St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-04-12
THE KNIGHTS OF LABOR.

THE KNIGHTS OF LABOR
AN ACCOUNT OF THE ORDER AS IT EXISTS IN
THE UNITED STATES AND IN MIN
NEsoTA.
Among all orders and socities Of beneVo-
lent or social nature few are growing more
rapidly or with greater substance and soildlty
than the Knights of Labor. Primarily, as It's
name indicates, it is devoted to the interests
of those that toil-the producers. Its mem
bership is not confined, however, as one
might suppose, to those who by unskilled, or
even skilled manual labor earn their bread,
but is open, under certain restrictions, TO
great majority of humanity, including us
feminine portion, its rules excluding only
lawyers, those engaged in the liquor ousi-
ness and gamblers, the latter classification
comprehending grain, stock and provision
spectators.
1t is described by it members as primarily
an educational order, whose aims are TO ois-
seminate information among its members.
In its meetings the reading OF essays ana
discussions form large part of the proceed
ings. In an abbreviated form the following
are some of the objects of the organization
as laid down in its preamble:
The organization of labor; more equitable
distribution of the products of labor; the es-
tablishment of labor bureaus, cooperative
institutions and national circulating me-
dunn; the reserving of public lands for the
actual settler; equal laws for capital and
labor; laws providing measures to preserve
the health and safety of the industrial
classes; laws giving artisans first lien on
hair no OH oh of
system on national, state and municipal
work; the adjustment of the prison contract
labor system; substitution of arbitration for
strikes; compulsory education of children
and prohibition of their employment under
IA years of age; equal wages for both sexes.
While the leaders of the order endeavor to
keep it free from political entanglements;
still in order for it to accomplish some of the
ends above indicated
1T ENTERS THE FIELD OF POLITICS
in so far as it strives for the nomination and
election of candidates pledged, or at least
favorable to those ends. Its members claim
for it that it las not been a political nonen-
tity, but that in most states where laws have
been passed favorable to labor and labor sta
tistic bureaus established they are traceable
directly or indirectly to the influence of the
Knights of Labor.
Of course as the order grows influential it
forms temptation for office-seekers to join 1t
TO advance their ends. The ambition of
those who seek personal gain, however, finds
little encouragement in the organization.
In matters pertaining to the relations of
employer and employe the order distinctly
and emphatically discourages strikes. When
prices are to be adjusted or other differences
Id Nf 4In 1r1ar &c 70
board of arbitration, of which the two sides
to the controversy each selects third, the
remaining portion to be appointed by those
two; each party binding itself to abide by
the decision. In this way it is claimed mat
tiers are settled in much more harmonious
and satisfactory manner to both parties than
in any other way. In fact, employ
ers, who might seem disposed
meddling with their affairs, express them
selves as pleased with this arrangement, and
not unfrequently insist that their en-
ployes shall belong to the order. But when
the time comes when
A STRIKE SEEMS THE ONLY WAY
to arrive at an agreement the Knights of
Labor take hold of it, in connection with the
other labor organization, and manages it in
decent and orderly manner. Such was
the recent strike on the Gould Southwestern
lines, where there was no breach of the peace
and no disorder. Simply the trains didn't
run until the company was forced to yield
to the strikers demands, which seemed
reasonable enough. The Knights of Labor
recognize the fact that a strike is disastrous
to both parties, and is to be avoided on every
consideration until absolutely necessary,
and then TO be carried through to the end,
supported by the entire organization all over
the country.
AS has been intimated, the order is not
composed exclusively of men. There are
numerous assemblies of women also and
the order is pledged to work to secure equal
wages for them with men.
Another excellent feature of the order is
the insurance system connected with it, in
accordance with which $500 is paid to the
family Of each member at his death or total
disability. Some local assemblies have also
an accident insurance system connected
with them.
The following extract from an interview
recently published with 7. V. Powderly, gen
eral master workman of the order, gives an
insight into another phase of its workings:
MIR. PowDERLY SAYS:
'From a letter sent to me by master
warkman Of a local assembly l quote the
following: We have in our assembly a num-
Der of socialists, anarchists or revolutionists,
who advocate the killing of every capitalist,
who advocate the use of dynamite and the
purchase and distribution of guns" etc.
The brother then winds up his letter by
asking me il that is the mission of the
Knights of Laborl Quite few letters come
TO me on one subject or another and the
usual wind up to all of them is the question
rs this the mission of the Knights of
Laborl'
Ny answer is the same to all of them-no!
When a member talks of killing anybody,
rich or poor, ne expresses his own senti-
ments, not those of the order, aud If the
master workman Of the assembly does not
call him to order as soon as he begins to rave
in that way he violates his obligation.
Then you don't take any stock in the
thuuderbots of Herr Most, Justice Schwab or
that class of philauthropistsF'
''Not at all; they are merely handful of
cranks and towards"
care they members of the Knights of
Laborln
mo; the sensible workingmen of the
country have no use for any such wild wind
bags. Their ideas are all foreign to US. Hay
ing been brought up under the rule of blood
aud iron, they don't understand our iusti-
tutions and cannot appreciate the fact that
here the workiugmen have the means of
effecting peaceful revolution, such as can
be brought about in Europe only by force The
Anarchists and Communists do not speak
for the people; they speak their own views.
and may say that have hearty contempt
for them and their IDEAS
In the district OF Minnesota there are ten
local assemblies, located four in St Paul,
five in Minneapolis and one in Saltwater,
with an aggregate membership Of about
5000.