Daily Yellowstone journal., 1890-08-27
P0WDERlY
And the Knights Of Labor Re-
ceive Their Usual Share
of Attention.
District Court, Teachers lnsti-
tute ano other Matters OF
Interest.
The status of the strike.

New YORK, Aug. 22.-Webb come,
forward tonight with n prepared
statement evidently prompted by the
Powderiy manifesto. Webb starts oUI
with the statement that mo man has
been discharged by this company be-
cadre he wac a Knight OF Labor oi
member of any otueT prganizatiou "
"Tue company discharged tie men, v
he continues, irrespective of uenl-
bership in tie order Vi the knights oI
Lauor, for drunkenness, InespsCity
breach vi dury, in-uGUrdinatiuu, and
tur lack oil sufficient work 10 employ
tneu; and IL VIII contiEus 10 do 81
WI euvver IA prOpeI occasion arises. IL
would be moral snd probably q
criminal neglect of 0uy for NE u
Oult lo discharge swHeh tower maiI
for drunkenness when upon his sObrI.
ely and iidsiiIy to duty legends the
safety 10 lfe and lint oi some millions
o passsrg gers transported annually 10y
this COMPANY. Wa pubiic o. prt-
vsle business can he Carried Oh sub
ject " The dlctalion fIoni n Workman
that this shail be performed OF that
shall pot? What employer can toier-
ate insolence aud Insubordination,
based upon the belief that the offender
will be supported therein by n secret
urganiz.tiOn To which tie be.oug-?
The foregoing gives, without setting
forth the name or place o, employ
meut, The causes which called for the
discharge OF the men referred To in
Powderly's appeal. For these dis
charges and 10 aver, hr,aieued
strike, have been called upon by
Powdvrly aud his .ssoc.a es, Ia cou.
sent t. the inoustrous absur.ity vi saL-
isfy,Dg by some Kind OF arbitration or
investigation, persons other than the
consli uted authorities Of this COM
pany, that these causes existed; de.
mand which as ng rs hold the po.
sition with which L AN entrusted, /
feel il to be my duty to firmly decline"
Following is PowderIy's reply: ~
See you have at last veutsred ~ break
the silence that has sealed your lips
In relation to the causes which led 10
the discharge of fifty or sixty of your
employees. Your alleged explanation
is even less cr.ditable tv you than the
silence it has broken, and does not in
any way excuse the stand you have
taken. Your statement Is eminently
worthy OF the man who can see no
cause tor gestigstion.
"All these men hare right to know
II they were discharged for cause.
You cannot assert with any degIe ee Of
accuracy that any one of these men
was dismissed for the cause you set
forth; you must depend on statements
made to you by your subordinates
(your superintendent anu foremanl.
You continue to assert there is moth.
ing to arbitrate. Can you be 30 blind
ed by your associations and sutround-
ings as not TO reslizs that the travelling
public ought to know which Of these
men are drunksrds, which of these
Incompetent aud SO on, 80 they may
not trust their lives in the hands Of
such characters, either In your service.
should you see ft to again employ
them, or In any other concern?
Were you "a student of economic
questions you would know what the
sweating system means. You would
know that IL is clsssed among the
worst features Of the competitive
system. Under your own nose, be-
meath your own eyes and carried on
by tue very men upon whose bare
words you dismiss old employees, exists
form Of sweating system which finds
parallel only in that praticed on the
sewing girls Of Louden. In the face
of the plain statssmanlike words of
your superior In Office. Chauncey NJ.
Depew, you deny the right of arbi-
tration. Let me remind you, sir,
that he does not sustain you In the
position you have assumed. Depew's
words, spoken when the question of
national arbitration law was before
the country indicate where Depew
stood ut that dsy. You alone claim
to have any rights In the matter, and
,thing but the fact that you are
posse ssed of immense wealth warrants
you In taking the stand yon have
taken. Men who located on the line
Of the Vanderbilt system would not
have done 90 had not the hope Of oh.
tanning and retaining employment
been held out TO them BY the com.
pany. Having induced workmsn to