Morning journal and courier., 1886-03-16
THE STRIKE ON GoULD,s ROADS.

Jay Gould Regards the Issue One
 Over Which He Has RO Control
 And Calls it a Fight of the Pub.
 lie Rather Than of the Company.
 JACKSONVILLE, Fla, March 15.-Mr. Jay Gould to-day, speaking for the first time re- specting the strike by the Knights of Labor on the Missouri Pacific and the Gould south western system, said: 'tI first learned of the strike while at Havana and have been ad- yised by telegraph of the character of the trouble, more particularly since my arrival here. The strike on our system was com plste surprise to me for two reasons. First we had acceded to all the demands which had been made upon us by our employees and were supposed to be working in harmony with them; second, the strike is made upon an issre with which we have nothing to do and which we cannot possibly arbitrate or cont1el. The present strike, ''continued MT. Gould, 1" "originated in the discharge of an employe named Hall on the Texas and Pa cific, which road is in the hands of the United States courts. We have no more right to attempt to control the workings of that system than the workingmen themselves and would be as completely in contempt to attempt to do so as any other outsider" Regarding another aspect of the strike MT. Gould said: ''The public may not be aware of it, but the same issue was raised when some men were dis charged on the Wabash road when it was in the control of the United States courts. MT. Powderly, chief of the executive committee of the Knights of Labor, sought to secure the reinstatement of these men. The sub ject was then fully discussed and told MT. Powderly had no power in the matter, not even advisory, without request from the court. At that interview 1 told MT. Pow derly that if any grievances existed among our men if he would bring them to our at tention we would endeavor to right them
 We recognize the necessity of remaining on good terms with our people to whom one-
 half the earnings of the road go yearly.
 This strike came without notice and not in
 consequence of any grievance cited against us, and in view of my interview with MT.
 Powderly, whom I believed to be a fair
 minded man, was all the more surprising to
 me-" As to the future MT. Gould said: 'I
 am advised that great numbers of the strik-
 CTS are not in sympathy with the movement
 and will return to work as soon as they are
 assured of protection by the civil suthoTi-
 
 operations as soon as this protection is af- forded" In conclusion he declared that he
 did not care to discuss the other features of the strike beyond the statement that the company could not possibly join hands with the Knights of Labor against the mandates of the Supreme court in their war upon an- other system which, he asserted, the present strike involved Mr. Gould further asserted
 that the Knights had evidently discovered already through public sentiment that they were exercising their power in favor of an issue strictly against law and order, and that it was more of war against the general public than the road. It was closing manu- factories along the road and stopped the shipment of coal and other commodities to points where the people
 were. liable to suffer great deprivation. It was more fight of the public than the company, but the latter in the protection of it's own rights would exer- else every lawful energy to meet the de-
 mands of it's patrons in opening the road. | Mir. Gould stated that he was in receipt of I kilograms from manufacturers and others
 along the company's lines stating that they would be compelled te shut down, but plac- ing no blame on the company or it's manage | ment.