Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1890-08-27
WE6B's ANSWER.

The Vice. Presldent Of the Now York Dan.
tral Railway states Ill. Side OF tho Case
N = Msntfest, In Which. for tho First
IN Ho Gives His Reason for Djs-
charging Men.
NEW YORK, Aug. 23.--Master Work.
man Powderly's address to the knights
OF Labor and the public Is generally re.
garded as declaration OF war, in which
there will be no quarter given.
Mr.. Webb said in regard to Powder
ly's proclamation: II have not read it
yet, 1t Is addressed to the Knights of
Labor, and as I am not one there Is
no reason why I should feel COM
PEELED to read 1t. I do not be-
lteve there Is much that Is now
In Mr.. Powderly's statement 1t
Is not true that the question was asked
me II thought the public had no RICH is
that tho road was bound to consider and
that | refused to answer. II such a
question had been asked l would have
replied that the public had rights
In the matter. There is nothing to
say except that we are all ready for the
threatened fight. do not believe that
the Federation will order its men out,
+and II 1t docs I do not believe all OF
OF them will obey"
State Arbitration Commissioner Don.
ovan on Friday sent letters to Messrs.
Powderly and Webb inviting both to q
conference with y view to devise means
either by arbitration or such other
method as might be agreed upon where
by the present and threatened strikes
may be settled. Mr. Powderly replied
that the executive board of tho knights
OF Labor was ready to do any honora BILE
thing to terminate the strike or avert
the threatened one. Mr.. Webb's reply
was another absolute refusal to arbi-
trate, and says:
II am not aware Of any difference or grtev.
ance existing between the company and Its en-.
ployes, and must assume that tho conference
suggested by you was designed to be between
the officers Of the company and the officials of
the K. OF L. These officials represent not our
employees, but persons who have left our
service and have not asked to be re.
employed, but who, through these same of1ic als
OF the knights Of Labor, have asked that the
discharge by the company Of certain persons
prior to the month Of August be submitted to
their investigation and to arbitration by some
tribunal to be selected In some way, request
which I have felt it to be my duty to decline"
Mr.. Webb came forward Friday even
ing with prepared statement, evident
ly prompted by Mr.. Powderly's mani
festo of Thursday night VIZ. Webb
starts out with the statement that mo
man has been discharged by this COM
pany because he was Knight of Labor
or member Of any other organization. :"
Then for the first time since the be.
ginning Of the controversy Mr.. Webb
names list OF offenses, among which
are those because OF which the knights
of Labor are said to be discharged. He
continues:
1.-The company has discharged men, prospect.
i've Of their membership In the order OF the
knights OF Labor, for drunkenness, incapacity.
breach Of duty, INSTRUMENTATION and for lack OF
sufficient work to employ them; and 1t will con-
tinue to do so whenever proper occasion arises.
1.-THE people OF this State granted to this COM
pany the franchise and made 1t obligatory upon
1t to render certain services to the public, and
provided that all Its duties, including the en-
ployment and discharge or oil GLASSES Of agents.
should be performed by certain officers; and its
officers do not propose to surrender, abandon
or transfer the discharge OF these duties, or any
part OF them to any one except their duly ap-
pointed successors
ut would be o moral and probably criminal
neglect OF duty for me to omit to discharge o
switch-tower man for drunkenness when upon
his sobricty and fidelity to duty depend the
safety OF the life and limb Of some Of the mill
ions OF passengers transported annually by this
company.
1--WE could temporarily supply the place Of q
vvhO nh binSolf WOrlr VI
days without leave and without excuse, but
what business, private or public, can be carried
on under such conditions? What private
or public business can be carried on
subject to- the dictatton from the
workman that there shall be performed
only this or that amount OF work? What en-
ployer can tolerate insolence and insubordina-
ton, based upon the belief that the offender
will be supported therein by q secret organiza-
ton to which he belongs, and by the agency OF
which tho employers business can be damaged
or stoppeds
"The foregoing gives, without setting forth
the name or place OF employment, the causes
which called for the discharge OF tho fifty or
sixty men referred to In Mr.. Powderly's
avert threatened strike I have been
called on by Mr.. Powderly and his Us.
sociates to consent to the monstrous aO-
surdity Of satisfying, by some kind Of arbitra-
ton or Investigation, persons other than the
constituted authorities OF the company that
these causes existed-a demand which rs long
as occupy tho position with which am in
trusted feel 1t to be- my duty to firmly de-.
cline"
CLEVELAND, o., Aug. 23.-When Chief
Arthur, of the Brotherhood OF Lo-
connective Engineers, was asked what
reply he wished to make to Mr..
Powderly's open letter addressed
to him through the Associated
Press, no instantly said that he
would be pleased to give Mr..
Powderly the information he sought
The letter, however, must be addressed
to him officially, as he never paid any
attention to letters such as was pub
lished. The position of the engineers
was we'll known, but Mr.. Arthur would
be glad to emphasize it If Mr.. Powderly
addressed him letter in an official way.
ALBANY, Aug. 23-Telegrams re-
ceived in this city locate the cause of
Mr.: Powderly's letter to Chief Arthur
as occurring in this section. The charge
is that the striking knights of Labor
firemen's places in this oity were taken
by the relief force Of engineers, thus Civ
ing practical aid to the road in fill
ing vacancies. The inference drawn