Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1882-04-29

The next session OF
The General Assembly
was held in Chicago on the I'd of Septem
Der, 1879. There was an increase OF mem
bership tolls, 900 reported. The preamble
to the constitution was changed. Article
Is was made to read
To prevail upon governments TO issue q
purely national circulating medium, TO be
issued direct TO the people without the In
teryention of any system OF banking cor
porations.
The mover of the resolution said that
there was a great difference of opinion
among sincere labor reformers as TO the
value of the proposed fiat money, and that
the Order being an organization OF wage
workers seeking for Industrial emancipa.
tion any improvement IN the nature OF
money that does not in the least tend to
abolish the present false relations OF en-
plcyer and employed could be OF little ben
eft to the cause OF labor.
Another important change OF policy was
the final adoption of resolution in which
all Assemblies were recommended to use
their political power in all legislative cleo
tions Under the resolution 1t was to be
left to the discretion of each local Assem-
bly, TO act with that political party through
which they could gain the most, but in no
case should an Assembly take political ac-
ton in a canvass unless at least three
fourtbs of the attending. members were
united in sapportine. such saetionf and no
member should be compelled to vote with
the majority.
At the fourth regular session of the
General Assembly, held in Pittsburgh in
September, 1880, the incumbent,
Grand Master Workman.
Mayor Terence V. Powderly, of Scranton,
congratulated the delegates upon the
growth of the Order its membership hay-
ing increased TO 40, S55. The expenditures
in 1880 for correspondence, salaries and
printing amounted to So, 12S 06. The first
resolution of importance adopted was to
admit women TO membership; a motion to
admit lawyers and physicians, who, to-
gether with bankers and saloon keepers,
are constitutionally excluded was rejected.
A resolution to acknowledge the Green
back labor party officially as the only
party likely to further the interests Of
labor was tabled, and motion to oppose
the importation of Chinese coolies was
adopted.
The fifth regular session of the General
Assembly, held in September last in De-
trOit, was the most important of the Or
der's assemblies. 1t decided to make the
name and objects of the organization pub
lie everywhere, though the representatives
from New York, Philadelphia, Brooklyn,
Baltimore and Newark feared that this act
might result in the persecution OF mem
bers in the large cities of the Eastern and
Middle States.
Since September last
The Membership in Good Standing
has increased from 10000 to 10000 The
increase has been principally in the smaller
industrial cities and in the mining districts.
Pittsburgh gained about 10000 making a
total of 81, 900; Rochester, n. V, in three
months swelled her ranks up to 5000, and
in Chicago, Buffalo and Cleveland district
assemblies were formed with an aggregate
membership of 5000. Entire organizations
have Joined the Order in body, and in To-
calities in which the Order seemed to have
died the old members have reorganized,
affiliating themselves with hundreds OF
new members at time. In Braldwood
H., where the Mayor, Daniel Mclaughlin,
a former member of the Executive Board,
was elected by the votes of the Knights,
nearly half Of the male population was ini
tiated in one week in January last.
Newspapers Owned by the Order.
oney began to flow INTO the treasurer
office, and debts that had been incurred
were paid. A we'll equipped printing office
was established, and therein the secret
WORK was TelSSueu III EallSIlcll, 'Vl man anu
French, and for the first time there was
uniformity in signs and grips, rs Salaried
organizers and instructors were sent to
every local assembly in the land to instruct
the members according to the official
records.
To carry out one of the professed princi-
pal objects of the Order-namely, to create
a healthy public opinion upon the labor
uuestion-four weekly newspapers have
been founded since the sudden increase oi
membership has furnished the executive
officers with sufficient means to do so. These
papers are openly advocating the .princi'
pals laid down in the Reading Platform
and in two of them even the places Of meet
| ing and the names of local and district
officers are published. .,,
There are now Al district assemblies, Will
$50 local assemblies, in good working or
| der in the United States, l53 OF which have
been organized since September |, loSl
| According to the figures given by the Crane
Secretary the number of members in gooC
standing is about 10000, of whom 2O3Ol
have not yet been regularly reported at thu
| Pittsburgh headquarters. The good stand
ing members are grouped in twenty-five
| States as follows