The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1886-03-29

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solely and alone in their interest night and
day.. MIR. Pewderly knows no home, he
continued, 80 constantly is he called hither
and thither in the interest of his men. II
any man in this country knows what it
means to work eighteen hours a day, it Is
Mr.. Powderly."
Jay Gould Declines to Meet the Exec
utive Board.
NEW YORK, March 27.--Mr. Jay Gould
has decided, by the advice of the board OF
directors:of the Missouri Pacific Railroad, not
to meet the executive board of the Knights
of Labor Following is the correspondence
which passed between the executive COM
mittee and Mr.. Gould:
NOBLE ORDER X. OF. L. OF AMERIcA,)
OFFICE OF GENERAL SECRETARY, 81
PHILADELPHIA, Pa, March "a, 1886. y
Mr.. JGg Gould.
Sir,-The general executive board would be
pleased to have an interview with you at your
convenience, today, for the purpose Of submitting
the Southwest difficulties to a committee OF seven
for arbitration, three of the committee to be ap-
pointed by yourself, and three by the general ex-
ecutive board, the six to select the seventh mem
Der Of the committee. and their decision in the
matter to be final. Should this proposition be ae-
ceptable, we will at once issue an order for the
men to go to work.
By order of the general executive board.
FREDERICK TURNER, Secretary.
MISSOURI PACIFIC RAILWAY CoMPANY,(
NEW YORK, March 27, 1886.
Frederick Turner, Secretary, Ftttddelphtd;
Dear Sir,-I have your note of this date, propos-
ing an interview between your executive commit
tee and the officers of this company, fer the pur
of seven what you term the Southwest difficult
ties" You are doubtless aware that in the nego-
tween Mr. T. " Powderly, Grand Master Work
man, and associates and the officers of this COM
pany, it was agreed that in the future no strike
would be ordered on the Missouri Pacific road
until after conference with the officers OF the
company and an opportunity had to adjust any
alleged grievance. In view of this fact attention
10 n IN hn fol ny
tween Mr. A. L. Hopkins, vice president, acting
for the company in my absence, and Mr. POW
derly:
7. Y. Poaoderly, Scranton, Pa:
Mr.. Hoxie telegraphs that Knights of Labor on
our road have struck and refused to allow any
freight trains to run, saying they have no grleV-
ance, but are only striking because ordered to
DO so II there is any grIegyance we w9nld IKE
promise that no strike should be ordered without
consultation. A. l.. HOPKINS.
PHILADELPHIA, Pa, March g. 1886.
| A. L. Hepki1,s, Seeret0qV Missouri Pacific RGjt-
aUdy, 195 Brodd1U0y, Neac York:
Have telegraphed West for particulars. Papers
say the strike was caused by the discharge Of a
man named Hall. Can he be reinstated pending
- - TV PowDERLY.
NEW YORK, March 8, 1886.
| T. T. Poacderlss
Thanks for Your message and suggestion. Hall
was employed by the Texas s. Pacific. and not by
US. That property is in the hands of the United
over the receiver or over the employees We have
carried out the agreement ma ie last spring In
every respect and the present strike is unjust to
us and unwise for you. 1t is reported here that
| this movement is the result OF Wall street IN
uence on the part of those short Of the securities
likely to be affected. A. Il. HOPKINS.
No reply to this message was received, but this
companys request for conference was ignored,
aud its premises at once Invaded and its property
destroyed by the men OF your order in great num-
berS, who also seized and disabled its trains as
they have since continued to do whenever at
tempting to run. The board of directors of this
company therenpon had copy of the correspond
ence above given made and transmitted to Mr. I'll:
M. Hoxie, the first yice-presldent ana general
manager at st. LOUIS, with Instructions TO use
every endeavor to continue the operations of the
road. and committed the whole matter to his
hands. Mr.. HOxies overtures. made through the
Governors of Missouri and Kansas, who stated
that they found no cause for the strike were re-
Iected by your order. These and the subsequent
correspondence. between him and Mr. fowderly
are well known to you, and Mr.. Hoxie's course
has been confirmed by the board to refer you to
him as its continuing representative in the prem
ises am directed 10 add, III behalf of the board.
