ of this compauy's refusal TO comply with
/ their demand. that this company refused
/ 20 do what the law requires in the way
/ Of Interchange OF business with another
| company with which some Of gour order had
! a quarrel. In the meantime this company
| has, OF Necessity, gone in 10 extend cXplOy.
/ ment 10 such Of those persons who recently
| nud without even alleged prOyocuflOn left its
| service, ns saw ~ 10 return Those return
/ ing employees have been very many anu in
] this way rs rolls are already nearly IL not
quite rs full as its shops and cqupmcuL
! crippled by acts 0f violence attCiidanf upOu
recent action OF your order, can employ
Mr. HOEie ADVISES me that every such person
applying 10 bo rccr we'd back has been en-
ploycd unless believed to have taken part
| Ia recent acts Of violence.
GOUEps DEFIANCE.
This COMPANY still stands ready 10 make
good In the fullest sense ~ agreement ns on
prossly sot forth In the face Of nll this you
notify me that unless hy nyc o'clock ! per
sOunily consent 20 something, precisely what
] d. not see then personal consequences OF
"a sort vaguely expressed. hat not hard 20 un
derstand. will, at the hand Of your order
be visited uiPon, ne Le, me n,.n.lan,, sgs,,
thus propose 10 destroy. The contest n NOT
between your order and me, but between
your order ana the laws Of the land. Your
order hns already dcfed those laws In pre-
yontn by violence this company from Oper'
ntlnG q rQad. ~ you held then thht thls
company should not operate iis rond under
conditions prescribed bY law, but only unGsf
conditions proscr bed Nv you. gOu now dc.
clare in effect that hold my lud yidual pfUp
! ertY nnd ghts, not a. other men hold thslrs,
| rovooH6ly after ave oclook, your order upon
me. II this rs true OF tbs company and ~
ne, Il is true OF all other men and companies.
~ 20, you and your secret order nro
the law and an American cit zen Il such only
| IN nanio. Already for weeks your
oGaer ORDER has, Ia your attack upon this.
by Violence for rendering 10 duty
20 The public and from given work
ana paying wnges 20 men ~ least three times
yYnr own number who, working as they
Pr your ympaihy Having pushed this ylo'
/ lence het ond even the great f0rbear.
aneo his " arsston ef public peai.. ana found found
I yon now iuru pp0u me ana propose fhat The
wrongs {on have hiincril irnlciol on ihe
] Il IuaItINnNI fAIu 40 1