Democratic Sentinel, Volume 10, Number 7, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 March 1886 — WAR TO THE KNIFE. [ARTICLE]

WAR TO THE KNIFE.

The Missouri Pacific Retaliates by Ordering the Strikers from Its Prcm.ses. A Long and Weary Struggle Anticipated, with a Prospect of Some Bloodshed. [St. Louis (Mo.) telegram.] General Superintendent Kerrigan, of the Missouri Pacific Railway, this morning issued an order expelling from the Missouri Pacific yards all Knights of Labor. This order includes the delegation of men appointed by the Knights to guard the company’s property. The order is as follows: "You are hereby notified that your action in withdrawing from the services of tne Missouri Pacific Railroad Company was a voluntary abandonment of the services of the company, and that yon are no longer in its employment, and that your names have been stricken from its rolls. All such who are now about the company’s premises are hereby notified that they must immediately leave the same, to the end that this company may resume the traffic of the country. “William Kerrigan.”

Simultaneously with the appearance of the above order in the Missouri Pacific yards in this city twenty Pinkerton detectives and about the same number in the employ of the railroad company marched into the yards under the command of Thomas Furlong, and ordered the Knights who have been guarding the property to leave at once. The order was obeyed and the freight turned over to the detectives. At Carondelet, where the bulk of the Iron Mountain freight is abandoned, the yards are still in possession of the Knights of Labor. The company is engaging all the men it can to act as watchmen, but the applications are few, and the number now in its employ is not large enough to watch all the freight. The most important rumor of the day was that the Missouri Pacific would attempt to resume business to-morrow. The officials of the road were questioned about it, but refuse to say where they are going to get men. Tonight it is stated that an order will be issued calling on the men to return to work, but they cannot return as Knights of Labor. A meeting of the merchants was held on ’Change to-day, and the situation discussed. While many of the merchants sympathize with the railroad employes, they question the wisdom of striking at this time and for the causes which have been given. ' “There are two sides to the question,” said a prominent commission merchant. “The one-man power in the railroad must be met by organization on the part of employes, but it is unfortunate that just at the opening of the spring trade this terrible blow should come on the city and country.” There is but one opinion on the subject of interference with business, and that is, that in one way or another the embargo on trade should be lifted. The question of whether the railroad could not be held responsible and be made to carry freight, even if this did involve paying a little higher wages than usual, received considerable attention. In addition to the actual stoppage of the movement of commodities, one of the chief elements operating to check and depress trade is fear. The dealers are afraid to move one way or another and prefer to await developments. Trade is, therefore, practically at a standstill, and scarcely anything was done to-day. The speculators, of course, have free swing, but even they are very cautious in their operations. The commission men can do little or nothing“but wait until shipments can be made. This state of affairs is working up the feelings of the merchants to a high pitch. The situation in East St. Louis is alarming in the extreme. Not a pound of freight from any of the Eastern trunk lines can be brought across the river by rail, and the result is that the tracks on the East Side are all blockaded with delayed freight. The bridge is crowded with teams hauling freight to the city. The number of laden coal cars now in the yards of the various roads across the river is enormous, and as there is no way of getting the coal across the river except by hauling it in wagons or shipping it on the ferries, the blockade is likely to cause a cessation of work at the various mines throughout the district, and 90 throw 2,000 miners out of employment. This afternoon an attempt Was made to start the Kirkwood passenger train on the Missouri Pacific, which was abandoned Sunday. When the signal was given to start the fireman on the engine stepped off and refused to fire. No other man could be secured,and Superintendent Kerrigan jumped on the engine himself and fired her while the run was made to Kirkwood, twelve miles out.

The departure of the passenger trains on the Missouri Pacific to-night was delayed about two hours in consequence of somebody having withdrawn the fire in the locomotives. A force of some four hundred men has been employed by the company to operate their yards, and more will be engaged as rapidly as the proper men can be obtained. The opinion is that if the railroad company attempts to run freight trains to-morrow the effort will be- resisted even to the point of violence. There is a feeling of great uncertainty as to what either side will do, and much apprehension is felt regarding the result. A report that the railroad company had applied or would apply to the United States Court here for the appointment of a receiver, so that the road may be placed in charge of a court and be under the protection of the Government, was denied. None of the roads centering here have been at all interfered with, except the Missouri Pacific. There are no indications of trouble on any other road. Steps have been taken to have St. Louis merchants ship goods by the river to New Orleans, and thence to Texas by the Texas and Pacific Road, which it is thought can be kept open. Dan Rice, the one-time famous Shakspearean circus clown, is lecturing in Texas, and is said to receive SSOO a week for his oratorical ground and lofty tumbling. General Rosecrans is said to be dissatisfied with his place as Register of the Treasury, and wants to be Superintendent of the Coast Survey. Dr. A. L. Frothingham, Jr., of Johns Hopkins University, has accepted the professorship of archaeology in Princeton College.