, 1890-08-28
KEEP HANDS OFF.
Arthur's Advice to Brother.
hood Engineers
He Also Scores Master Work
man Powderly.
The Brotherhood Able to Stand
Alone.

NEW LORK, Aug. tn letter
given below was written by p. NJ. Arthur.
chief engineer OF the Grand Iuter-Na
tional Brotherhood of Locomotive En-
%gineers, to an engineer on the Third
avenue elevated.road. The letter is in re-
sponse to a note on the subject Of the
New York Central strike and is the first
utterance of Arthur which fully defines
his = position towards the Cen
trail strikers aud Knights of Labor. The
letter is as follows:
CLEVELAND, Aug. 23.-R II. Hol-
man-Dear Sir and Brother; Your letter
OF the 23rd inst, with Powderly's letter
and other clippings from the New York
papers enclosed, received. In reply will
say | have not received any letter from
Powderly. He claims to have writ
ten me a private letter on the
trouble and wants me to define
ms position. IL he considers his letter
which appeared in the newspapers a pri-
vate one l don't, nor will | answer letters
that reach me in that way. 1t is unne-
cessary for Powderiy or any one else to
ask me to define the position OF the
Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers in
the present trouble on the New York
Central. The Brotherhood is well known
to him and the public. as it has been re-
peatedly explained from public platforms
and published in the newspapers. He
SAYS that some time ago Il telegraphed
him (meaning mem that l would meet
him in Cleveland and when / arrived
there | couldn't find him, high or low.
l Learned that the telegram had been re-
1o,,ol h., 49, -. v &C.. " l-..a
him were fruitless.
can recollect, are these: Some four years
ago L received a telegram from Powderly
requesting me to meet him at the Union
depot at Cleveland on the arrival
of a certain train on the Lake Shore
road. Owing to my absence from
the Office l did not receive the
message until after the departure of
the train, aud SO informed him by letter,
addressing it to him at Scranton. L do
not believe he stopped over ard looked
for me. If he had he would have had
10 difficulty in finding me at my
office or at home. | am always at
one or the other when in Cleve-
land. He tells a willful falsehood
when he says the other leaders had 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 lit
tie effort. and no man, whether leader or
private in the ranks, ever came to my
office that he was not treated courteously.
While L differ with men as to the best
methods to be employed to secure certain
ends, ] always have been liberal enough
to concede to every man the same rights
and privileges | ask for myself.
When the present trouble on the New
York Central first occurred. L advised the
engineers to abstain from all participation
in it and to attend strictly to their own
business. l gave the same advice when
the strike occurred on the Gould system a
few years ago NY ADVICE to brotherhood
engineers when employees in other
branches of the railway service have been
on a strike was to mind their own busI-
ness and not do anything that did not
properly belong to them as engineers.
Can Powderly say the same2 l think
not. Whenever engineers have been
on a strike we have never asked any
other labor organization to assist
us. 1t is true that some members
Of the order, during the Chicago, Bur
lington & Quincy strike, asked switchmen
TO quit. but they did it on their own re.
sponsibility and not by authority of the
organization. Consequently l hold that
we are perfectly justified in maintaining a
strict neutral position when Others are en-
gagged in conflict with their employers.
Powderly accuses members of the
Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers OF
taking the places of striking firemen. If
that is true the division OF which they
are members will deal with them. 1t is
not within the province of nv authority
to deal with individual members. | won
derIf Powderly had the knights of Labor
expelled who took the places of our men
on the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy
Yours fraternally, P. NJ. ARTHUR.