The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-08-23
THE LABORING MAN.
Vice President Webb Replies to
Powderly's Manifesto.
WHY THEMEN wBREDIsCHARGED.
INSTRUMENTATION, incompetency and Drunken
ness Were the Chief Causes-Depew is
Coming to Take Charge.

New YORK, Aug. 22-With the close of |
to-day ends the second week of the strike |
The men who two weeks ago left their |
places with confidence in their reinstate-
ment upon their own terms are considering
the situation tonight in their local assem-
blles, where they were joined by members !
of the executive board. Undoubtedly it is |
true that the rank and file of the men feel |
at present strong in the near presence of
their leader. The heads have been consid- |
ering their Immediate interests and the |
men are pleased. They feel reinforced and
more hopeful.
The state board of arbitration once more
presented itself perfunctorily to aid in a
settlement Powderly has declined and
there IS growing belief among persons
who are following the course of events
close that there will be no further strike. !
1t was rumored that possibly the mex move
would be the ordering out of all the
mechanics along the line of the Central
| road. On this point Webb was cues toned. |
Anticipating" he said, ''some ten days
ago that by allowing the men employed in
our various shops to remain, | was
furnishing ammunition to the knights, |
| at once ordered the shops to be
closed, and directed that only enough men
be retained to perform the actual neces-
sary repairs that are required. At the
present time we have fully 5000 cars in
course of construction at West Albany,
and / 200 men have been laid off,
| State Arbitrati on Commissioner Dono
! van, this afternoon. sent letter to Vice
President Webb, stating: cit having come
to the knowledge of the state board of me
dlation and arbitration that another strike
is seriously threatened on the lines of road
of your company, he is instructed by the
| board to again communicate with you and
invite joint conference in the offices of
your company between you and representa-
tlves OF your employees, with view of de-
vlslng some means, either by arbitration or
such other methods as may be mutually
agreed upon, whereby the threatened strike
may be avoided and an abrupt interruption,
OF travel and transportation of freight be
prevented"
A similar letter was sent to POWderly.
Powderly, in his reply, stated that at the
general executive board of the Knights of
Labor is willing to comply with the request
and to hold itself in readiness to respond at
a moments notice. Powderly says: eve
hold ourselves in readiness to do any honor
able thing to terminate this strike or avoid
another one, and sincerely hope that either
arbitration or some such other method as
may ne agreed upon will have the desired
effect
I Webb responded thus: 1.-THE farther
strike referred to by you will or will not
take place, as the efforts of persons who
have left our service may or may not meet
with success. [ believe that such efforts
will fail | am not aware of any differences
or grievances existing between the com
pany and its employees, and [ must assume
that the conference suggested by you
was designed to be between the of
fcers of the company and the
officials of the Knights of Labor
Those officials represent, not our employees
, but persons who have left our service
have not asked to be re- employed, but who
through these same officials of the knights
of Labor have asked that the discharge by
the company of certain persons be sub
, mitted to their investigation and to arbi-
3 trate by some tribunal to be selected in
some way, request which have felt it nv
: duty to decline. l snail take every means
in my power to prevent an interruption of
passenger and freight traffic, and if the
constituted authorities prevent law
less interference with our operatives,
! do not anticipate, any interruption. For
the above reason, it seems to me inappro.
pirate and unnecessary to have confer
ence as suggested by you.n
Webb comes forward to night with a
prepared statement, evidently prompted
by the Powderly manifesto. Webb starts
out with the statement that no man has
been discharged by this company because
he was a Knight of Labor or member OF
any other organization. Then, for the
first time since the beginning of the con
troverSy, Webb names a list of their Of
lenses among which are those because oil
which the Knights of Labor are said tt
have been discharged. Webb continues:
THE company discharged the men ire
spective 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 it will continue to do so when
ever proper occasion arises 1t would be
moral and probably criminal neglect o
n duty for me to omit to discharge switcl
If tower man for drunkenness, upon who's
&c sobriety and fidelity to duty de
- ponds the safety of life and linn
of some millions of passenger
N transported annually by this company
10 What private or public business can b
l. carried on subject to dictation from work
mens That there shall be performed onl
a. this or that amount of work! What en-
:, ployer can tolerate insolence and insut
I. ordination based upon the belief that tn
Ia offenders will be supported therein by tn
III secret organization to which he belongs?
st 1.-THE foregoing gives without settin
forth the name or place of employment tn
causes which called for the discharge c
the men referred to in Powderly's appeal
of For these discharges, and to avert
10 threatened strike, have been called upo
10 by Powderly and his associates to cor
~ sent to the monstrous absurdity c
u satisfying by some kind of arbitration c
OF investigation, persons other than the cor
r stituted authorities of the company S
long as | occupy the position with which
lt am intrusted L feel it to be my duty I
IS firmly decllne.' And TO this Webb a
TO tached his signature.
Up -------
u Depew Coming to Take Charge.
= New York, Aug. 22-The Herald says
IN this mornings issue: ''It was given out
IN the Grand Central depot last night tn;
De President Depew had left Hamburg f,