The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-03-13

are conscientiously doing what they can for
their fellows"
The knights of Labor was the mother of
the Federation of Labor. was it not? Are
not the two bodies very Similar"
No, the Knights of Labor had. not only
representatives of the trades unions, but
also of the employers. At one time one
third of its members were employers.
Then it was something like the Civic
Federation, of which Senator Hanna was
the PRESIDENT"
I'm a sense yes, 1t tried to settle labor
disputes as far possible without recourse
TO strikes. 1t is true we had some strikes.
but we settled LOO labor disputes without
strikes Indeed, l might say we prevented
| over LOCO strikes"
Speaking of Senator Hanna" Mr.. Pow
DERBY went on, The thoroughly in
earnest in his desire to settle labor troubles
through arbitration. 1 know that he began
II more than twenty years ago. 1t is now
twenty-five years since | was asked by his
men to come out to Ohio to act as their
representative in a strike there. l went and.
as their delegate, called on Mr.. Hanna and
tried to present the case. He treated me
politely, but refused to talk to me. he
said:
"'What is the matter with the men?
Why don't they come to me and present
them. l don't know you
"'Will you receive a committee?' I asked.
"'Of course l will, said Mr.. Hanna. Send
Il went out and brought in a committee
of the miners and then started to leave;
You need not go if you don't want TO-, said
men. They said stay. and | stayed"
well. the discussion then went on be
tween Hanna and the men. The troubles
were taken up item by item and threshed
over Sometimes Hanna gave in, some
times the men, but in an hour or so ii was
all settled, and the men said they were
was hot at times, but at the close Mr.. Han
ma said: Now, men, when you have any
trouble in the future l want you to come
.;r,t,t onI will toll nNrpY
ask Mr.. Powderly to come clear across
Pennsylvania and Ohio to talk for you.
You know what you want. L know what
l want We are all sensible men and can
do our own business. and we Will. do 1t!
From that time on Mr. Hanna and his men
settled their labor troubles by conference
and mutual Cancellation. He was thor
oughly honest and earnest in his advocacy
of this policy and his life shows it,
SAVED A RAILROAD.
I'm your strikes 1 suppose sou have often
| had to deal with many violent men, Mr..
Powderly?'
YES we had was the reply. But we
| tried to hold them in check. 1 remember
an incident of the great railroad strike of
1886, when the Gould system of railroads
and other roads in the Southwest were TIED
up. The men had left work for some time
when / got a letter proposing a plan to
| blow up every bridge and culvert the
/ could railroad system upon a certain
| signal. The letter stated that the only way
TO reach Jay Gould was through his pocket
and that this action would prevent the
trains from running and break the strike
i The writer said that he had the dynamite
and he gave full plan as to how it should
| be placed and exploded to wreck the sys-
| tenn. He marked his letter confidential and
asked that it be sent back to him. He
signed it with the name Henri Lee Ca
rom
xryar afpe to oil hn lOnn prnh nf no
Knights of Labor protesting against the
scheme, and saying 1t was better to lose the
strike hundred times than to resort to
! such vfllainy to win ii. AT the same time 1
| filed away the letter.
| "Well. about three years after that" Mr..
Powderly continued, Il picked up my
| paper one morning and saw that a man
named Henri Lee Caron was giving teSt
mony III damage suit brought by Charles
| Stewart Parnel against the London Times.
Caron on the side of the Times, and he
| pretended to testify all Irish spy that
| Parnell had been mixed up in the assassina-
ton of Cavendlsh and in other fiendish out
| RACES in Ireland. / knew that Caron had
| belonged to some of the Irish agitator or
! CARNATIONS although he did not belong TO
the Knights of Labor. The moment | saw
| his name | remembered that letter | took
| it from the files. had it photographed and
mailed prints to Parnell. Z. P. O'Conner and
| Michael ,Davitt, and l sent the original to
Mr.. Gladstone. telling him to give ii to
| Parnell.'
why did you not send the original TO
| Parnen?" | asked.
Because I thought his mail might not be
| safe. L was sure that Gladstone's letters
would not be tempered with and that is
| why l sent the original to him. All the let-
| tiers went through however. AS soon as
| they reached London | got a cable from
| Parnell, asking me to forward the original.
but he got 1t the next day from Gladstone.
Shortly after that Henri Lee Caron was put
on the witness stand and was ready to make
what | believe was tissue of lies. He
did give his testimony, but when his letter
| proposing to wreck the Gould system with
| dynamite read it had such effect
that his evidence counted for nothing and
| Parnell came out top. / got letters of
| concentrations and thanks from both Par
nell and Gladstone in regard TO it,
FRANK G.. CARPENTER.
Copyright, 1904