Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1888-05-07
Martin Irons.

Martin Irons.
Few of those who are in the habit of fire.
quenting the old French Market in ST.
Louis are aware that one of the stalls of that
building is cared for by ghost. In little
cubby hole which courtesy calls market
stall is a little stock of peanuts, candy and
odds and ends which are arranged in little
boxes and on little shelves and are dispensed
by little man who has the appearance of
premature age. This little man has iron
gray hair and sharp steel gray eyes that
have a hunted expression in them. This
| little man is now a ghost, but two years
| ago he was called Napoleon. Then he
| ruled thousands of men and the commerce
of the West moved only at his will With the
stroke of q pen he could move the trains on
| FIVE thousand miles of railroad or he could
tie up every engine and stop every wheel.
| At his command he had troop Of men who
were ready at his beck and call TO do des-
perate deeds or to be an important factor
| in the traffic of the Southwest. Now he is
cursed and driven from pillar to post and
can barely find place to lay his head. One
| of the finest mechanics that ever worked in
| the West, he is turned from every workshop
and his form is followed by the curses Of the
employers and employees alike. All who
are familiar with the great strike on the
Gould Southwest system in the early
part Of 1856 know that the subject
of this sketch is Martin Irons, the
| chairman of the executive committee OF
the knights of labor during that grea. strug
gle between organized labor and organized
capital Then Martin Irons was the Napo
| leon who was to lead the laboring men to
victory, and Was to revoutionizs the world
now he is simply the ghost OF the dead hopes
of those $4,000 men who were under his
! LEADERSHIP. An individual uamed Hall
worked for the Texas Pacific Railroad,
| which at the time was in the hands of re-
ceiver, and being so was virtually in charge
| of the United States government. This man
Hall got into trouble with the managers of
the road and was discharged. The reasons
| for this discharge are immateral. but the re.
suits were something astounding. Hall
was member of the knights of labor, which
organization has for its motto 1.-The injury
to one ID the concern of ALL" This organi.
| zation took up the cause ofits member and
demanded that he should be restored to his
position and that the superintendent who
discharged him should leave the road. The
organization of the knights of labor at that
time claimed q total membership in the
| United States OF $4,000. The officials of
the road, who were by virtue OF their posi-
tions officers of the government, refused to
consider these demands, or even to receive
the committees who desired to negotiate
compromise. Then the knights of labor
| came to the defence of their brother, and the
executive committees of the three
general assemblies of the order
which ruled the destines Of the men
employed on the entire Southwest system
of the Gould roads met, and the three
chairmen of these committees constituted
e strike executive committee, and Martin
| Irons was elected chairman of this commit
tee, to which was given absolute powers
over the movements of the men employed
on 5000 miles of road Irons was chairman
of the executive committee and as such
chairman was the executive officer, and his
was the duty topromulgate the orders which
called out the men on the Missouri Pacific
road. branches and leased lines During
the pl ogress of the strike the home of the
| leader became desolate through the death OF
the helpmate who had stood at his side in
the battle of life. He had no time for grief
and the funeral was barely over when he
was back with his fellow workers, struggling
| for the good of those who looked to him for
assistance. The expenses of his family and
the burial of his wife compelled him to 60
into debt, and at last his creditors descended
unon his home, and there was nothing lett
! to the mechanic but his tools and bare hands
to show for the many years of toll that he
had spent in the grimy workshop. AS time
passed it became evident that the strike wat
sure to be failure, and then the paramouus
question was, What is the easiest way out
| Some desperate men of the organization oa-
gan series of deeds of violence, and trains
were wrecked, bridges were burned loco
motives were damaged, and matters osceme
so serious thas the State troops were called
out to protect the property OF tue railroad,
while the citizens of Ssdalia and numerous
other cities along the line OF the road were
compelled to unite into law and order
leagues for mutual protection. The streets
of Sedalia were patrolled night and day by
bands OF armed men who sprung to the front
at the call of the officials, who acknowledged
themselves poweress to care for property
under the existing order of things. For a
while chaos reigned and anarchy threatened
in the Southwest, but at last law and order
nreyailed, and the knights Of labor were
compelled to acknowledge defeat. Then
those men who at one time thought they
oonld rule the whole world if they saw fit
heoan to cast about fer Jonah. A scape
coat was needed to bear their sine. Instead
of HThe Injury to one is the concern of ell"
thew wanted a motto which would save all
hv the injury of one. The cause of the
struggle was forgotten. The rout became
complete, and to save themselves from
shame in the eyes of the employers these
men violated all the laws of gratitude and for.
got the service which had been rendered
them. and Irons was selected as the oEe
| - .a..I Laa. the hlame for the ininry