The Indianapolis journal., 1890-08-22
An Appeal to All Members of the Order
to Stand by the Railway Strikers.
Recital of the Causes Leading to the Trouble
and the Fruitess Efforts Of Himself and
Others to Settle 1t by Arbitration.
Officials of The Central and the Pinker-
tons Scored in Savage Terms.
What Secretary Debs, Of the Brotherhood of
Firemen, Says About the Meeting Of the
Supreme Council Of the Federation.
POwDERLY'S APPEAL.
All knights of Labor Asked to Assist tho
New York Central Strikers.

POwDERLY'S APPEAL.
All knights of Labor Asked to Assist tho
New York Central Strikers.
NEW YORK, Aug. 21.-The day has been
to the labor leaders here like a pause in
battle. Rather say, it has been to them q
day of preparation after the declaration
and before the set-to. Never before has
Mr.. POwderly. the head of the Knights,
been personally in the heat of q contest
like the one believed to be coming. He
never yet has ordered strike, and feels
some pride in the record of peace which he
feels is his. There is little doubt, how
ever, about his determination in
this case. His men say he is
here to stay, and the executive
board says it's headquarters during the
strike. If one is ordered. will be in this city.
1t is clear that Mr.. Powderly and his cabi-
net intend. if the strike is general. that the
responsibility shall be brought just as close
as possible to the rank and file. This pur-
pose underlies the orders of tho board to
Master Workman Lee to convene his dis
trict assembly, also the order which has
gone up the river to Albany to convene their
district assembly on Monday. At these
meetings the local assemblies will
voice their disposition as to
general strike, and the result
Will be that fair concensus of opin-
ion among the men may be had. The FEEDER
atoms Supreme Council will not meet until
Saturday. and will probably communicate
it's determination to the Knights here that
night or Sunday. The Albany district as
WI Wi ha inf fio1 in,
the evident plan laid out by Mr.. Powderly
to make the men themselves declare the
strike general, does not meet till Monday,
as stated. The fair conclusion from the
facts and circumstances. is that the grand
stroke. if it is to come. will not fall before
next week.
To-day Mr.. Powderly has been preparing
the following, which he makes public to-
night:
For some time the management of the
New York Central Il Hudson River railway
have been discharging employees who have
that all of those who have been dismissed
are members of the order of knights of
Labor and have, at one time or another,
been officers of the order or have served on
committees which waited on the officials
with a view to presenting grievances.
These discharges became so frequent and
were so clearly evidence of a settled pur-
pose on the part of the company
to disrupt and destroy the organization
system that the executive board of dis
trict assembly, No. 246, in which the
Knights of Labor upon the system are en-
rolled. found it necessary to call special
meeting in New York to consider the situa-
tlon. In the meantime the general axecu-
tive board having been apprsed of the
condition of affairs sent one of its men,
bers. Mr.: j. j. Holland. to New York with
instructions to use all possible efforts to
the difficulty. On his arrival in New
York Mir. Holland, after q conference
with the representatives of the district
assembly, in the course of which he OBJ
from the standpoint of the men, waited
upon Mr.. III. Walter Webb. third vice.
president and acting manager of the COM
pany. On being ushered into the presence
of Mr.. Webb. Mr. Holland stated that he
had called upon him to endeavOr to adjust
the unpleasantness existing between the
company and it's Knights of Labor en-
ployes. Mr.. Webb denied that there was
any trouble existing between the company
and its employees. Mr.. Holland told him
executive board of the Knights of Labor,
had come at the request of the men made
through the organization to which they be-
lOnged-District Assembly 246. Mr. Webb
cuss the matter with anyone not an en-
ploye of the company, and closed The inter-
view.
Finding oil efforts to effect peaceable
and being convinced that it was only
question of time and convenience of the
company when they would. one and all, be
discharged unless they forfeited their man.
hood hood "a and ot.sn. abandoned their s. priv
try by renouncing their right to
join their fellows in an organization
calculated to protect their just rights
without intruding upon those of others,
the district executive board bad no alterna-
tive but to order strike which they did.
The public is already acquainted with the
details of the affair. and repetition is
scarcely necessary. The most earnest and
sincere efforts of the general officers to
secure hearing for the discharged men
were unavailing. The correspondence
which passed between the general master
workman and H. Walter Webb. third vice.
president of the railway company. had been
of the daily press. Members of the knights
of Labor will find the same in the issue of
the official journal of Aug. 81.
"On Wednesday morning, Aug. 20. John
Devlin, of the general executive board and
myself waited OH Mr.. TOucey, general SUI
perintendent. and endeavored to have the
matter arbitrated or Investigated. Mr.
Toucey was emphatic in his refusal. On
Tic aIItIuOOu VI tIdI Qby OlT. W6DD was
visited by the same gentlemen, and he relt-
Grated what Mr.. Toucey had said in the
morning. 1t was suggested to him that dis
interested parties hear and determine. 1t
was also suggested that during the investi-
CATION the strike be declared of and the in
vestigation proceeded with. That was re-
fused. Then the following proposition was
made by me: Mr.. Webb, could you
not sit with me in the presence of
the men who were discharged and allow me
to question them In yOur presence, SO that
might know the facts of the case and be
better able to arrive at a decisionp This
Mr. Webb emphatically refused Mr.
assume that the public and the employees
sider aud do you look upon the matter
simply as though the railroads were your
own private propertyf Because if You take
that view OF it there is no need of our saw
ing any thing further Mr.. Webb hesitated
and took refuge in silence.
"The public may have formed erroneous
impressions of the position of the Knights
i'm the controversy. We do not pretend TO
! dictate to the company that it shall not
discharge employees, but in all fairness the
discharged man should be told why he was
dismissed. During the session of the last
State Legislature the Knights of Labor of
New York were active in the passage of the
weekly pay bill. The committee of the
Knights representing the employees of the
New York Central were faced in the Legis-
lature ommittee-roOm at Albany by the
! attorneys of the railways and brow beaten,
| questioned and terrorized. Some of the
members of that committee who " era at thA