Thomas County cat., 1890-08-28

NKw York, August ct. Y. Powderly
has issued an appeal IN the behalf Of the
strikers of tho New York Central. In it hs
says:
"For some time the management of the
New York Central and Hudson river railroad
have been discharging employees who have
been active in labor affairs 1t happens that
ali those who have been dismissed are mem-
oers of the Knights of Labor, and have at
one time or another been officers in the order,
or have served on committees which waited
on the officers with . view to present
ing grievances. These discharges became 20
frequent and were 90 clearly evidence of q
settled purpose on tie part of the company
70 disrupt and destroy the organization of
.he Knights of Labor on the Central system
that the executive board of district assembly
No. A6, in which the Knights of Labor upon
.he system are enrolled, found it necessary
to call special meeting in New York to
consider the situation.
I'm the meantime the executive board hav-
ing been apprised of the condition of affairs,
sent one of its members, Mr.. j. ]. Holland.
OF New York, with instructions to use all
possible efforts to bring about an amicable
in New York. after conference with the rep
resentatives of the district assembly, in the
course of which he obtained full knowl-
edge of the trouble from the standpoint of
.he men. he waited upon Mr.. H. Walter
Webb, third vice president and acting man.
ager of the company. Mr.. Holland stated
20 Mr.. Webb that he had called to endeavof
20 adjust the unpleasantness existing between
the company and its knights of Labor en-
al ioA AZ
any trouble existing between the company
and it's employees. Mr.. Holland told him
hat he, as q member of the general execu-
i've board of the Knights of Labor. had
come at the request of the men, made through
The organization to which they belonged, dis
trict assembly 246. Mr.. Webb frequently
declared tina: he would not discuss the mat
ter with any one not an employe of the COM
pany and closed the interview.
Finding all efforts to affect peaceable
settlement of their grievances impossible,
and being convinced that it was only ques-
ton of time when they would one and all be
discharged, unless they forfeited their man.
hood and abandoned their privileges Is citl-
zens of a free country by renouncing their
rights to join their fellows in an organization
calculated to protect their just rights without
intrenching upon those of others, the district
executive board had no alternative but to or
der strike, which they did. The public
is already acquainted with the details of the
affair.
''The most earnest efforts of the general
officers to secure hearing for the discharged
men were unavailing. On Wednesday morn
ing John Devlin, of the general executive
board. and myself waited upon Mr.. Toucey,
general manager, and endeavored to have
the matter arbitrated or investigated. Mr..
Toucey was emphatic in his refusal. On the
afternoon of that day MIR. Webb was visited,
and he reiterated what Mr.. Toucey had said.
1t was suggested to him that disinterested
parties hear and determine: it was also sug-
gested that during the investigation the
strike be declared off and the investigation
proceeded with. That was refused. Then
Mr.. Webb refused my proposition that he sit
with me in the presence of the men who
were discharged and allow me to question
them in his presence that might know the
facts in the case and be better able to arrive
at a decision. Mr.. Devlin asked if he was to
understand that Mr.. Webb assumed that
the public and the employees had no rights
that he was bound to consider, and if he
looked upon the matter simply as though
the railroad was his own private property.
If so, there was no need of saying anything
further. Mr.. Webb hesitated and then took
refuge in silence.
1.-The public may have formed erroneous
impressions of the position of the knights
in the controversy. We do not pretend 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 10 dis
missed"