Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-08-13
THE KNIGHTS SIDE OF 1T.
What the Offlcial Organ Of the Order
Has to Say of the Strike.


The Knights of Labor Journal the organ of
the great labor organization, will publish in
its issue tomorrow full account Of the causes
leading to the New York Central railroad strike
from the standpoint Of the employees and also
q strong editorial on the situation. In explains
ton of the causes the Journal says:
"On account of the misleading reports that
have been made public concerning the New
York Central railroad and its employees D. A.
GAG presents the following explanation Of the
situation:
at is a well-known fact that the employees OF
the New York Central corporation have had
many grievous causes for complaint in the
past, and when they, as individuals, waited on
the officers OF the company they were in many
cases insulted and ordered out Of the Office. and
sometimes discharged from the service, for that
reason, and for that reason alone. They came
to the conclusion that if they wanted recog-
milton from the company they must JOIN to-
getner so as to protect one another from i'm
position and injustice.
BEGINNING OF THE ORGANIZATION.
1.-THE first local assembly Of the Knights OF
Labor tending in this direction was established
in Albany in April, 1885, and spread over the
system until at the present time the organiza-
tion is represented over the entire road from
New York to Buffalo-having within its fold
over fifty local assemblies, with membership
of over 10000 employees. The organization up
holds none Of Its members If they fail in u
faithful discharge OF their duties, and while
many committees from the employees have
waited on the officers Of the company at differ
ent times II has yet to be proven that an unjust
proposition has ever been presented for their
consideration. 1t is also well known that the
New York Central is q powerful corporation
that has always declared it's dividends regularly
m Of hnf IL IN fpv 10 4
value, while the employees who were earning
this vast amount of money for the company
were among the poorest paid railroad men EN-
ployed on any trunk line on this continent. IL
Is also an indlsputable fact that the men in the
train service of the road have been compelled
to work, in many instances too numerous to
mention, over twelve hours, and in busy
seasons, which cover about eight months in the
year, eighteen hours and sometimes twenty
four and thirty hours for one days pay.
WANTED PAY ron EXTRA WORK.
Last November the men employed in the
train service presented a petition to the COM
pany requesting pay for all time in excess Of
twelve hours per day. at the rate Of wages they
were receiving at that time. The company, in
response to the demand, entered into an agree
ment to pay the men for all overtime in excess
Of twelve hours at u slight reduction IN the
rate OF wages paid by the day, which agree
ment was signed by the president Of the road,
Chauncey NJ. Depew and was lived up to for
two months and then broken by the company.
When II committee of the employees waited on
the officers Of the corporation at that time to
inquire as TO why the agreement was not lived
up to they were coolly informed that the agree
ment was obnoxious 10 the company. inasmuch
as they (the offcers) did not realize at the time
OF making 1t the large amount Of money it was
going to take out OF the Golfers Of the greedy
corporation that was reaping the benefit of the
long hours that the unfortunate employees were
compelled to work without extra compensa-
ton"
The Journal also says that another agree
ment OF the company to give preference in the
line OF work OF promotion to employees on the
principle OF seniority, when the senior in the
service was competent TO perform the duties
required, was ''ruthlessly" broken, and many
OF the corporations oldest and most expert
enced men were dismissed. After citing the
alleged cause for this action, that the company
had taken advantage of the slack season to
weed out some Of the poorer men and put bet
ter ones in their places, the organ asserts the
real reason for their discharge was the fact
that the men had the courage to assert their
rights and attach themselves to the knights of
Labor.
AN ENEMY OF ORGANIZED LABOR.
Another factor that "has had considerable to
do with the arbitrary action OF the company in
discharging Its old and experienced employees"
is the fact that Mr.. Webb, the third vice presi-
dent OF the railroad, is avowed enemy of
organized labor. The Journal says he has
hauShuly opposed every recommendation
made by his subordinates for the amelioration
OF the condition Of the underpaid end over
worked employees of the road. He is charged
with having started the "weeding-out policy
put in operation last spring." but was pre-
vented from carrying out his cowardly de-
signs by Mr.. Depew who did not feel like an
tagonizing the working classes. whose votes,
runor has it, he will need in 1892"
The Journal further says appearances indi-
cate that In order to give" this man Webb
IAN opportunity to vent his spleen on organ
take trip to Europe. AS proof that
mutual understanding was arrived at between
the president and the vice president, the
Journal cites the fact that Mr.. Depew left the
country when the business of the corporation
was duller than it had been for ten years, and
that Immediately upon the presidents de-
parture Mr.. Webb started in with the Corbin
system of railroading." The paper charges
that both Mr.. Depew and Mr.. Webb ''were well
aware that the time to cripple the labor organi-
cations was when times were dull" and that
the discharging Of the efficient and old en-
ployes was done with the intention of aggra-
waiting the retained employees and Of fomenting
a strike.
MR.. wEBB's MANAGEMENT.
The editorial in the Journal severely scores
Third Vice President Webb for being tyran-
nical and unjust and defends the strikers. 1t
reads:
Tho strike on the Vanderbilt system came
upon the public like lightning from a clear
sky. 1t was generally believed that if there
was any railway upon which q good under
standing existed between the company and its
employees it was the New York Central and
other roads under the management of the
company OF which Mr.. Chauncey NJ. Depew is
without foundation, but unfortunately the
hands of Mr.. Webb, the vice president, a man
the very opposite of Mr.. Depew in his ideas of
the relationship which should exist between
employers and employed. From the moment
the management passed into his hands he be-
gan systematic attempt to break up and de-
stroy organization among the company's en-
ployes.
Committees were sent to the company to
represent the grievances Of the men, but these
committees were invariably refused hearing.
1t was not until every means at their command
to effect peaceable settlement had been ex-
hausted that the strike was determined upon.
Although to the general public the strike was
surprise, the causes which led to 1t have existed
for some time, and among those conversant
with the situation it has for some time been
feared that strike could not be avoided, how
ever much the necessity for it might be de-
plored
"What hope can be placed upon the en-
gineers and hremen we cannot tell, but the
history Of the past does not afford promise that
they will have the wisdom to see that the de-
feat OF the knights will only be the signal for