The Labor enquirer., 1886-11-27
STABBED BIZ THEIR CHIEF.

In Chicago organized labor is almost
solid in proHouncing as III, timed and
ANYTHING but Knightly the order OF u.
M. W, Powderly to the striking puck
ers, and the feeling of dissatisfaction.
which has grown to distrust in some
quarters, is spreading throughont the
entire order. All will agree that the
action of the G. NJ. W. was unfortu ate,
and those who are familiar with the
management of strikes must character
ize his step as a verv unbusinesslike
proceeding.
Thomas B. Barry, member of the Cen
eral Executive Board, was sent from
Richmond, by the General Assembly, to
look after affairs in Chicago immedl-
ately upon receipt of the announcement
4 of the strike. A. A. Carlton, another
member of the Board, was sent to Chi
cago. a. the close of the General Assem-
blv, to assist Mr.. Barry. These two
brothers should have been consulted
before the chairman of the Board, who
was hundreds of miles from the scene of
the trouble, took it upon himself to up
set all the good chat had been done
Barry and Carlton were possessed OF as
much authority as any two members OF
thu Bard they were quartered close to
the heart of the trouble, knew the situa-
ton as only men so positioned could
know it; and, what is more, they had
the confidence of and were acting &C
cording to the wi hes of the 25.000 men
concerned.
Mr.. Carlton says: "Mr. B rry got Mr.
Powderlys order Wednesday, for the
men to 60 back to work; but, doubling
- its authenticity, he wired Powderly to
send cipher dispatch. This he got Oh
Friday. but, as important negotiations
were pending, he did not read the dis
patch till Saturday night. Victory was
almost in the men grasp when it was
prevented by such acti' D."
The boss packers and capitalist press
knew of this order alEost as soon as Mr..
Barry himself, and, of course, all subse-
quent attempts at settlement favor
able to the men were snubbed by the
Packers association.
Mr.. R. C. Owen, member of the recent
pI of I.
mittee in charge of the strike, writes to
the editor as follows: "POwderlY's au-
tocratic, untinelv, insane, peremptory
command to Brothers Barry and Carlton
to order the men back to work on the
ten-hour slave system, and If they re.
fused to obey at once to take their char
ters, has wrought such decentralization,
destruction, starvation and want among
those $4,000 hard-working men and
their unfortunate families, now at the
commencement of long winter, that
words fail to describe their hopeless
misery. l was a member of the coma
mittee which had charge Of the affair,
was duly elected by ballot to look after
the interests of the 5000 organized men
of my trade. When we received the
order we thought it surely was frapdu-
lent, bat soon found it was too true
and that the capitalists (paCkers) had it
before we did. Had 1t been six hours
later honestly believe we would have
had everything satisfactorily settled.
Now the uen have to sign an iron-clad
compact, surrendering their manhood.
their citizenship and their knighthood,
or become homeless. houseless tramps
l wonder if our 6. NJ. W. believes that
the curses which the wronged, robbed,
starving thousands of honest toiling
men, women and children are uttering
against their S., 600 chief, can be count
erbalanced By the fawning fatterY OF
the watch-dogs of the Goulds and Ar
mours-their lying hirelings, the capi-
talist press2"
1t is not pleasant duty to feel i'm
PEELED in the interest of truth and JUS
tice to publish these matters; but as
this, like the action cf the G. NJ. w. in
the Southwestern strike has become
public matter; and as the capitalist
press is lavish IN it's praise of these dis
astrous acts, THE ENQUIRER feels it a
duty owed to its readers to make them
acquainted with the facts, which are
presented, for the present, without COM
ment.