Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1888-03-08
POWDERLY'S POSITION .
Holds the Interests Of Labor Above
All Pc y JealOGsies. and Proposes
to Stand BY Principle.
A Fair and Honorable View Of the
Situation.

comes TO me THIS morning anu asho "hat
nv opinion is concerning the strike on
the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy
Railway. The expression of opinion is
required as TO whether favor the taking
of the places of brotherhood men by
Knights of Labor. / have nothing to
say concerning the matter of the strike
on the road in question, for l do not
know the particulars, but if true men are
making an effort to do away with the
European custom of grading men up and
down, regardless of merit, then they are
right for making the fight for equality.
Nv opinion of the man who takes the
place Of another who is struggling for
his rights is that ne deserves the con-
tempt and scorn of every man who loves
Justice. 1t is true that members of the
brotherhood have on repeated occasions
taken the places OF the Knights of La
Dor. Ii is true that away back in the
early days of the '70s Brotherhood men
did the same thing with the mgchinists
and blacksmiths at the command of their
chief. II is true that the brotherhood
men stabbed the Knights of Labor in the
back on the Southwest system, not ouly
by taking their places, but by urging
them to strike with the proffer of assist
anca if they would do 80. 1t is true that
the knights we're used as cats paws by
the brotherhood men in that struggle,
and it is true that many engineers were
burned in rakiDg out chestnuts for 9th
ers. II is true that brotherhood men did
take the places of Reading men in the
strike on that road. The merits of the
various cases herein mentioned have
nothing to do with the principle of honor
which is involved in all of them.
It is to be the eternal shame of the
Brotherhood men that they stopped to
such acts of meanness and tregchery and
unmanly conduct. The man who takes
the place of another when that other is
engaged in a struggle with corporation
ia a scab, whether he be a member Of the
knights of Labor or member of the
Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers.
When Charles Wilson ordered members of
the Brotherhood TO take the places of
members of the Machinists and Black.
smiths Union in 1872 and 1873 he did
an humanity, cowardly net. When Arthur
allowed tho members Of the Brotherhood,
over which he exercises such discipline,
70 tamper with the rights of the striking
employees of the Missouri Pacific and
Wabash system, two years ago, he, too
violated that principle of honor which
should restrain a man when about to do
wrong. IL mattered not that the strikes
in question were rot ordered by the chief
officers of the Knights of Labor. If the
men who are interested feel they we're
right, and took up the fight as employees,
req ardless of what organization they
belonged to, and on their own respon-
sibility, they hao the right to do so; and
under the laws of the land members of
the Brotherhood were not obliged to make
cravens of themselves, as many of them
did, both on the Southwest system and il
the Reading strike.
The taking of the mems places was
'mean and dastardly." If these actions
were taken with the sanction of the Chief
of the Brotherhood, he, too, is mean and
dastardly, but "two wrongs never make
right" and what is mean and dastardly
in a member of the Brotherhood of En-
gineers can not become grand and noble
in member of the order of the knights
of Labor. No knight of Labor should
beiittle his manhood by stopping to such
dirty work. 1 Il is the habit of the
brotherhood men to do such work as the
taking of strikers places, in heavens
name let them have monopoly of it.
Knights of labor, if you take my advice
you will stand baok and allow this strug-
gle to 90 on. Let the brotherhood de-
moustrate its power to stand alone, with
out any "eAtangling alliances with those
of other trades. Let the past be forgot
ten in this strike. No matter how bitter
you may feel toward these men, rsmem-
Der tt a. they have not stepped out of the
rut of seld5hness yet, and 1t Is best to
teach them what manhood means by
keeping your hands OFF the Chicago, Bur
lington and Quincy strike. The spec
racle presented by men of labor who be-
long to different organizations rushing
az each others thrOats when a strike
takes place must be gratifying thing
for the employees of labor to look at. Il
must indeed give satisfaction to the cor
porations to know that neither the
Knights of Labor or brotherhood men
dare in future ask for better treatment
with any assurance OF receiving it. II
must be a eonsoliug thought to the mon
opolist to know that his power is not half
so dangerous to the labor organizations
as the possibility that another labor or
ganizaticn will espouse his cause, through
revenge. Labor will forever be bound
hand and foot at the feet of capital as
long IS one workingman can be pitted
against the other. No strike should be
entered into until the court of last resort
has been reached, until the last effort
consistent with manhood had been made,
until the heads of the opposing forces on
both sides have been consulted and their
verdict given; until the last bridge has
been burned between them. Then If it
was determined that the last thing pos
sible had been done to avert trouble,
every detachment of labor's army-horse.
foot and artillery be wheeled in
70 line in defending the rights of the
uen in the branch. I have never
seen such strike and never ex-
pect to until the narrow prejddices Of
the past are buried; until the principles
d knighthood are properly understood.
Then we will have no strikes.
Knights of Labor, from Maine to Cali.
foruia, stand back, Keep your hands
or. Let the law Of retaliation be dis
regarded, and let the men Of the Chicago,
Burlington and Quincy Railroad win this
strike, if they can.
I. v. PovpERIY.
General Master Workman