Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1888-03-07
PoWDERLY's POSITION.

Their ChIef-A Bitter Attack on Chief
Arthur and the Observation-Disclosures Ac-
ton in Previous Strikes Denounced,
but the Knights Arc Urged to Forego
Retaliaiive Measures-Progress Of tho
Strike.
PHILADELPHIA. Feb. 30 - The following
letter is furnished the Associated Press:
"scRANroN, Pa, Feb es.-A reporter comes
to me this morning and asks what my opinion is
concerning the strike of the engineers on the
Chicago, Burlington & Quincy railway. The
expression of opinion is required as to
whether 1 favor the taking OF the places
of Brotherhood men by knights OF
Lal or. have nothing to say concerning the
matter of the strike the road in question,
for do not know the particulars, but II the
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. My opinion Of
the man who takes the place of another
who is struggling for his rights is that
he deserves the contempt 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 Labor 1t is true that away
bac.l in the early days OF the eos Brotherhood
men did the same thing with the machinists
and blacksmiths at the command OF their chief.
the knights of Labor in the back
on the Southwest system, not only by
taking their places, but by urging
them to strike with the proffer OF assist
ance II they would Go so. It is true that the
knights were used as cats paws by the
Brotherhood men in that struggle, and it is
true that many engineers were burned in ralz-
ing out chestnuts for Others It is true that
Brotherhood men did take the places of Read
Ing 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
1T is to the eternal shame OF the Brother
hood men that they stopped to such acts Of
meanness and treachery and unmaniy conduct.
The man who takes the place Of another when
that other is engaged in a struggle with cor
poration is a scab, whether he be 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 Blacksmiths'
Union in 1872 and 1873 he did an unmanly cow
ardly act. When Arthur allowed the members
of the Brotherhood, over which he exercised
such discipline, to 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.
question were not ordered by the chief
officers OF the knights Of Labor. II the men
who are interested feel that they were right
and took up the fight as employees, regardless
Of what organization they belonged to, and on
their own responsibility, they had 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 in the Read
ing strike.
1.-THE taking OF the mems places was mean
and dastardly II these actions were taken
with the sanction of the chief of the Brother
hood, he, too, is mean and dastardly, but
two wrongs never make right and
what is mean and dastardly ID meIu-
Der Of the Brotherhood of Engineers can not
become grand and noble in a member OF the
order OF Knights OF Labor. No knight of La
Dor should belittle his manhood by stooping to
such dirty work. If it is the habit OF the
Brotherhood men TO do such work as the TAX
ing of strikers places, in heavens name let
them have monopoly OF 1t.
"Knights of Labor, if you take my ADVICE
you will stand back and allow this struggle to
60 on Let the Brotherhood demonstrate its
power to stand alone, without any EN-
tangllng alliances With those of
other trades. Let the past be forgotten in
this strike. No matter hoy bitter you
may feel toward these men, remember that
ness yet and it is best to teach them What
manhood means by keeping your hands OF the
Chicago, Burlington & Quincy strike. The
spectacle presented by men Of labor who
belong to different organizations rushing
at each others threats whenever strike
takes place must he gratifying thing for the
employers of labor to look at. 1t must indeed
give satisfaction to the corporations to know
that neither Knights OF Labor or Brotherhood
men dare n future ask for better treatment ". tn
any assurance OF receiving 1t. II must be con-
solng thought to the monopolist TO know that
his power is not half SO dangerous to the labor
organizations as the possibility that another
labor organization will espouse his cause,
through revenge. Labor will forever be bound
hand and foot at the feet of capital as :ong as
one working-m man 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 possible had been done to
avert trouble, every detachment Of labor's
army-horse, foot and artillery-should be
wheeled into line in defending the r. hts OF the
men in the breach. I have never seen such q
strike and never expect to until the narrow
principles of knighthood are properly under
stood. Then We will have no strikes.
knights OF Labor, from Maine to California,
stand back. Keep your hands OF. Let the law
of retaliation be disregarded, and let the men
of the Chicago, Burlington s. Quincy railroad
win this strike if they can
''T. V. POwDBRLY,
general Master Workman"
PROGRESS OF THE STRIKE
CHICAGO, Feb. 29.-The Chicago, Burling-
ton g. Quincy engine men are still out, and
there is no prospect of a speedy ending of
the strike. The road hired a number of new
engine-men yesterday and ran it's passen-
ger trains with some degree of regularity.
No freight was handled In several in
stances it was reported that other
roads had attempted to send engines
over the Chicago, Burlington Il Quincy
tracks to handle freight cars assigned to
them or had carried Chicago, Burlington Il
Quincy ticket-holders over their roads
The brotherhood engineers. rs rule, re-
fused to move pound of Chicago, Bur-
lington 4 Quincy freight and were warmly
commended for it by their brethren.
Some of the leaders of the strikers asserted
that unless the other roads ceased interior
ing the men on their lines would he ordered
out The strikers said they were not interfer-
;oo with the Rurl ira otOn Compaov's efforts tn