The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-08-23

perform the actual necessary repairs inst are
required. At the present time we have fully
5000 cars in the course OF construction at West
Albany, and !, 200 men have been laid of.
State Arbitration Commissioner Dono-
van this afternoon sent a letter TO Vice
President Webb, stating:
It having come to the knowledge of the state
board of mediation and arbitration that another
strike Is seriously threatened on the lines OF the
company, am instructed By the board to AGAIN
communicate with you and invite joint
conference in the Office of the company
between you and representatives OF your en-
ployes, with view 20 devising means, either
by arbitration or such other method as may be
mutually agreed upon, whereby the threatened
strike may be averted and the abrupt interrupt
ton OF travel and transportation of freight be
prevented.
A similar letter was sent to Powderly.
Powderly, in his reply, stated that the gen.
eral executive board of the knights of
Labor was willing to comply with The re-
quest and holds itself in readiness to re-
spond at moments notice. Powderly
says:
We hold ourselves in readiness to do
any honorable thing to terminate the
strike or avert another one. and sincerely hope
that either arbitration OF such other method as
may be agreed upon will have the desired
effect
Webb responded thus:
The further strike referred to BY you will or
will not take place, as the efforts of the persons
who havs left our service may or may not meet
with success. believe that such efforts will
fail. am not aware of any difference or griev-
ance existing between the company and its en-
ployes. ana must assume that the conference
suggested by you was designed to be between
the officers OF the company and the officers of
the Knights Of Labor. These ofhcials represent,
not our employees, bat persons who
have left our service and have not asked to be
re-employed, but who through these same Of
fcials Of the knights of Labor have asked that
the discharge BY this company of certain persons
be submitted to investigation and arbitration
by some tribunal to be selected In the same
way. . request which have felt
il to be my duty to decline.
shall take every means in my power to pre-
vent interruption of passenger and freight
traffic. and the authorities win prevent lawless
interruption with our operatives ! do not an
ticipate any interruption for the above reasons.
1t seems to me inappropriate and unnecessary
to have the conference suggested by you.
Webb comes forward tonight with pre-
pared statement, evidently prompted by
Powderly's manifesto. Webb starts out
with the statement that mo man has been
discharged by the company because he was
q knight of LABOR or a member of any
other organization" Then. for the first
time since the beginning of the trouble,
Webb names the list OF offenses. among
which are those because of which the
Knights of Labor are said to have been
discharged. Webb continues:
The company discharged the men. irrespec-
tive of their membership in the Knights of
Labor. for drunkenness. incspacity, breach Of
duty. INSTRUMENTATION and for lack of sufficient
work to employ them, and IL viii continue 10 do
30 whenever proper occasion arises. 1t would
be a moral and probably criminal neglect of
duty for me TO omit TO discharge switch tower
man for drunkenness, upon whose sobriety and
fidelity to duty depends the safety of life and
limb Of the millions of passengers trans ported
annually by this company. What private or
public business can be carried on subject to
dictaiion from the workmen that there shall
be performed only this or that amount of work?
What employer can tolerate insolence and in
fubordinati0n based upon the belief that the
offender win be supported therein By q secret
organization to which he belongs by any
agency by which the employers business can
be damaged or stopped? The foregoing gives
without setting forth the name or place of en-
ployment the causes which called forth the is-
charge of men referred TO in Powderly's appeal
In these discharges, and TO avert the threatened
strike. / have been called upon by Powderly
m0Usfr0ug D.
snrdity OF satisfying by some kind of FILTRATION
or investigation persons other than tn consti.
tuted authorities of the company that these
causes existed, demand which, as long as /
occupy the position with which am intrusted,
feel It to be my duty to decline.
And to this Webb attached his signature.
General Master Workman Powderly b as
written the following 10 Grand Chief Ar
thur:
There Is at present q strike in progress on the
New York Central railroad. In this strike is in
voived principle which you csnnot affJrd TO
ignore, and this principle Is that of fair play
Many of the men on strike are fremen and be-
long not only to the Knights OF Lsbor, but TO
the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen They
are msnfully contending for the right to main
tain their organization. They are at a
standsin, and in some instances their
places are being filed by the Brotherhood of
Locomotive Engineers, who have stepped down
from the footboards 70 pick up the shovels
which were dropped by the nremen. Are You
willing that this should continue? Are we TO
understand that this action IS TO receive the
sanction of the organization you represent?
The Knights Of La or desire 70 know where you
stand ON this question, for you are authorized TO
voice the sentiments of your order. The men,
hers OF the various brotherhoods of railway en-
ployes are DESTROYS of knowing where you
stand, for on your answer. and we desire that il
be public one, depends the future of the gsso-
citation. II your members continue TO do work
rs fremen, We shall know that they are acting
with your consent. and the future will be plain
before US
We do not ask for your Official sanction OF the
strike. We only ask for fair treatment az your
hands The man who takes the place of an
other In this contest is untrue to the cause rha
organization which approves such conduet
must be regarded In the sam. lis ht. and We
want TO know from your own lips where 10 as
sign the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers
IN the roster of organizations
We have asked other organizations OF railroad
employees to take sides with as They are re-
spending nobly, and the future OF labor seems
To be that between us all there viii be better
understanding than now; but your voice must