St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-08-28
The Chief Of the Engineers
Brotherhood Calls Pow
derby a Liar.
Knights Have Made Their
Bed, Now Let Them Oe-
cupy It.
Engineers on the New York
Central Directed to Re- J
main at Work.
Tom Barry Also Fires Hot
Shot Into the K. of L.
Leader.

New YORK, Aug. 27.-The letter
Arthur. chief engineer OF the Grand In
ternational Brotherhood of Locomotive
Engineers, to an engineer on the Third
avenue elevated road. The letter is in
response to letter on the subject of
the New York Central strike, and is the
first utterance of Mr.. Arthur which
defines his position toward the Cen
sral strikers and the Knights of Labor.
The letter is given herewith in full:
CLEVELAND. O., Aug. 25.-R. Ii. Holman
Dear Strand Brother: Your letter Of the
sd inst, with Mr.. PoWderly's letter and
other clippings from the New York papers
enclosed. is received and contents carefully
perused. In reply will say that l have not
received any letter from Mr.. PoWderly He
claims to have written me private letter on
the trouble and wants me to define my po-
sition. If he considers his letter that APP
peared in the newspapers. private one,
I don't. nor will | answer let
tiers that reach me in that way.
1t is unnecessary for Mr.. Powderly or any one
else to ask me to define the position OF the
Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers III the
present trouble on the New York Central d
Hudson River roads. The policy or the
brotherhood is we'll known to him and the
public, as 1t hasabeen 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 arrived
there l could not find him. high or low
| learned that the telegram had
been received by him, but my efforts
TO locate him were frutless." Now, the facts
in the case as near as l can recollect are
gram 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 the office
/ did not receive the message until after the
departure of the train, and so Informed him
by letter. addressing it to him at Scranton. |
do not believe he stopped over and looked
for me, If 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 Cleve-
land. He tells wilfullcfalsehood when he
says other leaders have been unable to find
me when they tried to do so. Any man who
tries to find me when l am in Cleveland can
do so with very little effort and no man.
whether leader Or a private i'll the ranks of
labor, ever came to my Office that he was not
treated cOurteouSly. While differ with men
as TO the best methods to be employed to Sc.
cure certain ends. have always been willing
to concede to every man the same rights and
privileges ask for myself When the pres
ent trouble on the New York Central first
occurred advised the engineers to abstain
from all participation in it, sand to attend
strictly TO their own business. / gave the
same advice when the strike occurred OH the
Gould system a few years ago. My advice to-
the Brotherhood of Engineers when men en-.
ployed in other branches of railroad service
have been OH strike was TO mind their own
business, and not to do anything that did
not properly belong to them as engineers.
Can Mr., PoWderly say the same? l think not.
Whenever the engineers have been Oh a
strike we never asked any other labor organ
ization to assist us. 1t is true some members
of the order, during the c., B. 4 Q, strike.
importuned the switchmen to quit, but they
did i; on their own responsibility, not by the
authority of the organization. Consequently
I hold that we are perfectly justified IN
maintaining strictly neutral position when
others are engaged in a conflict with their
employers Mr. Powderly accuses members
of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engi-
neers of taking the places of striking fire.
men. 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 me m 5ers. wonder if
Mr.. Powderly had the Knights expelled who
took the places of our men on the @, d. &
Q. Yours fraternally.
F. NJ ARTHUR G.. c. E.