Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-12-31

""H Million Workmen Controlled
by Five Men.

From the n. Y. Sun.
Inc general idea of the association, the com.
pihation In one great body OF all workmen,
was conceived In 1869 by Uriah 8. Stevens, q
lhliaoeiphia clothing cutter but It was not
.n.n 1910 mat ne was made president of the
nrst "local assembly," which was established
| II Philadelphia, aid was chiefly made up of
members of his own trade, the purpose being
~ nave each of these bodies composed, as far az
possible, OF individuals of one calling. Now
'le iocal assemblies number 1900, with a
membership estimated at half q million. and
.ne order "has spread from Europe to Cali
Iornla, and from Hudson's bay to Mexico"
a one organization of new assemblies also goes
I Ien 1aploiy the average rate of increase being
LOU assemblies a month, and of membership
aDout $4,000. Besides workers at the trades,
| new local assemblies, which are forming ali ali
over the western states and territories, and
ianl;ohg the members of the order are many
LEGISLATORS and professional men. Seventy of
IN ne incoming Connecticut legislature are said
e 10 De either knights of Labor or to owe their
eiectlon to the organization.
The machinery of the order ia ALI ARRANGED
hein reierence 70 Capitalization of power, there
tr;n, nrst; local assemblies amenabe to dis
trict assemblies, which in turn send delegates
20 the general assembly of North America that,
nnalIy, elects an executive board, who are
! supreme. 1t therefore. happens that 500 600 of
the workmen of the United States are under
tne control OF i've men alone. The order being
secret the power OF this executive board is all
exercised it with remarkable moderation.
under the circumstances
i, Inc purpose of the knights in general may be
described as the education of labor to under.
stand and defend its rights; but no counte-
nance Is given by these practical and hard
headed men to the diabolical designs of the
sOclaliStic lunaticS who would reduce society to
cnaos In order to get vengeance against capital
VINO would have labor combined for the pur-
pose OF murder and assassination, The KNIGHTS
are christians rather than anything else we
are TOLD; they have no quarrel with the church,
ana are powerful advocates of temperance
their rules fOrbidding the admission to the
order OF any man who makes money out of
rum.
The officers say, too. that their object is not
violence, but the making OF peace and bring
Ing about of justice" and that the mission of
tne ORDER is "as An organizer, agitator and edu-
Gator, and to enable wOrkmen to "exact con-
cessions from capital, often without striking"
SO tnat it is ga harmonizer and peacemaker."
Yet II does not hesitate to approve of that fear
lui weapon, the boycott. to accomplish its pur-
poses, the local assemblies having power to
boycott whOmsoever they please in their own
precincts. Nor do they refrain from resorting
10 the measure, the extent to which bOycotting
ls now carried being far greater than is gener-
ally supposed. For instance, we are told that
even In so small a town Richmond no less
than lightweight firms are under the ban. A
strike is a matter of much more elaboration
IL Is true that a local assembly may order q
strlke on its own motion. but to get aid from
the superior bodies the causes OF the trouble
must be investigated by officers of the district
assembly, and their efforts to bring about har-
nony must be spent unavailingly.