Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-08-14
POWDERLY HOPEFUL
THAT THE CENTRAL STRIKE WILL YET
PROVE A SUCCESS.

He Thinks tho Firemen and Engineers
Will Ultimately Join In tho Movement
The Responsibility for the Trouble Lays
Entirely With the ffaIlroad.
DETROIT, August 13.-The Executive
Board Knights of Labor assem- bled here in
secret session at Q o'clock this afternoon,
and at this hour III P. NJ are still in con-
ference. General Master Workman Pow
derly was seen this evening, and was very
chary and guarded about talking on the
labor difficulties. In response to the
question: "Does the going out on strike OF
the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen as
announced in to-day's telegraphic advlces
come upon you as d surprise?
"Scarcely as a surprise" he replied. "I
had every reason to believe that such would
be the result before leaving the East. The
Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers will
unquestionably follow the fremen out on
strike. There is nothing else for them to do.
Their interests are identical. The action of
the firemen was purely voluntary and with
out outside influences. 1t is just as much
their fight as it is that of the Knights OF
Labor
SOMETHING RADICALLY WRONG.
"Will you say something regarding the
responsibility for this extensive railway
strike and the consequent inconvenience to
the general public?'
"When men are dismissed and thrown
out of employment in Jumps which aggre-
gate from 30 to 60, as was the case with the
long ago as last April, it is pretty con-
elusive evidence that there must be some
thing very wrong with the management. The
knights of Labor who were employed on
these lines had, at that time. no intention
of striking. They bore this very unjust
and undesirable condition of affairs until it
became evident that it would be better to be
knocked down altogether than to be dropped
in detail. The railroad people brought
on the tronble. The men did not care to
strike, but it was plainly the fixed inten-
tion Of Mr.. II. Walter Webb to force them
to do so. He discharged men right and left
indiscriminately. No man who had the in
terest of the community at heart would have
done anything so we'll calculated to harass
and disturb the public. BE would not have
lowered his dignity in the slightest degree
had he met and talked with the men on the
subject of the existing troubles. By this
course the impending conflict might have
been readily avoided"
Mr.. Powderly said Mr.. Webb was asked
to investigate the alleged mistakes which
caused their discharge by the men and by
Mr.. Holland. The latter rendered his serv-
ices as peacemaker and mediator. He de-
MED that Mr.. Holland was instrumental in
bringing about the strike, he having had
nothing to do with it.
Asked as to whether Mr.. Depew went to
Europe to avoid participation in the i'm
pending difficulties Mr.. Powdcrly said that
Mr.. Depew was very diplomatic; that the
wholesale discharges were made in April,
and that Mr.. Depew may have left the coun-
try to avoid going on record in connection
with the trouble" :. -......
'The meeting of the Executive Commit
tee," he said, "was arranged at our last
meeting in June, and was not called on ac-
count of the strike. I would add that it Is
not the intention of the strikers to interfere
with passenger trains. Their efforts will be
confined wholly to freights. We, of course,
expect the strike to prove successful"