, 1886-04-15
Correspondence Between Pow
derby and Jay Gould
Concerning the Strike on the
Southwest System.
A Manly Letter Fromthe Grand
Master Workman.

ISiahtOn, H. Apru ii, ana a reply from
Jay Gould Of this date. The following is
the substance of Mr.. Powderly' letter:
ITO Jay Could, President Missou,
Phcyfc Rdirodd-DEAR SR-The events
of the past forty-eight hours must have
demonstrated to you the absolute necessity
of bringing this terrible struggle in the
Southwest to a speedy termination. You
have the power, authority and means TO
bring this strike to an end. | have done
everything in my power TO end the strike.
The gentlemen associated with me have
done the same. Everything consistent
with honor and manhood has been done
in the interest Of peace. No faults or
notions of pride or dignity have swayed us
with our dealings with you or the gentle
men associated with you"
Mr.. Powderly then refers to the cele-
brated conference with Gould on Sunday,
March %, and reviews the already
published features Of that confer
ence, together with his (Powderly's)
construction upon Gould's language and
the telegram sent by him to Hoxie to
his W order directing the strikers to re-
turn to work, and to the misunderstand-
ing and complications which ensued in
that connection. Mr.. Powderly declares
that Gould's after statements, that the
letter sent Powderly on the day Of the
conference, enclosing the dispatch to
Hoxie. had been prepared several days
was not correct, inasmuch as Gould had
changed it in one particular after the mat
ter had been talked over. Mr.. Powderly
reviews the other features Of that confer
ence, and also one held March 30, and
then says;
Il did not hear either you or Mr.. Hop
kins say that the present troubles along
your road would not be arbitrated with
men who were not at work. 1t was my
firm belief when l left you that night that
you meant to have the entire affair sub
mitted to arbitration at the first possible
moment. That belief is shared in by Nc
Dowell, who was present during the en-
tire interview. When you sent the tele-
gram to Hoxie you sent it as president Of
the Missouri Pacific Railroad company.
You sent it as the chief sends a message
to an inferior officer and it meant as much
to a sensible man as the most imperative
order could possibly mean. When [, as
chief officer of the Knights of Labor. send
a message such as that, it is understood
to be my wishes and those wishes are re-
spected by the subordinate officer to
whom they are sent 1t is not his place
to put a different construction on them,
and give them his own Interpretation.
His duty is to obey the spirit Of the in
structions. A man in power need not be
an autocrat in order to have his wishes
respected. That was the idea / enter
tanned when l left your house that
night"
After devoting some space to defining
the relation OF a district assembly to the
general assembly, etc, Mr.. Powderly
says:
When on Monday, March 20, you
sent ne a letter marked personal you at
the same time told the newspaper cores
pondents that you had done so. What
your motive was in marking your letter
personal and at the same time in
forming the representatives of the press
that you had done SO, nor do l question
your motive. | felt it to be my duty to
let the public see the letter which CON
tanned nothing of a personal nature what
ever. There are people who might be
uncharitable enough to say that your in
tention was to give the impression that
there was something between you and me
which would not bear the light of public
scrutiny | have nothing to conceal. You
can settle this strike. Its longer contin-
uance rests with you, and you alone.
Every act of violence, every drop of blood
that may be shed from this time forth,
must be laid at your door. The Knights
Of Labor were not founded to promote or
shield wrong doing. and to-day the order
Of the Knights of Labor stands between
your property and ruin. You have said
that the order of Knights of Labor was a
conspiracy. a menace, etc. l am willing, as
chief officer. to lay everything connected
with our order bare to the world if you will
on the other hand lay to the public the
means and methods whereby you have
piled up the wealth which you control,
and allow a tribunal of public opinion to
pass judgment on the two and say which
is a conspiracy. Do you accept the chal
lenge? You have instructed your legal
adviser to proceed against every man con-
nected with the Knights Of Labor for
damages sustained since the strike began.
Two weeks ago | said: DO not do this.
To-day l say, begin at once; lay claims for
damages in every court Within whose jur-
isdiction a knight exists. Proceed at once
and in every state where you can recover
damages do 30. If the law will sustain
you in It, let the majesty Of the law be
vindicated-it is Just and right that il
should be 30. We are willing to force you
before the law, and we will fight you with
no other weapons. If you have at all
times obcyed the law in your dealings
in the methods by which you have
acquired your immense fortune, hen
it is time that the many Of