The Portland daily press., 1886-10-06
KNIGHTS OF LABOR.
PowderIy Presented with cavei by
Knights from Louisiana.
The Convention Organized and
Ready for Busin ess.
Text Of PowderIy's Address to be
Delivered To-Day.
A Thoughtful Speech which will be
Read with Interest.

NGdQ Witt interest,"
RICHMOND, Va. Oct 5.-General Worthy
Foreman Griffith called the Knights of Labor
convention to order at o'clock this morning
In the absence of Mr.. Powderly, who was
detained at his hotel by business
1t was announced that the committee on
credentials was not ready to report and moth
ing could be done until this report was re-
ceived. While waiting several speeches
were made by delegates
Shortly after 10 o'clock Mr.. Powderly ar
rived and was presented by Brother 20 Don
mel with gavel made from the wood OF an
orange tree that grew on the spot where
Gen. Packenham was killed at the battle OF
New Orleans. The presentation was made
on behalf of the New Orleans Knights.
1t was learned that the committee on Gre
dentials would not be ready to report until
o'clock this afternoon. The convention then
adjourned until that hour. 1t is believed
that the actual work of the convention will
not begin until tomorrow.
The committee of arrangements of the
local Knights appointed to determine the
details of the entertainment to be given the
considerably puzzled by the question of COM
mingling white and colored people at the
evening ball, and have finally decided to let
the matter settle itself. There will be dane
ing payilions at the fair grounds, but it is
not intended to assign one to the white and
one to the colored Knights The order rec
ognizes no such distinction, but the feeling
in regard to social intercourse of the races is
so well understood that no trouble is antici-
pated. 1t is expected that the colored pe0-
Pile will prefer to associate with their own
race, but still if the colored Knight and his
companion should prefer to dance with white
people at the other pavilion there will prob
ably be no attempt to prevent them. No
guests wishing to sit with the whites at the
banquet. The funds for the entertainment
of guests was raised by the local assemblies
of Richmond. Colored and white Knights
here have separate assemblies and the coler-
ed Knights have contributed something more
than the whites to the entertainment fund.
The arrangements for Monday include a pa
rade of local assemblies and visiting
Knights. Mr. Powderly, the executive COM
mittee and invited guests in carriages.
iel, Gov. Lee, Mr.. Powderly and others.
The Knights of Labor convention is not
yet ready to begin the business which called
it together. The committee on credentials
worked till late last night and began again
early this morning, but were not ready to re-
port till three o'clock this afternoon. From
that hour until $50 o'clock the time was oc-
cupied in reading a long roll Of over 800
names. The committee had reached decis-
ion on all but eight or ten names, and these
were referred to the convention itself. The
report presented was unanimous. Protests
were made on behalf of the delegates ex-
cluded by the decision of the committee. Ar
guments were made for and against the ac-
ceptance of the report, and if the statements
of delegates who left the hall during the de-
bate may be believed the feeling shown on
both sides in several cases was very strong.
At length the report was accepted, and 1t
was decided that those whose names had
been read from the roll prepared by the COM
mittee on credentials were entitled to seats.
When this result was reached the others
were requested to leave and quietly retired
from the hall.
The work of assigning seats to the re-
naming delegates then began and was COM
pleted at 730 o'clock, when an adjournment
was taken to 9 o'clock tomorrow morning.
Before adjourning it was decided that the
sessions of the convention shall be from a.
m. to II m. and 2 to 6 p. ~. daily until adj
jOurnm1nt.
Grand Master Workman Powderly's an
nual address will be presented to the con-
vention, it is expected, tomorrow afternoon.
It has already been made public and is as
follows:
To the Members Of the General assembly:
The most eventful and trying year of our
existence as an Order has ended, and we as
semble for the purpose of reviewing what
has been done, correcting those things that
are wrong, and of legislating for the future.
1t is required by law that the General Mas
ter Workman shall make out and submit
report of his official acts during the. year:
To report all of my official acts performed
QuIlIS bllG pdoI year WOulQ bdhC lIlOlC VI
your time than is at all necessary; and to
properly place them before you | would re-
Quire at least four weeks time In which to
prepare them for presentation.
| have all of my correspondence and letter
books within reach, and can on short notice,
refer to them in matters of detail. When the
law which requires of the General Master
Workman to make out a report was passed,
that officer was not a member OF the General
Executive Board. Now that he is member
of that body, the report of the Board must
naturally constitute areport of the important
part of the duties of the General Master
Workman, for my time during the year was
mainly. occupied with General Executive
Board business. refer you to the reports Of
the General Executive Board and other Off
GERS and agents of the General Assembly,
and will address you briefly upon some few
matters OF Importance, and make such Sug-
gestionS as / consider necessary.
If we are guided by the experience of the
past, and act accordingly, we can place the
Order upon footing so safe and sure that
noiaSSaultS.from its enemies can lnJure 1t. Ii
we are not guided by that experience, II we
fail to read Alright the signs OF the times, and
we close this General Assembly without hav-
ing improved on the past, we will fail to
properly represent those who sent us here.
The rapid increase in organizations since
the Hamilton session of the General Assem-
bly, was most marvellous. An examination
of the reports of the General Secretary Trea-
surer for the year ending July 1st, 1886, will
show that in one year 4,060 Assemblies have
been organized. The new members so sud-
denly brought together could not be properly
assimilated. Thousands have been attracted
toward the Order through mere curiosity;
others have come for purely selfish motives;
whi' the great bulk of our new recruits have
joined us for the good that they could do.
Quite a few have entered our Order for the
purpose of redressing existing wrongs, and,
before waiting to learn anything concerning
the duty of the Knight to the Order, have
plunged into rash and ill-considered strikes.
The troubles coming from this direction be-
gan while the last General Assembly was in
session. The car drivers of st. Louis were
organized under promise from the organizer
that they would receive aid, unstinted, in case
of strike. Even before the receipt of their
charter they were on strike. Their proceed
ings were characterized by such utter disre-
gard for our laws and teachings, that the paid
and known agents of their employers, the de-
tectives, had no difficulty in securing the
passage of motions of a violent character. 1t
is an established feet that men who were en-
ployed by detective agencies stood up on the
floor of that Assembly, made lnfiammatory
speeches urging the men to deeds OF violence
and urged that the property OF the street-eaT
companies be destroyed. Itwas only the good
sense Of the men that prevented such out
RACES from being perpetrated. although these
agents of a nefari0us spy system induced
lsome desperate men to blow up the cars upon
1.-THE streets. For these 0utrages the Order
WAS III no way IoopOuSiu4t. uO Nv t.ou4o
lear troubles were but the beginning of the
tidal wave Of strikes and boycotts which ch
lswept over the country, and which strained
1.-THE strength and resources of your General
sofficers almost beyond their powers of en-
durance
THE SOUTHWEST STRIKE
Began when the time and attention OF the
General Officers were taken up with other
matters of vital Importance. No notice OF
the contemplated action was given to us, and
we knew nothing whatever concerning it or
the causes leading to it until it had been in
progress several days.
1t has been asserted that condemned the
men while they were on the strike. No such
statement ever escaped my lips. The only
statement of mine that could be made to ap-
in the light Of condemnation was was taat
of March. a COPY of which is herewith sub
mitted. / did not approve Of that strike |
could not do so, since confidence enough was
not reposed in the General Executive Board
to give them chance to examine into the
grievances .which,the members OF D. A, lOl
Complained of. It was only when the threat
was made to stop every wheel In the United