Waterbury evening Democrat., 1890-08-21
THE KNIGHTS POSITION.
The General Executive Board IsSuO
 Statement to the Public.

The General Executive Board IsSuO c
 Statement to the Public.
 NEW YORK, Aug. 21.-The Executive Board of the Knights of Labor issu ed the following statement:
 "Messrs. Powderly and Devlin waited upon General Manager Toucey for the purpose of endeRvoring to settle this dispute. He absolutely refused to en- tertain any proposition looking toward arbitration or investigation into the case of their recent employees.
 "The same gentlemen waited upon MT. Webb, in order to give the com pSny every opportunity to bring the strike to an end.
 Third Vice-President they repeated the offer which the Knights had made from the beginning that they would declare the strike of if the company would agree to submit the cases of the dis charged men to the investigation of disinterested outside parties, on the understanding that if it should be shown that there was no cause for the discharge of the men other than their connection with the Knights of Labor such men should be reinstated in their positions. The representatives of the Knights agreed to bind themselves to abide by the decision or finding of the investigators.
 "Mr. Webb refused to agree to this, and in the interest of peace MT. Pow derly went so far as to ask MT. Webb, in view of. the conflicting statements of the men and the company's officials, | if he would consent to meet the dis charged men and allow him (Mr. Pow derly) to question them in Mir. Webb's presence upon the charges of the com- pany against them. Mir. Webb even refused to entertain that proposition. "Mr. Webb and Toucey, who oame into the room during the interview, reiterated their statement that they would insist upon their right to dis charge any of their employees without they would not admit the right of any labor organization or committees of such organization to interfere in the matter. Being asked if they took the position that the railroad was the private property of the company, nor that neither the employees of the com pany and the public had any right to l question the action of the manage ment, they hesitated, and at last took tatives of the Knights tried in vain to break.
 The latter said that if 1t was the policy of the company to maintain that they would not admit that either the public or the employees of the road had any rights in the promises, 1t was useless to waste further time or words on the matter, and shortly afterwards withdrew.
 Upon the return of Messrs. Powderly and Devlin, the Executive Board of tho Knights of Labor and the representa- lives of the Grand Council of the Fed eration of Railroad Employees held { long conference, in which the positions of all the bodies were freely stAted The result of the conference was that the representatives of the Federation agreed to call a meeting of the Grand Council.
 The Executive Board say that the DO sition finally assumed by the company makes 1t necessary for them to vindf cate the right of labor to organize bJ prosecuting the strike to the bitter end The quarrels is no longer that of D. A e46, but of the whole order, and 1t will now be carried on with vigor and dc termination.
 The Board secured afidavits of all tn, men discharged. A number of then ewore that they were given their alter native of leaving the Knights of Labo, or their situatiopa.