The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-05-03
A REPLY TO THE COMPANY

IL lIle u LIE lIttllEtnCeT.
Strive would kindly ask permits
soln to correct through your paper the
false statements made by the Wheeling
Railway Company and others. Mr..
Conderman, president of the company.
makes the statemen: that the strike
would have been settled but for the In
reference OF the Trades Assembly.
Others. through the newspapers, have
stated thas the Trades Assembly-"an
irresponsible party"-has prevented q
settlement.
To Mr.. Conderman and to all others
who make this assertion we say most
not the instiEato-1 of this strike. We
did not persuade the men to ask for an
. increase in wages. They themselves
did that voluntarily. because they
thought that justice commanded chem
to do so. II was through no other in
tluence but their own conscience that
the men decided to ask for this In
crease To this VIC defy contradiction,
and challenge anyone to prove different
Why do they say that We (the Trades
Assembly, are responsible for the fall
ure 10 settle the strike. We did moth.
Ing but our duty. We gave these men
our endorsement, and ut their request
we promised to support them in their
efforts to secure the rights they are
striking for. And 1t is to us the great
est pleasure to be able to say at this
time. that we have given them all the
the support ut our command. II these
men desire TO go to work at 10 cents
per hour they are mt liberty to do so,
The Trades Assembly will not prevent
them from doing such. as we have
nothing 10 do with the regulation OF
wages. But this we have to do. and
this we want all to understand we will
do-and that IS. that II these men ask
for twenty cents per hour and we think
they are justly entitled 10 It. (Which we
do. we will spend every dollar availa-
bic among the trades unions of this
vicinity. ard use every other honorable
means at our command to assist their.
to gain their point. There can only be
one reason given In substantiation OF
the charge that the Trades Assembly
prevented settlement. and that reason
Is that the officials of the Trades AS
sembly were true and honorable enough
to stand steadfastly where duty babe
them stand, by the side OF those men.
TO prevent other irresponsible parties"
from influencing and Forcing them to
make q settlement on terms which their
conscience forbade them to do. And II
this Is why we are criticised and CEN
sured, we wish to say to our censurers,
that we thank you most sincerely for
bestowinS upon us compliment which
We highly appreciate-a compliment:
upon the fultllment OF our duty. Do
you want US to prove ourselves cow
ards and traitors? Do You not know
that We are organized. for the purpose
Of lettering the condition of the work.
ingmcn? Do you not know that the
strikers asked for our services. and do
YOU expect us TO finch from duty In
order to satisfy the avarice OF few
apathetic capitalists? We would rather
have the reproaches OF such people rest
upon us for life. thnn to be told by the
lowliest toiler in the lnnd that we were
towards or traitors Every citizen in
this community agrees with US that the
demands OF the men are fair and Just;
this they show not only by expression,
but by actions. and II these citizens
think II their duty to suffer inconven-
ience IN the name OF fairness and JUS
tice, should we. the dag bearers" of
labor's cause stand idly by and allow
other committees to try and bring about
n settlement on any terms and then tell
us TO keep hands off. A council COM
Tittec or any other committee that tries
TO bring about n settlement OF this
matter at 1G or is cents, casts an insult
upon all citizens In this community,
who have unequivocally proclaimed
that nine hours and twenty cents per
hour Is fair and Just Why should the
strikers be blamed for this incoaveni-
cnce. when everybody Is willing and
does admit that they nrc demanding
only what Is right? And II the. strikers