Daily Republican., 1886-05-18
FOURTH EDITION
Irona onporlng rowderIy,

er. LOUIS, May 17.-Martin Irons,
attired in q faultless black broadcloth
suit with q colossal gold watch chain
and q high standing collar, said 20
day: at am going to sue the papers fol
| libel that have cast rt Heetions upon my
personal character. / have been made
the scapeaoat OF the failure of the
strike By Powderly and others, and
have come In for q little more abuse
than am going to stand"
chow about the story that you are q
candidate for Powderly's placer"
| "Well, / have received great many
letters urging me to be canoidatei
and there seems TO be o general feeling
among the Knights that l must make
the race. OF course, my duty 10 70
serve the order in whatever capacity
they DESIRE" go,
"Would you accept If nominated?'
Eyes. 1t would be an honor that
would esteem"
ut has been stated that at the next
convention Of the order steps will DC
taken to 30 amend the bylaws as 10
take the power of ordering strike on,
Of the hands of the chairmen OF district
Assem- blies and vest 1t in the Chief Ex
ecutive or general board. What do you
think Of that?" :,
81 know It (excitedly); know such
q scheme is on foot, and l snail night II
with all my energy and 30 Will my
friends. don't believe In centralizine
the power in one man. believe In dit
fusing 1t even more than it is now, ano
MAKE 1t impossible for the chairman Of
O Joint mbly to order strike unless
each local assembly votes In favor OF 1t
| We have had an example OF the evil OF
placing too much power in one man In
the case Of Chief Arthur of the engi
neers."
"what do you think of Mr.. Pow
derly?' .
81 think he is an honest man, but 1
believe that he has acted unwisely In
the strike. Look at the effect OF his
Judgment. Why, az matter OF fact,
it is costing the order more today to
maintain the men out of employment
than it did to keep up the strike.
say he is honest, mind you, but he has
acted mighty queer.
Elm what way has he acted queer?"
"In every way. He began TO talh
about arbitration the minute the trou-
BILE came up in Missouri, Kansas and
Il
the Missouri Pacific officials, who had
Inothing to do with 1t. Afterward when
1 saw the roads were combined secretly
against the workingmen and as bluff
stated that l would declare genera
strike he stepped right in and said no
that 1 shouldn't DO it. And that is mol
all. He began arrangements for arbi
tration without even consulting me
1 was not considered in the matter al
iall."
SHOULD he have seen you first?"
OF course. 1 SIN, by virtue of my pc
sition, the chief OF the order here. Hi
conduct in ignoring me was not that o.
q gentleman. 1t was disrourteous In
every particular. Now l am getting
the blame for his management. But
never mind. l am going as q delegate
to the next convention Of the Knights,
aud think l shall be able to set myself
right upon the floor there. think that
it will be seen by what Is done there
that the knights indorse my action"
Mr.. Irons also stated that he would
leave shortly for the East, where he
would lecture upon the labor question
1t was intimated in this connection tina
his errand would also include littl'
looking after the chances OF his candi
daoy for general master workman.