St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-10-07
KNIGHTS OF LABOR.
Master Workman Powderly Makes
Am Able Address.

An Able Address.
HAMILTON, Ont, Oct. 6.-The general
assembly of the Knights of Labor recon-
vened this morning. Master Workman
Powderly, in his address, said he had pre-
pared the draft Of a bill to be presented to
congress, which will, if adopted, prohibit
the employment of inmates of a state or
county prison on government work of any
kind. He recommended that congress
should be asked to incorporate all trade and
labor associations in the district of COlum-
bia and the territories of the United States;
also, to amend the bill passed last session
to prohibit employment of foreign labor un-
der contract. Some postmasters who en-
ployed labor intercepted and opened COM
munications between officers of the assem-
bly,. The remedy was to prohibit employ
ers from acting as postmasters.
The working people of the states
should earnestly demand of congress
the passage of a law creating postal saving
banks. The passage of Mr.. Oates bill, in
troduced at last session of congress, prohib-
iting aliens from holding large tracts of
land, should be insisted upon, and the as
Sembly should go futther in demanding that
all lands now held for speculative purposes
should be restored to the public domain.
He discountenanced a proposition to inaug-
urate strike for the establishment of the
short-hOurs plan on May 1, 1886. He be-
lieVed an annual convention should be held
in every state, territory and province, to be
composed of representatives from all labor
organizations in the boundaries of the state,
territory or province, to discuss all matters
relating to labor industry. Boards of in
dustry should be organized
IN EVERY MUNICIPALITY
which should keep watch over the destinies
OF workers. Workingmen on the continent
Of North America, he said, must take some
action looking to the prevention of immi-
grafton during the periods of depression.
This country can no longer be called the
workshop of the world. Every step to
make it the poorhouse of the world should
be resisted. He then touched on boycott
ing, and said that when the end sought for
had been accomplished it should be discon-
tinued. Drunkenness, which was preva-
lent during strikes, should be punished by
expulsion. He pointed out weak spots in
cooperation and the mutual-beneft organi-
cations. He suggested similar cooper
ative movement to the one located in Gov
ington, KY, be inaugurated in every local
ity where there is an assembly.
This plan, he said, binds the workingmen
and his employer together in a movement
in which their interests are identical. The
assistance fund should be abolished and
another plan substituted. Workingmen had
come to look at it as a fund to support
strikes. This was not true. No strike
should be ordered without the sanction of
the general executive board, and then only
after every other effort had failed The
executive board should act as national
board Of conciliation and arbitration. He
thought it was time for Knights of Labor
to be more careful about championing
strikes of other organizations. 1t had
brought odium on itself in the past in some
instances for its generosity. Before taking
sides hereafter, it should be fully convinced
that there was right On the side of the
laborers. He hoped that the statement that
the Brotherhood of Engineers was opposed
to the Knights of Labor wasn't true. He
discouraged the formation Of any more ma
tional trade assemblies, as step back
wards.