that, in its Judgment so long as this company is
forcibly kept from the control OF Its property and
from performing its charter duties lis business is
lone II at all not under te cpnati9ns ot iaw a
will of Il law-breaking force. Any negotiations
with such force would be unwise and useless;
Terms made with it would not be settlement OF
difficulties, but a triumph Of force over the law OF
the land 1t would mean nothing i'll their judg-
ment but new troubles, and worse This is the re-
Governors proclamation enj0ins upon your men
10 return to duty, and this companv's continued
advertisement offers them employment on the
same terms as heretofore The board further
suggests that, inasmuch as your order assumes in
your communication responsibility for these men,
and power and control over them, The following
from the proclamation of the Governor of Mis-
souriis expressive of their duty and Of your own
Il warn all persons, whether they be employees
not, against interposing any obstacle whatever
in the way OF said assumptions and with firm
reliance upon the courage, good sense, and law
abiding spirit of the public hereby call upon all
good citzehs to assist in carrying out the purposes
of this proclamation, and | also hereby pledge
the whole power of the State, so far as it may be
lawfully welded by its chief executive officer, to
sustain the company and its servants i'll said re-
sumption, and to RESTRAIN and punish all who may
oppose IT. 80, -,
when the companys late employees shall desist
from violence and interference with its trallS the
themselves met by Mr.. Hoxie i'll the spirit i'll
which lie has heretofore successfully avoided
rupture and cause for just complaint, and in that
Just and liberal Spirit which should always exist
between employer and employed.
BY order of the board.
Very respectfully yours,
President Missouri Pacific Railway Company.
Mr.. Powderly's letter in reply says in sub
stance:
Public sentiment, the interest of both parties,
will not be served by continuance of the strike,
If there is a shadow of a chance to bring it to a
close. Let it be decided on its merits. The needs
of all require that this strike end speedily"
Mr.. Gould received the letter in his own
hands and conversed pleasantly with the
messenger. He said he could not decide the
matter himself, but would lay the letter be-
fore the board of directors Monday morning.
The Leader of the ST. Louis Strike
Disagrees with His Superior.
ST. LOUIS, Mo-, March 27.-Chairman
Irons of the executive committee of District
Assembly No. 101, when shown the state
ment of Mr. Powderly and Mr.. Turner, tele-
graphed from New York last night, said {:
sit is not necessary for me to give any
authority for anything / have said; we
don't have to be guided by what Mr.. Pow
derly says. The general committee has no
power here, and it cannot come in here and
settle this trouble un less we require 1t"
When Mr.. Turner's statement, in which
he declares that Mr.. Irons is one of
the men who is doing the order great ln]us-
tice was shown him, he said: 81 have
nothing to say about that, and will not be
drawn into newspaper controversy with
Mr. Powderly or Mr.. Turner, and they have
no right to denounce me in this manner.
''But you made the statement complained
of? was asked
what | said" replied Mr.. Irons, twas
that if the strike is not settled, it might ex-
tend over all the railroads in the country !;
and will tell you more than said, and that
is it may extend to all Knights all over the
country
In consequence much credence is given
this morning to rumor in circulation that
Chairmen Irons and Coughlin, who are con-
ducting the present strike here, are consider
ing the question of seeding from the
Knights of Labor. 1t cannot be verified,
however. but it is claimed the cause arises
in the rumor received here this morning that
Mr.. P0wderly is agreeing on settlement
with Mr.. Gould in New York.
THE LATEST
TEXARKANA, Ark, March 2S.-The
freight blockade in this city was broken this
morning and freight train was sent north
with freight for St. Louis under strong
guard of militia. Great excitement pre-
vailed and 400 strikers were assembled in
the Missouri Pacific yards. The militia
overawed them, however, and the train left
without opposition. At Vaudeville, ten
miles north of Texarkana, crowd of strik-
ers tried to side-track and wreck the train.
but the militia scattered them and cap
tured twelve of the strikers, who were
brought back and put in Jail. The running
of this train is regarded by the people OF
Texarkana as breaking the backbone of the
strike at this point