San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1886-04-16
FRIDAY. APRIL 16. 1885.
LIE SITUATION UNCHANGED.

Last nights wires brought Jay
GOuld's reply to the letter Of Il. V. Pow
DERBY. 1t is an adrOit and skillfully
wOrded document. 1t aims to create
the impression that Mr.. Gould had left
the matter entirely in Mr.. Powderly's
hands when he started out on his yacht
ing cruise, and that any disturbance
along the line of the Missouri Pacific,
was due to POwderly's inattentiOn and
refusal to do what he had promised.
There is one point, and only one in Mr..
GOuld's letter that places Mr.. POwderly
under the necessity of an explanation,
that is where he accuses the Knight of
Labor Chief Of not answering Hoxie's
telegram of March s. In his letter just
given the public MIR. Gould charges
that failure to answer this telegram
placed the Onus Of the whole strike and
all its results upon MIR. Powderly's
shoulders. OF this whole matter the
people will judge for themselves. How
far, and to what extent, the placing OF
ceiver, actually took it out of Mr..
GOuld's hands and separated it from his
ubiquitous influence and control, is one
OF the very foundation stones Of the
whole structure OF this railway diffi-
Guilty. How far it was possible for
Mr.. POwderly to prevent the action of
the several district assemblies in order
ing the strike is pretty clearly set forth
in his report Of the conference with Jay
Gould, which that gentleman does moi
so much as refer to. Whether the
Knight of Labor Chief had any more
controlover the district assemblies than
the Missouri Pacific President had over
the Texas Pacific road, that was put into
the hands of receiver for a purpose, re-
mains to be seen. In not answering Mr.
Hopkins telegram of March s, MIR. Pow.
derby may have been influenced by Il
sense Of its utter uselessness under the
circumstances. Hall, on the Texas Pa
cfic, was discharged; strike on the
Missouri Pacific was ordered by District
Assembly l0l, which included in its mem
bership the employees of both roads
When MIR. Hopkins telegraphed Pow
derby on March 9th concerning
the strike, MIR. Powderly replied.
asking, "Can Hall be reinstatrd
pending investigation Hopkins re-
ply was, "Hall was not employed
by us, we have no control" This whole
matter has now passed into history, 50
much of it at least as the public is lik, Is
to know until the results of the investi-
CATION ordered by Congress are made
known. In the meantime the situation
remains unchanged. Bushes is paral-
lyZed, thousands are out Of employmer',
there is an uneasy, feyerish feeling in All
trade circles, an uncertainty concerning
the future that bodies little good to Texas
Industries this year. The fight, so far
from being ended, seems but Just begun
There is an end to negotiations, and
now the struggle opens in dead earnest
There will probably be no more open
violence, other tactics will be resortrd
to. All men who desire to remain in the
service of the Missouri Pacific road must
sever their connection with the knights
of Labor. A general levy will be made
upon the whole order for the support OF
the destitute strikers, and the. Gould
company will be sappsd and mined in
every legal way until he succumbs or the
Knights Of Labor have exhausted all
their efforts.
The free-traders are bound to get left
History is not usually written in vain.
What has been will be. Those who
have been citing the case of England
as demonstrating the possibility Of
building up an extensive commerce and
successfully carrying forward manufac.
turing industries under free-trade policy,
will do well to remember that England't
free-trade system was not introduced