San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1886-04-15

Railroad:
Dear Sir-The events of the past As
hours have demonstrated to you the abb
solute necessity of bringing this terrible
struggle in the southwest to a speedy
termination You have the power, the
| authority and the means to bring the
strike to an end. | have done every
thing in my power TO end the strife.
The gentlemen associated with the Gen
eral Executive Board of the Knights
have done the same. Everything con-
sistent with honor and manhood has
been done in the interest of peace. No
false notions of pride or dignity have
swayed us in our dealing with you, or
the gentlemen associated with you. In
the conference with you on Sunday,
March 18th, | understood you to mean
that arbitration would be agreed to.
The only method of arbitration that was
discussed was in line with that sug-
gested in the letter which | sent you In
the name of our board the day previous.
There was nothing particular agreed
upon. as you well know. You said that
in arbitrating the matter the damage
sustained by the company during the
strike ought to receive consideration. |
said to you that it would not be the part
of wisdom to bring that question up 10
the settlement Of the strike. When L
called upon you again that evening, you
had prepared, as the result of your I'M
derstanding OF the mornings interview,
a letter which you intended to give me.
That letter included q telegram to be
sent to MIR. HOxie, and in that telegram
you said that the damages sustained by
the company would be Il proper subject
for the Arbitration Board to discuss.
The latter part Of the letter or telegram
you agreed TO strike of after we had
talked the matter over some time, and |
left you as you were about to go to your
reom to rewrite the letter, which you
afterwards placed in the hands Of Mr..
Mcdowell to he given me, for | had to
leave at that time in order to keep an
appointment at the hotel where |
stopped. The statement which you
have since then made to the effect that
you had prepared that letter before 1
called, is not quite correct or II you
did have it prepared, you changed
it after we talked the matter
over. In the conference held between
the members of our Executive Board
and the directors Of the Missouri Pacific
Company at 1875 Broadway, on March 80,
you said to me that you understood me
TO say that the men along your lines
would be ordered back to work at once,
they having violated the rules of cur or
ganizatiOn. then reiterated the state
ment which made to you, and now re-
peat it:
'The men along the lines of your rail-
way can be ordered back to work, but If
they are given to understand that they
are deserted, that we do not take any IN.
terest in them, it will not in any way
mend matters. On the contrary, 1t will
make things worse. There are along
the roads out there great many men
who have no regard for organization or
law-men of hardy spirit, energy and
daring. Such men as have left the East
and have taken up their homes in a wild
country such as that is will not submit
as quietly as the men they have left be-
hind in the East. They are apt to do
rasher things than they would do else
where, and [ have no doubt we have
some of them in our order. In fact, my
experience with the men of that vast
section leads me to think that the men
on both sides out there are more dare
devilish than they are in the East. Even
the business men of that country are of
that stamp of character"
Both you and Mr.. Hopkins heard me
make that statement, and | believe that
the latter agreed that that was his
own experience. The danger of the
strike spreading was also discussed, and
4 I said to you it would not; that an eff
fort had been made to have the men of
the Union Pacific take up part of it, but
that the knights Of Labor of that road
had "A standing agreement with the man
agement of that road that there was to
be no trouble or strike until the last eff
fort at settlement had failed. and not
then until the court OF last resort had been
reached. When l made that statement
Mr.. Hopkins remarked that they had
better strike then, for II they did not the
Union Pacific would not much longer
ployes. The impression made on me
was that you would be pleased to see
strike take place on the Union Pacific.
This, | believe, covers the chief points
of the discussion. | did not hear either
you or Mr.. Hopkins say that the present
troubles along your road would not be ar
bitrated with men who were not at work.
1t was my firm belief when | left you
that night that you meant to have the
entire affair submitted to arbitration at
the first possible moment. That belief
is shared by Mr.. Mcdowell, who was
present during the entire interview.
When you sent the telee ram to Mr..
HOxie you sent it as President Of the
Missouri Pacific Railway Company.
You sent it as the chief sends his mes
sage to an inferior officer, and it meant
as much to sensible man as the most
imperative order could possibly mean.
When l, as chief officer Of the Knights
Of Labsr, send a message such as that, 1t
is understood to be my wishes, and those
wishes are respected by the subordinate