Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-08-22

.tU-o.eT B
The crisis in the trouble between the New
York Central Railroad Company sndrothe
knights Of Labor from all outward Up
pearances cannot be averted. Mr.. Powderly
evidently hesitates to give the word precipitat-
ing 1t unless he has the full cooperation Of the
Federation Of Labor. It WAS an accepted fact
that unless the fremen's organization and
other organizations connected with the United
order OF Railway Employees joined hands with
the knights strike on the system of roads
J would prove disastrous failure and result in
the ultimate disruption of the Knights of Labor.
On the other hand every hour of delay is of
dement, to the railroad company, which ia
quietly gathering in men on reserve for the
emergency, so that when the battle comes il it
snail come, it will be a decisive contest. That
the pending labor struggle will be the greatest
that the country has ever been called upon to
witness Is said by men who have been studying
the labor problem to be indisputable. They
say that the fight will involve every railroad
| III the United States. The other roads not di-
rectly concerned realize that if the Knights of
Labor win on the Vanderbilt system their
roads will in turn be tied up and crippled II
was said, IN consequence, that the officers of
every railroad in the United States will COM
bine to help the officers Of the Vanderbilt sys-
tenn to win the fight.
THE STRIKERS STILL CONFIDENT.
The general executive board Of the knights
of Labor reported last night that everything WAS
very encouraging and that they were in con-
| slant communication with the strikers along
the line. At buffalo fifty new men had come
out and J. j. Holland had gone there TO take
| charge. They had also heard that the fremen
at Albany, or at least many Of them. had gone
out They had instructed the district e1ecu-
tive board to call a meeting of the district as
sembly at Albany next Monday. The execu-
tive boards headquarters would hereafter be
III New York. but at what precise place it had
not yet been decided upon. No strike has as
yet been ordered outside district assembly 246
or the future orders Mr.. Powderly could not
tell. They Will be very glad if the federation
Joins them. If not they will go on anyway.
This Is the first time, said Mr. Wright, that Mr.
Powderly had ever come into a strike himself
but he WAS here fat-footed and WINS going to
stay.
Mr.. Powderly said that he had never or
dered a strike in his life and neither had the
executive board, and they had not ordered
this one. His object was to try and avoid
strikes and any lnsinuation 20 that effect was
not correct. So far as any allusion having been
made to tie up the surface roads and elevated
railroads throughout the city Mr.. Powderly
said that nothing Of the kind had been thought
OF and 1t had never been mentioned at any
meeting Of the board.
MR.. PowDERLY's MANIFESTO.
The following manifesto was then handed to
the press by Mr.. Powderly:
TO THE PEOPLE: For some time the manage
ment Of the New York Central and Hudson
River railroad have been discharging employees
who have been active in labor affairs. 1t hap
pens that all of those who have been dismissed
are members Of the order of knights of Labor
and have at one time or another been officers of
the order or have served on committees which
waited on the officials with view to present.
I11n Thnon ~,
frequent and were 80 clearly evidence Of set
tied purpose on the part of the company to
disrupt and destroy the organization of the
Knights of Labor upon the Central system that
the executive board Of District Assembly No.
246, in which the knights of Labor upon the
system are enrolled, found it necessary to call
Especial meeting in New York to consider the
situation
After reviewing the general executive boards
efforts for arbitration he continues: 1.-The public
may have formed erroneous impressions Of the
knights in the controversy We do not propose
to dictate to the company that it shall not dis
charge employees but in all fairness the dis
charged man should be told why he is dis
missed. During the session of the state legis-
lature the knights Of New York were active in
the passage OF the weekly pay bill. The COM
mittee of the knights representing the en-
ployes Of the New York Central and Hudson
River railroad were faced in the legislative
committee room at Albany by the attorneys of
the railway and browbeaten, questioned and
terrorlzed. Some of the members OF that COM
mittee who were at the time employed by the
New York Central were
DISCHARGED WITHOUT CAUSES,
or rather without any cause. There exists
not the shadow of a doubt in the mind
Of that committee that these men were singled
out for endeavorng to secure the passage of
the law. After thoroughly investigating the
causes which led to the strike and making every
effort in their power to induce the company to
arbitrate or submit to an investigation by i'm
partial men the question at issue namely
whether the men were discharged because they
were Knights Of Labor and for the purpose OF
destroying their organization, they believe
ana maintain or for just cause and proper
reason Gas the officials Of the company allege)
The general executive board have by a unani-
nous vote determined to stand by the men.
who. whether their strike was opportune or
not. had no alternative consistent with their
manhood.
Il have no doubt but that it is the determi-
nation OF the management to destroy the or
ganization OF labor along the line of the New
York Central and Hudson River railroad,
unless the organization subsequently bends
the knee to the will OF the Vanderbilts During
the controversy Messrs. Toucey and Webb
stated and repeated the statement that the men
were not discharged because they were knights
OF Labor and they expected the public to be-
lieve them simply because they say so. Both
OF these gentlemen deny certain things in re-
latIon to their conversation with me which both
Mr.. Devln and myself are prepared to make
affidavit to. / may. therefore, be excused if
am not prepared to accept as being true be-
yond question any denial by them of state
ments made by men whose words should be of
equal value with others. We not only ask
labor organizations but we ask of the great
public to come to our relief We are fighting
against power more dangerous than that
which laid down its arms at Yorktown.
THE PROBABLE FORCES ENGAGED.
The Knights OF Labor on the Vanderbilt sys-
tenn. which embraces the New York Central
West Shore, Lake Shore, Michigan Central and
Canada Southern are creditedNwith having
about q, 900 men. The members Of the United
Order of Railway Employees have in the neigh
borhood of 5000 men ut work on these roads
which will make total of abont 81. 900 men
who will in all probability quit work almost
simultaneously when the word is telegraphed
along the line. Tho supreme council of the
United Order of hallway Employees has been
called by Grand Master Sargent to meet
much as the probabilities are that the
general executive board of the Knights
of Labor will work in harmony with it,
it is not likely that the order for a general tie
up will be given before Saturday night at the
earliest, and more probably not before Sunday
The supreme council of the United Order Of
Railway Employees consists of the following
members of four distinct branches Of railroad
workmen, besides the four chief executive
officers who have been in conference with the
general executive board in this city.
MIR. Webb was in a remarkably good humor
when a reporter dropped into his Office yester-
d. IT, A. n