St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-07-20
An Immense Audience Listens to Forcible
Labor Speech by Master Workman
Powderly.
Important Developments, Real and Ru-
mored, Touching the Late Motor
Line Trouble.
Ministers Point n Moral TO Ihe1r
Flocks From Lessons Taught by
the Lake Disaster.
Two Lively Bloods--Over the Falls--
Call for Holiday--Heavy
Storm--Itens.
KNIGHTS OF LABOR.
Am Interesting Address by a High
official OF the Order.


lies. vino came to listen to the lecture by
Terrence V. Powderly, general master
workman of the Knights of Labor of the
United States. The floor of the auditorium
was crowded. chairs being placed III the
allies and on the sides. while in the gallery
above every seat was taken. Mr.. Powderly
smoke nearly Two hours elOquently and
fOrcibly. When fairly started on his theme
every sentence seemed to strike home, ana
he was continually greeted by applause
throughout his discourse. His address was
exceedingly well tempered. 1t was plain
convincing argument for the Worklngman,
which appealed to the reasan and not to the
preiudices OF his hearers. The Characters
tie humor of the man, cropped out III anec-
doteS which he used effectively to Illustrate
his points, while many of the pictures Which
he drew of the suffering and misery of the
poor were given with an eloquence which
made strong impression.
Shortly after o'clock j. p. McGauhey
introduced the speaker on behalf of the
Knights of Labor of Minnesota, saying
that the first organization of the brother
hood in Minnesota was in October, 1873.
The policy has been such as to command
general respect. while the progress and de-
VelOpment speaks for itself. lie took pleas
IRE in introducing one to whom so much
credit is due for the present strength of the
organization, L. Y. POwderly Of Pennsyl-
vania.
TIE LECTURE.
In responding Mr.. POwderly said that
when introduced to an audience of this size
he always felt a hesitancy III beginning,
especially when the organization is men
fioned-when such an organization is men
toned with an aim so grand and lofty, a
Ia info na11rnSSad
You do not come here to hear me-the man
is nothing. You are here to hear me speak
on labor. question which effects you so
materially.
As you know. the organization of the
Knights of Labor has been in your state for
some time. and will remain until it has ac-
complished some good, for such is its
object.
In Philadelphia in 1865 party of gar
ment makers met and formed a society OF
their trade. -Four years later a member
arose at a meeting and said: ''When L
joined this society [ worked ten hours
day. Now L work twelve hours and for
less pay. If should die
this society will attend my funeral
and will help me in sickness, but there
should be something more, some further
aim" One month later when the society
met motion was made to dissolve and was
carried. AS the 800 members were leaving
the hall an old man arose and asked how
many were in favor of forming an organic
stion which would include all crafts
where the trades could take coun-
sci together. Only six responded for
The seven remained that night, and after
some consultation adjourned. One month
later they met, Nov. 9, 1857, and formed
The first lodge of the Knights of Labor.
"a
throughout the Keystone state to the states
of New York and New Jersey, crossed the
Alleghanes and the Mississippi, and to-
night there is not a state or territory
I'm the Union in which there is
not branch of the Knights of
Of Labor, with the intention of doing good
TO all of Gods creatures and without COM
batting any or meaning to lnJure single
human being we intend to go on until we
have accomplished some benefits to the hui
man race.
The speaker here depressed to illustrate
why it was necessary to include all the
different trades by showing how the strike
of any one class affects all the others,
how every department and branch
of trade, except the men it is intended to
iniure. 1t is necessary to understand that
an injury to one is the concern of all. AS
for religion, do not let your preiudiceS or
opinions interfere to prevent your helping
each other.
BEWARE OF JEALOUSY
the jealousy which prevents a man from
accomplishing anything for himself Accuse
no man of wrong until you know he is
wrong.
AS for dynamite or the torch, we want
nothing to do with it. We kill systems not
men. and fight to take from them the power
to Cypress their kind. Our ammunition con-
siStS Of ideas, not powder and bullets.
We ask that eight hours of labor shall
constitute a days work. One hundred
years ago man said that the
men then on the earth could
produce in four hours ali that
was necessary to supply the wants of all
for twenty-four hours. A voice: ''WhO
was there?'
BENJAMIN Franklin was the man who
said that. and when he said it it took weeks
to cross the ocean, where now it only takes
days-thiS was before railroads and the tele-
graph. This was before the invention of
the Iabor-saying machinery, which will do
the work of 10 or 100 men. Don't under
stand that we object to machinery, for we
do not What we want is that its benefits
shall be distributed. and that one man shall
not derive all the adyaut"""S "-hile 10. 600
men, who are throw of work thereby,
are compelled to walk the streets.
THE EIGHT-nO,K SYSTEM.
Take four men who are working ten
hours a day, and lessen their time
of labor two hours day
and YOU can give a fifth man, who is idle.
days work of eight hours. But they will
say: There is just as much produced.
Well. we don't want to stop production, we
want to increase the consumption. It's a
bad policy to tell a man who is getting too
fat to stop eating as Il remedy. Don't say
that because the farmer has raised too
much wheat that the poor in the East must
must Starve. or because the shoemaker has
made too many many shoes that the poor
must 90 bare-fOOted. There are 1000, 600
idle men III the country. Suppose only two
thirds Of these will 90 to work if they have
an opportunity. By lessening the hours of
labor of 1000 600 men two hours each a
day. these 1000, 900 men can go to work.
These men then become producers. Each
will want to buy bread, hats, clothing and
the necessities of life. This will start up
the looms, and tine shops which have
been idle will be started
up TO supply this demand. We don't claim
the men will get the pay for ten hours
work. but the thousands of men who are
idle will thus be given employment. In
order TO carry out this eght-hour law it
must be maugurated i'll every state OF the
Union, and this is
ONE OF THE MISSIONS
of the Knights of Labor. There is only
one argument that is brought against the
eight-hour law, and that is that the men
viii spend the extra two hours in the
saloons. Suppose, for the sake of argu-
1QQnt q nf