St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-08-14
NO WONDER THEY KICK.
Powderly Says the Knights Will
Win in the End.

DETROIT, Aug. 13.-The executive
board of the Knights of Labor assem-
bled here in secret session at o'clock
this afternoon. and at this hour III p.m.)
are still in conference. General Master
Workman Powderly was seen this even
ing and was very chary and guarded
about talking on the labor difficulties.
In response to the question. 'Does
the going out on strike of the Brother
hood of Locomotive Firemen, as an
nounced in to-day's telegraphic adyices,
come upon you as surprise"
Scarcely as SURPRISE" he replied.
II had every reason to believe that
the East. The Brotherhood of Locomo-
tive Engineers will unquestionably fol-
low the firemen out on strike. There is
nothing else for them to do. Their IN
terests are Identical. The action of the
iremeD was purely voluntary and with
out outside influences. 1t is just as
much their fight as it is that of the K.
of L.
g "Will you say something regarding
the responsibility for this extensive
railway strike and the consequent in
convenience to the general publie?"
H''Where men are dismissed and
thrown out of employment in Jumps
which aggregate from fifty to sixty. as
was the case with the New York Cen
tral and West Shore lines as long ago
as last April, it is pretty conclusive evil
dence that there must be something
radically wrong with the management.
The Knights of Labor who were en-
ployed on these lines had. at that time,
no intention of striking. They
bore this very unjus and undesi-
rable condition of affairs until
it became evident that it would be bet
ter to be knocked down altogether
road people brought On the trouble.
The men didn't care to strike, but it
was plainly the intention of f. Walter
Webb, third vice president of the New
York Central. to force them to do SO. lie
discharged men right and left indis-
criminately. No man who held the in
terest of the community at heart would
have done anything which was so well
calculated to haraSs and disturb tine
public. He would not have lowered his
dignity in the slightest degree
had he met and talked with the men
upon the subject of the existing
troubles. By this course the impend-
ing conflict might have been readily
avoided" Mr.. Powderly said Mr.. Webb
was asked to investigate the alleged
mistakes which caused their discharge
by the men and by Mr.. Willard when
the latter rendered his services as
peacenfaker and mediator. He denied
that Mr.. Holland was instrumental in
bringing about the strike, he having
had nothing to do with it. Asked as
to whether Mr.. Depew went to
Europe to avoid participating in
the impending difficulties, Mr..
Powderly said that Mr.. Depew was very
diplomatic; that the wholesale dis
charges were made in April. and that
Mr.. Depew may have left the country
to avoid going on record in connection
with the troubles. ''The meeting of
the executive committee was arranged
at or last meeting in June, and was
not called on account of the strike. l
would add that it is not the intention of
the strikers to interfere with passenger
trains. Their efforts will be confined
wholly to freights. We, of course. ex-
pect the strike to prove successful"