The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-10-16
THE KNIGHTS, ASSEMBLY.
The Report on the Southwestern Strike--Th
Co-Operative Board Completed.

RICHMOND Va, Oct 15.-When the General
Assembly, Knights Of Labor, went into session
this morning, at o'clock, the first business to
general officers, two members of the general CO.
operative board. 1t was expected that this
would take but short time, and that the con-
alteration of the report on the revision of the
constitution, presented by the committee on law
would be resumed. This, in turn, was to be
followed by reports from other committees
nearly all OF which are ready to report Among
che fret to be presented Is the report of the com
mittee on the state of the order, of which Ralph
Beaumont is chairman. The report Endorses the
report of the committee on legislation, of which
Beaumontis also chairman, and recommends that
the supplementary report of the same committee,
in which plan for a congress, composed of
representatives of the Knights of Labor to be es-
tablished at Washington, be sent out to all the
local assemblies for their approval Mr.. Beau
mont is daily in receipt of letters, both from
Knights of Labor and others, commencing his
idea. The committee on the state of the order
also indorses the general master workman's ad-
dress to the General Assembly and recommends
the Endorsement Of the report of Charles H
Litchman, special agent, appointed by the gen.
eral master workman to represent the order be-
fore the congressional committee appointed to
Investigate the cause and effect Of the South
western railroad strike. In his report, Mr..
Litchman rectes that hearings were held at
various places In Texas and Arkansas, and says:
''The testimony in behalf Of the railroad was
mainly to show what great damage had been
caused by the strike to the railroad property and
commerce; that it had been begun on frivolous
Dretext without real cause and that the Order
Of the Knights of Labor was directly responsible
for all damage done and all acts of violence COM
mitted. With the unlimited resources at their
command, 1t was comparatively easy for the
railroad officials to carefully drill their wit
nesses in line OF statements which should fl
each other, and this preliminary drilling was
painfully apparent in the testimony given. Like
. lot Of parrots they all echoed the statement
that the only cause they had ever heard assigned
Tor the strike was the discharge of man named
Hall, at Marshall, Tex. The ludicrous tame
ness of this reply finally upset the dignity of the
committee after being repeated some sixty
times, never failing to bring broad smile to
their faces In the testimony presented on be-
half of the order. we endeavored to show that
the contract of 1885 had been persistently
broken, and that long line of grievances had
been suffered. complained of and considered by
the districts in volved and that when the dis
trict assembly was in session at Marshall mat
ters eliminated in the discharge Of Brother G. A.
Hall upon limsy pretext"
AS an exposition of the case from the stand
point OF the men who struck, the testimony be-
fore the committee at Parsons, Tex by Edward
B. Hollis, one of the strikers, is quoted
Concluding his report, Mr.. Litchman saws:
'The testimony OF other witnesses at various
places was corroborated by that of Brother
Hollis and showed conclusively the existence
i valid reasons of complaint, and a system of
petty tyranny on the part Of railroad under
bosses, which was beyond the power Of human
forbearance to patiently endure All through
the investigation one fact was plainly shown,
which could not fail to gain the admiration of
all, and that was the answering LOYALTY of the
members, in obedience to the orders of their
Superiors, when the word to strike came In
many instances the question was asked: Would
you strike again under similar circumstancesP
Most assuredly yes was the unfailing reply
/ cannot but think, as the result of
my investigation, that the railroad company had
its spies in our assemblies and was fully in
formed OF every move made and the action con-
templated. Knowing that the discomfort exist
ing would soon provoke conflict the company
quietly massed large surplus of help in that
section and held them in readiness for an emer-
Rency The company was better prepared than
the men. | have no doubt that the claim of
Brother hollis Is correct-that the knights had
good reason to believe the engineers would ioin
them for a prominent railroad official told me
personally that the road fully expected that the
engineers would join the Knights, and had quiet
distance
20 take their places. Fortunately he said, we
were able to make an arrangement by which the
engineers remained loyal, and the men from a
distance were not needed Perhaps an oppor-
tune visit OF f. NJ Arthur, chief of the Brother
hood OF Locomotive Engineers, to the South
west Just at that time, may have been referred
to. 1t is easy enough now to say that the strike
was illtimed, ill -advised and badly managed
1t is easy enough now to make Martin Irons a
scapegoat, and say he ordered the strik @ without
a rIlfh &c hat
sanibly voted to give the district board power to
demand an adjustment of the grievances COM
planned of and the reinstatement of Brother
Hall IL the board erred in acting prematurely
and without proper consultation with the general
executive board, the knowledge of the re-
sources they could command to carry on the
strike, the disastrous failure of the strike is suf
feient punishment without any harsh criticism
from me.
Among the interesting facts developed in the
course Of the investigation was the existence of
blacklist, upon which were placed the names
of ali persons discharged. There is reason to be-
leve that these back-lists are interchanged
among the railroads, thus making IL difficult for
q man discharged by one road to get emplov-
Hnent upon another"
Mr.. Litchman adds that he purposelv submits
the report without recommendation, and says he
acknowledges with gratitude the consideration
with which he was treated by the congressional
committee
c. t. Schlieber. of Massachusetts,, and J. III.
Brouehton, of Raleigh, NJ c., were elected mem
bers OF the general cooperative board. David
X Gibson, of Hamilton, Ontario, was elected
Canadian supply agent His duty Is to receive
supplies OF printed documents of all kinds in
bulk ana distribute them to local assemblies
throughout Canada. This completed the full
corps OF general officers, and their installation
immediately followed
Mr.; Powderiy, in addressing the General AS
semoly EXPRESSED full confidence in the men
elected, and pledged himself to the faithful per
formance of the duties intrusted to him. He
urged upon the assembly the Importance of
temperance. and asked them to endeavor to i'm
press the importance of this subject on the yari-
Qua local assemblies He called attention to the
fact that not one of the general officers elected
&C this General Assembly used intoxicating
liquors Each OF the general officers then for
maily pledged himself TO total abstinence from
intoxicating liquors during his twoyears term