The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-08-28
ARTHUR'S LETTER
Defining His Position on the N. Y.
Central Strike.
PoWDERLY ACCUSED OF UNTRUTH.
The Leader of the knights of Labor Does not
Appear in a Very Favorable Light-The
Engineers Stand.

NEW YORK, Aug. 27.-The letter given
below was written by p. M. Arthur, chief
engineer of the Grand International
brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers to
an engineer on the Third Avenue Elevated
road. The letter is in response to letter
On the subject of the New York Central
strike and the first uttrance of Arthur
which fully defines his position towards the
Central strikers and Knights of Labor.
The letter is as follows:
"CLEvELASp. Ohio, August %.
''R. H. Holman:
DEAR SIR AND BRoTHER-Your letter
OF the 23d inst, with Powderly's letter and
other clippings from New York papers en-
closed, IS received. In rel ly, I will say I
have not received any letter from Pow
Derry. lie claims to have written me a
private letter on the trouble and wants me
TO define my position. If he considers his
letter that which appears in the news
papers private one cont know that can
answer letter that reaches me IN that
way.
1t is unnecessary for Powderly or any
one else to ask me to define the position of
Inc Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers
In the present troubles on the New York
Central. 1.-The policy of the brotherhood is
Wen known to him and the
public, as it has been repeatedly
explained from the public platform and
published in the newspapers. He says:
Some time ago l telegraphed him (mean-
ing me- that / would meet him in Cleveland
and when L arrived there L could not find
him high or low. My telegram had been
received by him, but my efforts TO locate
him were fruitless.'
NOW the facts in the case so far as I
can recollect are these: Some four years
ago received telegram from Powderly
requesting me to meet him at the Union
depot in Cleveland on the arrival of a GER
tain train on the Lake Shore road Owing to
my absence from my office did not receive
his message until after the departure of
the train, and so informed MIN by letter,
addressing it to him at Scranton 1 do not
pe1eVe he stopped over and looked for me-
II he had he would have had no difficulty
In 1nClng me at my Office or at my home,
as m always at one or the other when in
Cleveland. He tells a wilful false
hood when he says others have
been unable to find me when they tried
10 90 SO. Any man who tries to find me
when am in Cleveland can do so with so
very little effort and no man, whether
leader or private in the ranks of labor ever
came to my office that he was not treated
courteously. While differ with men as to
the best methods to be employed to secure
certain end, | always have been liberal
enough to concede to every man the same
rights and privileges | ask for my
self. When the present trouble on
the New York Central first occurred
advised the engineers to abstain
from all participation in it and to
attend strictly to their own business. gave
the same advice when the strike occurred
on the Gould system few years ago. NV
advice to the Brotherhood of Engineers
when the men employed in the other
| branches of the railroad service had been
On strike was to mind their own business
and not to do anything that did not properly
belong to them as engineers. Can Pow
DERBY say the same. l think not. When
ever the engineers have been on
strike, we never asked any other
LABOR organization to assist u.s. 1t is trne
| some of the members of the order, during
the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy strike.
! asked the swltchmen to quit, but they did
1t on their own responsibility, not by the
authority of the organization Conse-
quentiy L hold we are perfectly justified
IN maintaining strictly neutral position
wnen others are engaged in a conflict
with their employers. Powderly accuses
the members of the Brotherhood of
Locomotive Engineers of taking the
places of the striking tiremen. If that is
true, the division of which they are mem
bers will deal with them 1t is not within
the province of my authority to deal with
individual members. | wonder if Powderlv
mad the knights expelled who took the
places OF our men on the c., b. &O.2
Yours fraternally,
ZIP. M. ARTHUR