The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-07-03
POUDERLY on THE STRIKE.
The Late Head OF the knights OF LABOR
Spraks I'm New York.

T. V. Powderly. until recently head Oh
the Knights OF Labor organization spoNe
I'm New York Sunday. His subject was
Labor and Some OF Its Deadllest r0eS
Speaking OF the present railroau
Mr.. Powderly said: as, sc-
"a strike never did and never can &C
complish any good. Although pupIc soo
port has credited me with o ,o nv lie.
strikes, I never ordered one IN hIS ,ho
There was never strike amonS vi
KNIGHTS OF Labor while i was the "e IA
Of the organization against "n lon ,yore
not use all my power. All ~ rod no
caused by influences over Whieh "'~
control" .o,,r.v
There was a marked air OF eXpeot..n ny
in the audience when Mr.. Powderly ,'"..a
up the subject OF railroad strikes -,
was interest In what ne WouiI soy
the present big railroad troupls' .,s ,ba
A railroad strike, he declared was u.s
most serious that could occur as IL az
fected the whole country. lne ;; 80,
TO prevent them was by cover niie. s,ooi,n-
ership OF railways, which tue sPII "
also advocated for telegraph lines. Cnul
such time however. arbitration was tns
proper means of settling differences Wnen
Interested persons could not asres' tnSn
call on dsnterested persons anu "O'0'
By their decision. , ,.,.. a
~ repeat" said Mr.. Powderly. mat
strike never accomplished any Boou, am
for a verhcatlon OF this assertion l ASK
you TO watch and see what tne ou.co !le
OF the great strike now existing IN lhe
West viii be. Some blame Pullman,
others blame Debs; but they are NOT
wholly to blame. The fault goes turtner
back. to the errors underlying the Alieli-
can labor system" $500, .,...,
strike and urging that IL was a mistake
the speaker spoke in high praise Oh the
miners.
'In all my experience SAID ne, nave
Tcl.a-
BILE set Of workmen than the coal miners
Of Pennsylvania. And before you censure
them too harshly for the stdnu lney ildNe
taken. unwise though 1t may nave peen,
in their efforts to get better wages JUST
try to think If you can. what II means TO
support wife and six childreh oh eis"'S
six cents a day"
He fired a shot at the coal harons. when
he said that he never had believed thdl
a few men. sitting in their offices IN New
York. should saw By the stroke OF n pen
whether or not the public should keep
warm in the winter. He PUT hltlseIt on
record in favor Of restricting lmrl'BlatloI
holding that most OF the Ills under Whlch
mechanics and operatives suffered were
due to the unchecked tide OF foreigners
TO this country
When Mr.. Powderly had finished his
address. DR.. Funk announced that any
body who wished might ask questions OF
the speaker. The first inquiry was as 70
what measures Mr. Powderly would nave
suggested instead Of the strike on the
western railroads. The answer was arDl-
tration.
Asked why the labor interests OF this
country had not Instituted boards or arDl-
tration and Cancellation such as exist IN
England, Mr.. Powderly replied that the
experiment had been tried mere win
failure The reason was that while IN
England there were only Engllshmen 10
deal with. in this country there were rep
resentatives OF all nations. VINO prouSht
their jealousies with them. IL was Dad
enough. he said, when there were only
Engiishmen, Irishmen, Germans, anu
Americans here, but with the addition
during recent years or Italians huhsa-
rians. and Russians the idea OF having
one body 10 arbitrate their differences
with employers was Impossible al tnls
time. He believed, however, that the
time would come when there would be
such a board in America. He said that
while he was chief OF the Knights OF
Labor more than three hundred strikes
were settled by arbitration.
Mr. POwderly, when | asked him AFTER
the lecture for a more explicit statement
of his opinion Of the big railroad strike,
said that he was not in position 10 add
ANYTHING to what he had said on the plat
form.
'The attitude Of the Knights OF Labor
toward me Just now Is such that wrong
Interpretation would be given TO anything
| might say" he explained. Il am Or
posed to strikes. as ! have said, but az
10 the merits of the present railway
trouble ! am not competent to express an
opinion. as I have not looked into the
matter. New York Herald.