The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1890-08-27
KNIGHTS WILL FIGHT.
BIG rIE-UP ON THE VANDERBILT
ROADS.
The Knights of Labor, Ordered by the
Confederation, Will Make IL Lively for
Officials of All the Vanderbilt Lines.

New York dispatch.
"Strike," said Chieftain Powderly, Cen
eral Master Workman OF 800. 900 Knights OF
Labor. STRIKE" says Chieftain Sargent
and the three other members OF the SUI
preme Council OF the federation OF SO 900
railway employees. 80 say the leaders OF
tho Knights and the brotherhoods In chorus.
The Executive Board OF the Knights OF
Labor voted To take the strike from the
hands OF ID. A. No 246. and prosecute IL
vigorously In every possible direction torhe
bitter end. IL Is a life and death struggle
with them. 1t means everything. Either
they must win and gain the rights of arbi-
tration which they claim or forever lose
their power among the laboring men, who
now believe them potent.
Chief Sargent wired 10 the other eight
members OF the Supreme Council 10 convene
In Terre Haute Saturday morning. There
and then, he said, the recommendations Of
Messrs. Howard, Wilkinson, Sweeney and
himself would be received and accepted and
the members of the federation, 81, 900 strong,
De ordered To help In tying up the entire
Vanderbilt system-that Is, the New York
Central, West Shore, Lake Shore, Michigan
Central, Nickel-Plate, Chicago and North
western and the Cleveland, Cincinnati
Chicago and st. Louis.
So far as mortal means GOULD go TO avert
this disaster, Mr.. Sargent said, they had
been tried In this case, and tried in vain.
The railroad company would have IL so. On
their heads be the blame and the response
bility. They had forced fight against or
gained labor, and now organized labor
must protect itself and the sympathies OF
workingmen everywhere would go with IL.
I'VE Will not break law" said Mr.
Wright. one OF the most level-headed OF the
General Executive Committee OF the
knights OF Labor, ''but we will do every
thing under the sun that we can do legiti-
mately To win this just fght-a fight which
has been forced upon us"
1.-The company Will resist to the end, I"
said Third Vice President Webb. 1--WE pro-
pose 10 maintain our rights, u run our own
business our own way, and not be dictated
TO by outside parties"
Not until all avenues OF reconciliation had
been closed was the standard OF war raised.
The labor leaders had gone very slow, Chief
Sargent in particular Save for the switch
mems trouble in and about Buffalo, and
their grievances against superintendent
Burrows, whom they declare 10 be totally
unit by age and Feasibility for his position,
their cause for striking was almost a SYM
pathetic one.
They had but one reason for going, and
that was the supposition that the Central
had deliberately entered into war OF ex-
termination OF trades unions. The leaders
do not more than half believe this now. and
there Is reason to believe that IL Mr. Webb
had been more diplomatic he could have
ayerted the strike. But he failed To lay on
the molasses thick enough and the damage
Is done.
New York was the stage to-day and Grand
Chief Sargent the Richelieu. He pulled the
strings which made the puppets dance. He
was the last man 10 say yea, and when he
said IL the thing was done. The Chief OF the
Brotherhood Of Locomotive Firemen and the
Federation of Railway Employees kept at the
81. Cloud Hotel with a great deal of fidelity,
and did nothing 10 strengthen the bonds Of
friendship between himself and the Central
officials.
IL was nearly II o'clock when Messrs.
Powderly and Devlin betoOk themselves To
the den Of the enemy. They were received
with great apparent cordiality by Messrs.
Toucey and Voorhees, and were closeted
with them for an hour. Mr.. Powderly went
over the ground already covered in his let
tor, stated what bad been learned in the in
vestigations, and pleaded valiantly for Mr..
Webb's change OF mind regarding arbitra-
ton. He was informed thai Mr.. Webb was
as solid rock. and that the company
was prepared To back him up TO the last
notch. The knightly employees who had
been discharged were discharged for cause,
and that was all there was To IL. Messrs.
Powderly and Deylin returned with this
message To the waiting leaders, and for
about half an hour the strike was considered
a settled thing.
Mr.. Powdery described Mr.. Webb as n
very young and apparently inexperienced
man who had no business To be dallying with
the lever end of a big railroad system. This
brought matters down To a pretty fine point
and the fog bank of mystery surrounding
the leaders grew dense. 1t was dangerous
To approach them Mr.. Sargant was the ex-
ception and he talked for half an hour quite
II he were tired Of the muzzle which the
Knights Of Labor had striven to place upon
his lips.
IL don't believe in all this mystry and
secrecy, he said 1--WE are engaged in a legiti-
mate public business, and believe in letting
the newspapers know what is going on.
"The situation has reached very serious
stage-a very serious stage, indeed. There
Is going To be great deal OF trouble yet,
and you can say that said 80. 30 far as
the railroad company Is concerned, their
attitude Is not different to-day from what
IL was yesterday. They are determined not
To submit the grievances at issue between
them and the knights, and nothing less
than a fight and victory against them will
cause them to change their position. SO far
as am concerned, | do not believe that the
Central Road Is engaged in an effort 10
wage war OF exterm inatiOn against the
labor organizations. Its too late In the day
for a great railroad To enter upon any such
foolish course.
Mr.. Sargent said distinctly that IL the
Knights could show that the Central was
waging war upon organized labor the fire.
men and allied organizations in the fedora
tion woNld not hesitate To Join in a strike.
But rest assured" said Mr.. Sargent, 1.-The
strike will not be- ordered on the part OF the
Federation until the Supreme Council has
passed upon 1t and the public been given
ample opportunity To prepare for IL. Then
IL IL comes to this IL will be a whoppcr."
reporter asked the leader OF the Fedora
tion what strength the brotherhoods in the
Federation could muster. He said: Fifty
two thousand men. There are 10000 MEM
bers In the Federation OF the United Order
OF Railroad Employees, 1s,00e I'm the Brother
hood OF Locomotive Firemen. 5000 members
OF the Switchmen's Mutual Aid Association,
and 5000 of the Brotherhood of Railroad
Conductors. The number is not great COM
pared tn the 800, 900 knights OF Labor, but
you must remember that they are all rail-
road hands. many OF them skilled worknsen,
while they are divided into all branches OF
work"
Newsy Paragraphs.
HARRY MCCARTHY was arrested at
Lebanon, Ind, for highway robbery said