Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1890-08-25
POWDERLY'S APPEAL.
A Call for Aid to Labor 0rga-
nizationS.
A FIGHT TO MAINTAIN LIBERTY.
The Erie Backed by Untold Millions
Piled up by the Labor of Rail-
road EmpIoyes--P -POwderIy's Ad-
dress to Labor Organizations.
A FIGHT TO MAINTAIN LIBERTY.

tOr some time Tue management
the New York Central and Hudson
river railroad has been discharginI
employees who have been active il
labor affairs. II happens that al
those who have been dismissed ar
members of the order of knights 0
Labor and have, at one time or an
other, been officers of the order o
have served in committees whicl
waited on officials with view o
presenting grievances. These dis
charges became so frequent anC
were so clearly the evidence of ;
settled purpose on the part of thu
company to disrupt aud destroy tht
organization of Knights Of Labo
upon the Central system that the
executive board of District AS
sembly 24G, iu which the Knighti
of Labor upon this system are en-
rolled, found it necessary to call s
special meeting to consider the
situation.
In the meantime the general
executive board, having been ap,
prised Of the condition of affairs
sent one of its members, J. J. Hol.
land, to New York, with instruc.
tions to use all possible efforts to
bring about an amicable adjust
ment Of the difficulty. On his ar
rival in New York, Holland, after
a conference with the representa-
tives of the district assembly, in the
course of which he obtained & full
knowledge of the trouble, from the
standpoint Of the men, waited upon
Vice-President Webb. Holland
stated to Webb he had called upon
him to endeavor to adjust an un-
nleasantness existing between tho
company and its Knights Of Labor
employees. Webb denied there was
any trouble existing between the
company and its employees. Hol-
land told him he, as member of
the general executive board of the
Knights of Labor, had come at the
request of the men made through
the organization to which they be-
lOnged, District Assembly 246.
Webb bruskly declared he would
not discuss the matter with any one
not an employe of the company, and
closed the interview.
Finding all efforts to effect a
peaceable settlement of their griev-
ances impossible, and being con-
vinced that it was only a question
Of time and the convenience of the
when they would, one
and all, be discharged unless they
forfeited their manhood and aban-
doned their privilege as citizens of a
free country, by renouncing their
right to join their fellows in an Or
ganization calculated to protect their
Just rights without intruding upon
those Of others, the district execu-
tive board had no alternative but to
order strike, which they did.
The public is already acquainted
with the details of the affair and
repetition isscarcely necessary. The
most earnest and sincere efforts of
.he general officers to secure n hear
ng for the discharged men were un-
availing. The correspondence
which passed between the general
master workman and Webb has
been published.
Wednesday morning, August 20,
Iohn Devlin, of the general execu-
i've board, and myself awaited on
roucey, general superintendent, and
'ndeavOred to have the matter ar
anged and Investigated. Toucey
vas emphatic in his refusal. On the
afternoon of that day Webb was
'isited by the same gentlemen, and
&c reiterated what Toucey said in
he morning, 1t was suggested to
him that disinterested parties hear
md determine. II was also sug-
.ested that during the investigation
he strike be declared off and the in
'estigation proc eeded with. That
MAS refused. 1heD the following
proposition was made by me:
"Webb, could you not sit down
with me in the presence of the men
who were discharged and allow me
10 question them in your presence,
10 that l might know the facts In
the case and be better able to arrive
NJ "A decision ?n
This Webb emphatically refused
Deyhn THEN said. "Do | under
stand you IN TO assume that the pub
lie and your employees have no
rights that you are bound to con-
slider, and do you look upon the
matter simply as though the rail
roads were your own property? Be
cause, If you take that view of il,
there is no need of our saying
anything further"
Webb hesitated and took refuge in
silence.
The public may have formed an
erroneous impression OF the position
OF the knights in the controversy
We do not pretend 10 dictate 20 IN,
company that II shall not discharg,
employees, hut In all fairness u dis
charged man should he told why h,
Is dismissed.
During the session Of the las
legislature the Knights of Labor O