The Lamar register., 1890-08-16
PowoERLY TALKS.
He Explains the Situation from His
Standpoint.


DETROIT, Aug. 13.-The executive
board Of the Knights of Labor assembled
here in a secret session at o'clock this af-
ternoon and at this hour al p. m. arc still
in conference.
General Master Workman Powderlv was
seen this evening and was very chary and
guarded about talking on the labor dim
culties. In response to tho question, ''Does
the going out on a strike of the Brother
hood of Locomotive Firemea, as announced
in to-day's kilograms, come upon you as q
surprisem
Scarcely SURPRISE he replied, II had
every reason to believe that such would be
the result before leaving the East The
Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers
will undoubtedly follow the fremen out
on strike. There is nothing else for them
to do. Their interests are Identical The
action of the firemen was purely voluntary
and without outside influence. 1t is Just as
much their fight as it is that of the Knights
OF Labor. u
"Will you say something regarding tho
responsibility for this extensive railroad
strike and the consequent inconvenience to
the general public.''
when men are dismissed and thrown
out of employment in humps which aggre-
gate from fifty to sixty, as was the case
with the New York Central and West
Shore lines as long ago as last April, it is
pretty conclusive evidence that there
must be something radically wrong
with the management The Knights
of Labor who were employed
on these lines had at that time no inten-
ton OF striking. They bore the very m
Just and INDISPENSABLE condition of affairs
until it became evident that i. would be
better to be knocked down altogether than
be dropped in detail The railroad people
brought on the trouble. The men did not
care to strike, but it was plainly the fixed
intention of Mr. Walter Webb, third vice
president of the system, to force them to
do so. He discharged men right and left
indiscriminately, No man who had the
interest of the community at heart would
have done anything SO well calculated to
harass and disturb the public, He would
not have lowered his dignity in the slight
est degree had he met and talked with the
men upon the subject of existing troubles.
BY this course the impending conflict
might have been readily averted."
Mr.. Powderly said Webb was asked to
investigate the alleged mistakes which
caused their discharge, by the men and by
Mr. Holland. The latter rendered his
services as peacemaker and mediator. He
denied that Mr.. Holland was Instrumental
in bringing on the strike, he having moth
| ind to do with it.
Asked as to whether Mr.. Depew weat
to Europe to avoid participation in the i'm
pending difficulties, Mr.. Powderly said
that Mr. Depew was very diplomatic; that
the wholesale discharges were made in
April, and that Mr.. Depew had left the
country to avoid going on record in reia-
ton to the troubles.
1.-THE meeting of the executive commit
tee was arranged at our last meeting in
June and was not called on account of the
| strike. would add that it is not the in
tention of the strikers to interfere with
passenger trains. The efforts will be con-
| fined wholly to freights. We, of course,
| expect the strike to prove successful"