Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-10-29
ORGANIZED LABOR,
.Oual Address of General Master
Workman Powderly, of the
Knights Of Labor.
.,snt Strikes Touched Upon, and the
Blame for Deeds Of Violence
Located.

Il . members o. tHe uc1iCf0t dSSenab1n.
y. No aro guided by the experience of the m a.
:, act accordingly, we can place the orlor
nm 4 footing SO safe and sure that no assanlt.
,s,m its enemies can injure it. If I'VE are NOT
r.;ael by that experience, if we fail to read
l,,tt the signs of the times, and we close thjs
General Assembly without having improved on
~ past, we will foil to properly represent thosa
IN sent us here.
THE rapid increase in organization since tho
u,milton session of the General Assembly was
vast marvellous. An examination of tho ra.
wits Of the General Secretary Treasurer for the
am ending July l, 1886. will show that in one
.aar 4, o IS assemblies have been organized Tho
sU members so suddenly brought together
oull not be properly assimilated. Thousands
ave been attracted toward the order t},ronoh
mere curiosity others have come for purely
elfsh motives; while the great bulk of our new
,c,uits have joined US for the good that thew
kouli do
orite u few have entered our order for the
Imrposo of redressing their existing WRONGS
Ind. before waiting to learn anything concern.
nc the duty of the Knight to the order. have
SIunscd into rash and ill-considered strikes.
Tbe troubles coming from this direction began
while the last General Assembly was in session
Xhe car-drivers of st. Louis were organized nm.
Fer promise from the organizor that they would
Feceivc aid. unst!nted. in case of q strike. Even
rtore the receipt of their charter they were on
trikc. Their proceedings were characterized
such utter disregard for our laws and teach
MS that the paid and known agents of their
Employers, tho detectives, had no difficulty in
acuring the passage Of motions of a violent
haracter 1t is an established fact that men
Tho were employed by detective agencies stood
AfNpr fNf hat,
natery speeches urging men to deeds
Ii violence, and urged that the property
ti tho street-car companies be DESTROYED.
was only the good sense of the men that pre-
Rented such outraSes from being perpetrated
erhough these agents OF nefarious spy system
niuced some desperate men to blow uD the
Ears upon the streets. For these outrages the
brier was in no way responsible. The St. Louis
Ear ;roubles We're but the beginning of the tidal
wave of strikes and boycotts which swept over
khe country, and which strained the strength
enl resources of yonr general officers almost be-
koud their powers of endurance
The Southwest strike began when the time
md attention of the general officers were taken
Lp with other matters of vital Importance, No
lotice of the contemplated action was given to
bis, and wo knew nothing whatever concerning
korthe causes leading to it until it had been in
progress several days
1t has been asserted that condemned the
men while they We're on strike. No such state
aent ever escaped my lips. The only state
tneMt of mine that could be made to appear in
the light of q condemnation was that contained
iA my secret circular OF the 18th of March, u
copy OF which is herewith submitted l did not
pot approve of thnt strike. could not do so,
since confidence enough was not reposed in the
General Executive Board to give them a chance
70 examine ne into the grievances which thu mem
bers of District Assembly 1Ol complained of.
II was only when the threat was made to stop
every wheel i'll the United States and engage
the whole order in the difficulty that raised
py voice in denial. did that in defense of the
IN 10
assume all the responsibilities attached to the
act and would do the same thing again under
similar circumstances
That the men of the Southwest suffered
wrongs is true; they were many and grievous ;
and it is my firm belief that the railway COM
lanles, with full knowledge of-what these
grievances were, precipitated the fight them
Selves ut q time when it would appear to the
world thnt the strike was for an insignificant
cause can do no better than to submit the
report of Brothers Litchman and Mcclure.
|taied to go with the Congressional Committee
|ahd with that committee examine into the
strike and its causes, 80 that an early report
fnlght be made to the order by its own represen-
fEe strike was wrong, then the entire order
sustained me in it, for when issued the appeal
FOR aid to support those whom the companies
tefused to treat with, I was generously sus-
Ieral SecretaryIreasurer will show. The docu-
Fments and correspondence relating to thnt
IsfikC are III your DISPOSAL.
Tho eight-hour strike which took place May
! was not successful except in cases where ON
fpoyers and employees were acting in harmony.
for where employers were willing to adopt the
|lan In many cases the old system Of work
Iing long hours has been revived. Tho Fedora
ton of Trades recommended the LIST of May,
put adopted or suggested no definite plan by
which the short-hour system could be inaugu-
ing into this movement 1 had the right to do
1t, and am firm in the belief that had not
ldcne 80 great loss would have been entailed
upon vust numbers of Our assemblies. What I
said i'll my secret circular of March Ii has been
severely criticised, and have been accused of
opposing the eight-hour movement. No state
lAent ever was further from the truth OPP
posed the strike of May because 1 knew that
Neither workmen nor employers were ready for
", because the education which must always
|precede Intelligent action had NOT been given to
those most in need OF it, because no definite,
fbusiness-like plan for the inauguration of the
Iesht-hour movement had been mapped out. In
fact, no preparat ons had been made to put the
Iplan, if it can be called plan, into execution.
These are the reasons why opposed the move
ment May l, and for these same reasons do
Isull oppose it..
A reduction of the hours of labor is q neoes-
sty, and sooner or later must be had but we
hour plan has not been adopted yet It may do
VERY we'll for IN organization which looks after
Tue interests of but one craft, or calling. to
neglect those who stand most in need Of help,
out u Knight of Labor must never close his
eyes to the wants Of the huinblest Of his fellow
Icreatures.
The very discussion of the sudden introduce
tion OF the eight-hour plan injured business SO
much 80 that In many places men We're re-
uuced to half-tme, or thrown out OF employ
IN altogether. Millions of dollars' worth
o. work was left undone because of the I'M
certainty in regard to taking contracts,
e u. IN making engagements to perform work:
sover was it more clearly demonstrated
mat AN injury to one is the concern
y ~, III than in the movement am speaking Of.
me householder. through uncertainty as to
now many hours OF labor his employees would
Mork for him, made no contracts to erect build
us ana the carpenter was thrown out OF en-
piloyment; the man who made the window
slass the man who made the nails-in fact, eve
~ man or woman engaged in the manufact ure
VI hrt!cles which 60 to build or furnish u house
suffered through tho attempt to enforce the
~ t.hour system May l. The move was in
s sne ris direction but the time and circum-
t nun plnn is adopted the Knights of Labor and
ny rue trades unions of America must lay aside
n neir jcalousies and differences, come together,
;uhe day on which to put the plan
m usn execution, adopt the pan OF action.
na t'G "a: must be gra ual and such as Will
tn" 'hlict injury uron either employer or WORK.
Gun. The plan presented by Mr.. Norton, o.
aase!nply ut Cleveland is good one i'll n afly
un ,vty particular. and if the workingmen's Or
ff;" on and the manufacturers assoc1a-
us agree upon putting into practice such
NJ p,ah u can be done without jar or friction
h o mofklngnan need strike, nor need business
;J .le adopt plan for the perfection OF this
inu or else place it in the hands of the lneom
- S General Executive Board, with instructio
NJ pellor1n the duty. If we do not do either lei