Los Angeles herald., 1890-08-28
A Reply to Some Of POwderly's
Structures.
How He Came to Snub the
Master Workman.
The Locomotive Engineers Winding
Their Own Business.
The Knights of Labor Play Their Last
Gard Against the New York
Central.
Associated Press Dispatches. |

Associated Press Dispatches.l
New YORK, August 27.-The letter
given below was written by p. M.
Arthur, chief engineer of the Grand
International Brotherhood of Locomo-
tive Engineers, to an engineer of the
Third avenue elevated road. The letter
is in response to letter on the subject
of the Central strike, and is the first
utterance of Arthur, which fully defines
his position toward the Central strikers
and Knights of Labor.
CLEVELAND, Ohio, August 23d.
H. R. Holman-Dear Sir and Brother:
Your letter of the 23d inst, in which
Powderly's letter and other clippings
from New York papers are enclosed,
received. In reply will say, have not
received any letter from Powderly..
He claims to have written me private
letter on the trouble, and wants me to
define my position. If he con-
siders his letter that appeared
in the newspapers private
one, don't, nor will / answer letters
that reach me in that way. 1t is I'M
necessary for Powderly or anyone else
to ask me to define the position of the
Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers
in the present trouble on the NewsY York
Central. The policy of the brotherhood
is we'll 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 telegraphed him, (meaning me),
that would meet him in Cleveland,
and when l arrived there 1 could not
find him, high or low. l learned that
my telegram had been received by him,
but my efforts to locate him were fruit
less" Now the facts in this case, as
near as 1 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 certain
train on the Lake Shore road. Owing to
my absence from my Office l did not
receive the message until after the
departure of the train, and so informed
him by letter, addressing it to him at
Scranton. 1 do no5 believe that he
stopped over and looked for me. Ii he
had he would have had no difficulty in
finding me at my Office or at my home,
as / am always at one or the other when
in Cleveland. He tells wilful false
hood when he says other leaders were
unable to find me when they tried to do
SO. Any man who tries to find me when
am in Cleveland, can do so with little
effort, and no man, whether
leader or a private in the ranks,
ever came to my office, that was not
treated courteously. While differ with
men as to the best methods to be en-
ployed to secure certain end, 1 have
always been liberal enough to concede
to every man the same rights and privi-
leges 1 ask for myself When the pres
ent trouble on the New York Central
tirst occurred, advised the engineers to
abstain from all participation in it and
to attend strictly to their own business.
gave advice when the strike occurred
on the Gould system few years
ago, and my advice to the brother
hood of engineers, when men
employed in other branches OF
railroad service have been on
a strike, was to mind their own busi-
ness and not do anything that did not
properly belong to them as engineers.
Can Powderly say the same? | think
not. Whenever the engineers have been
on strike we have never asked any other
labor organization to assist us. 1t is
true some of the members of the order
during the G. B. & Q. strike importuned
the switchmen to quit, but they did it
on their own responsibility, not by the
authority of the organization. Conse-
quently hold that we are perfectly JUS
titled in maintaining strictly neutral po-
sition when others are engaged in con-
fict with their employers. Powderly
accuses members of the Brotherhood of
Locomotive Engineers, of taking the
places of striking firemen. If that is
true, the division of which they are
members, will deal with them. 1t is not
within the province of my authority to
deal with individual members. l Won
der if Powderly had the Knights of
Labor expelled who took the places of
our men on the G. B. & O.?
Yours fraternally.
NJ