Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1886-04-22

The Uhief Explains that Organized
Labor Seeks the ultimate Good
OF All, Employers as Well as

n Workman Powderly's examination befor
I the congressional investigating committe
:. on Tuesday:
The Chairman (ex-Governor Curtin o
. Pennsylvania) -What, in your iudgmen
and opinion, is the cause of the disturb
9 ances now existing In the localities referre,
! to in the resolution
Mr.. Powderly-The men who are now en-
= gagged In the difficulties In the west hay,
, drawn up a bill Of grievances, and hay,
J presented 1t to the manager Of the Missouri
Pacific railroad at st. Louis. That bill o
2 grievances piesents the views OF the labor
ing man. IL has been stated that the caust
OF the present strike on the lines of the
| Missouri Pacific Railroad Company WIS the
employment OF the Texas Pacific Railroad
! Company, and IL has been stated that i'm.
! medlately following his discharge and "a re-
fusal TO re nstate him the employee Of all
the other railroads struck.
This statement the employees OF the rail.
road system, known as the Gould system
claim to be untrue. They say that the dis
charge OF Hall was one, and only one, OF
, the many causes of the action taken by
them. Here is the official statement, drawn
up by a committee of District Assembly No.
101 and No. rs of the Knights OF Labor, and
with your permission will read It.
Mr.. Powderly thereupon read the state
ment of grievances referred to, which had
already been published In the Newspaper
The Chairman-What knowledge have
you rs to the truth OF the facts stated In
that paper other than the statement itself 2
| Mr.. Powderly-I have never given the
matter my personal attention. When IL was
first brought to my notice was engaged
with the general executive board at Phila-
delphia, where we were holding session.
saw through the newspapers that there
was strike on the Texas Pacific railroad,
md f1nt ntr IN
| road had followed, but heard nothing
from our men there, and heard nothing
official on the subject until received a dis
| patch from the vice-presldent OF the Mis-
souri, Pacific Mr.. Hopkins of New York,
asking some question. Immediately follow
Ing that we telegraphed to the west for par
tculars OF the strike, and we received an
answer somewhat similar 10 the statement
| which have read jiIst now.
The ChalrInan-From whom did you re-
| celve that answer
Mr.. Powderly-We telegraphed to man
whose name l saw IN the papers, Martin
Irons; but the dispatch In reply came from
another man named Page. Then some
| mortgage bondholders Of the Texas Pacific
railroad came to see us and asked II we
could not do something to end tile strike,
We then telegraphed to the receiver of that
road.
Mr.. Powderly then narrated Liiefly the |
efforts he had made to secure IL 81 ttirmcnt
of the Texas Pacific strike, aud con-
tinued
While was In the west heard from the |
men OF little abuses which do not think |
the manager of the Missouri Pacific rail /
road knows anything about. Along the |
Iron Mountain railroad they have q system /
OF taking 25 cents month from the wages |
OF man who receives 81 a day, and so /
n a U1a N xph aafx
% day, and SO In proportion, for what /
they call a hospital fund. Then the men Il
claim that as soon as they are taken sick L
they are discharged and are denied the |
right OF entering the hospital Then there /
are instances which can be proved, where /
men have made contracts to buy land from |
the company on regular yearly instalments,
and having paid all but the last instalment |
they were discharged from the employment |
OF the company. In that section OF the /
country 1t is different from the east. Men |
cannot go into the next town and get sit |
uatlon; and the consequence has been that |
In at least one particular case the man was /
obliged to remain idle so long that he lost |
his property. The men claim that there /
are several instances of that kind.
The Chairman-Can you have witnesses
facts
Mr. Powderly-Undoubtedly, II I am cor
rectly informed.
Mr.. Buchanan-In your INQUIRIES YOU
have found that these causes Of discomfort |
existed
Mr.. Powderly-Yes.
The Chairman-Will you state the pur-
pose OF the organization OF the Knights of |
Labor-whether its purposes are the pro-
lection OF the interests of labor, and /
whether It is peaceful In all its action.
MIR. Powderly-The aim Of the organiza. |
tlon OF the Knights of Labor is TO benefit |
the laborer and to secure a better feeling /
between him and his employer. All our /
methods are peaceful. We never counsel /
anything Of a violent nature. A member OF /
the organization may once in Il while COM
NIT acts OF violence. We cannot help that. |
1t is matter beyond our control; because,
when men feel that they have endured |
wrong, there Is no law which can properly |
| restrain them.
The Chairman-Do understand that the |
| knights OF Labor, as an organization, do |
protect labor, not only on railroads, but |
| also In mines and factories2
Mr.. Powderly-We attempted to do that. |
Our association is intended to be an educa- |
tional one. We aim at having our members /
study the conditions by which they are sur
rounded, not only their own conditions, /
but those OF the men for whom they work. |
Mr.. Buchanan-In order to pave the way |
to intelligent action?
Mr.. Powderly-Yes, sir; 1 have claimed /
that 1t is no more than right for both to /
meet on equal terms and have thorough /
understanding of the wants OF each other;
and it seems to me that until they do that |
they cannot properly fix up their differ |
ences.
The Chairman-In your letter to me you
spoke OF difficulties In respect to receiver
ships of railroad companies.
MIR. Powderly-Yes. When a railroad |
company does not pay, and when 1t gets
into the hands of receiver, we find 1t to
be true that If we ask for the redress OF
grievances or wrongs, we are referred to
the court, the receiver saying that he has
no power to remedy them, but that when
there is another matter desired to be recti-
fled, the receiver can do so without apply
ing to the court
The Chairman-Do You know particulars
of any wrongs Of that kindp
Mr.. Powderly-I cannot give the particu-
lars now; hut will do so.
The Chairman-That is to say that parties
wreck road and have It put In the hands
of a receiver, for certain purposes2
Mr.. Powderly-I do not know whether
they wreck 1t or not.
Mr.. Buchanan-They run 1t ashore at all
events, whether they wreck II or not2
Mr.. Powderly-Yes, sir. There are a great /
many persons who express the opinion that, |
II the United States government can run \
railroad after being wrecked, 1t should GER
tainly be able to run good railroad.
The Chairman-That is logical conclu-
sion. You have papers which would be OF /
consequence to the committee9
Mr.. Powderly-Yes, / believe we have at |
our general office In Philadelphia papers |
which will be of service to the committee.
The Chairman-We shall require every /
paper that throws light upon the subject |
which the committee is investigating. So /
far, we have very good start on what you |
say to day. do not ask you to divulge any |
of the secrets Of the Knights of Labor, but |
you have stated that the objects of the 80 |
ciety are to protect the labor OF the country, |
| so far as possible, against the exaciions Of |
Incorporated capital.
Mr.. POwderly-To protect not only the |
labor Of the country but to protect the |
| manufacturers as we'll. We desire that the
manufacturers shall be In such condition |
| that they will be able to pay good wages. |
We have no quarrel with legitimate enter
| prises.
The Ohairman-The aims of your society
are entirely peacefulp
Mr.. Powderly-They are entirely peace
| full; but they are likely, of course, to be
misunderstood even by members of the
association once In while.
PENNSYLVANIA COAL MINERS.
The Chairman regret that the resolu-
ton under which the committee is acting
confines its examination to certain local
tiles, because l should like to have had your
knowledge of the condition of the miners
In Pennsylvania.
Mr.. Powderly-Does not the resolution
take In Pennsylvania
The Chairman-No; It does not. Ny orig
lnal resolution did; and before we get
A.. Il ~