The sun., 1886-10-14
GENERAL MASTER WORKMAN POwDERLY.

GENERAL MASTER WORKMAN POWDERLY.
His Annual Address to the knights Of Labor.
At the present session in Richmo nd, Va,
OF the General Assembly OF knights OF
Labor, General Master w orkman Powderly
delivered his animal address, as follows:
| The most eventful and trying year Of our ex.
| istence as an order has ended. II we are guided
Ssos Of
| safe and sure that no assaults from Its enemies
| can injure 1t. II we are not Rnided by that ex-
| the times, and we close this general assembly
without having improved on the past, we Will,
fail to properly represent s those who S sent tr us
| organized. The new members SO suddenly
brought together could not be properly assimi.
lated THOUSANDS have been attracted toward
| come for purely selfish motives; while the great
| bulk of our new recruits have joined us for the
good that they could do. Quite few have en-
tered our order for the purpose of redressing
| existing wrongs. and, before waiting to learn
| arything concerning the duty OF the Knight to
| the order, have plunged into rash and 1ll-cOn-
sdered strikes. 1t Is an established fact that
| men who were employed by detective agencies
stood up on the floor OF the last general assem-
bly,. made lammatorys speeches urging the
! property of the street car companies be de-
| stroyed. It was only the good sense ot the men
| that prevented such outrageS from being perpe-
| trated, although these agents OF nefar1ous spy
| system induced ssme desperate men to blow up
| the cars upon the streets of st. Louis. For
| these Outrages the order was in no way respOn-
| sible. The St. Louis car troubles were but the
beginning Of the tidal wave Of strikes and boy
| colts which swept over the country. and which
strained the strength and resources OF yOur gen.
| eral officers almost beyond their powers OF en-
.durance. It has been asserted that I condemned
| the Missouri Pacific men while they were on q
strike. No such statement ever escaped my
lips. 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
! panies, with full knowledge Of what these
| grievances were, precipitated the fight them
selves at q time when it would appear to the
| world that the strike was for an insignificant
| cause.
THE EIGHT HOUR STRIKE,
which took place May 1, was not successful ex-
cept in cases where employers and employees
xna IN ga eaop Or sre she psp
| many cases the system of working long
hours has been revived The Federation of
| Trades recommended the 1sJ of May. but adopted
or suggested no definite plan by which the short
| hour system could be inaugurated. / cautioned
| our members against rushing into this move
ment. had the right to do 1t. and am firm In
the belief that had not done so great loss would
| have been entailed upon vast numbers OF our
| assemblies. What said in my secret circular
of March 13 has been severely criticised. and
| have been accused Of opposing the eight hour
| movement. No statement ever was further from
| the truth. reduction OF the hours OF labor Is q
| necessity and sooner or later must be had, but
| we must not forget that in many places the ten
| hour plan has not been adopted yet. The very
discussion Of the sudden introduction Of the
| eight hour plan injured business, so much so
| that in many places men were reduced to half
time or thrown out OF employment altogether
Millions Of dollars M worth Of work -, was lei5
to taking contracts or in making engagements
to perform work Never was it more
the concern Of all" than III the movement am
speaking Of Before the eight-hour plan is
i adopted. the Knights of Labor and the trade
| unions OF America must lay aside their jeal-
| ouses and differences, come together. name .
day on which to put the plan into execution
| adopt the plan of action. which must be gradual
employer or workman. Before short-hour
| system that will be of any benefit to mankind
can be inaugurated. the relation which the work.
man bears to the labor-saving machine must
| undergo radical change. Shorten the hours Of
| labor under our present system and the streets
VII not pc em2fied @ OF d raslr ad ade his
dren will be called into service to feed them The
assertion that the advocate Of short hours de-
production gradual, healthy. and have it keep
sumner. keeping al men employed.
| producer remain a consumer TO his fullest ca
pacity, that we desire shortening Of the hours
OF labor. Visit our large and small factories and
| feeder of the machine of the present We already
hear of machines in course Of perfection which
will set the tl pc and mould the cigars faster
| than human hands can do the work; and elec-
tricity will take the throttle lever from the
| hand Of the man who runs the locomotive. The
day will soon dawn when these agencies will be
| doing their work: and when that day does come
| the mechanic, now so proud OF his calling, will
stand face to face with the alternative Of asking
or he os the Of the
man who now seeks to array labor against labor
| in asserting that the "$3 day man should not
who works for 81 a day" will either seek to crowd
the 81 day man out OF his place or accept the
crumbs Of charity to sustain life. History will
repeat itself, and the fight for existence will be
waged with unrelenting fury
WHAT Is THE REMEDY? ~
The machine must become the slave Of the
| man, instead of keeping the man in attendance
on and subordinate to the machine. A plan of
| co-operation through which the workman may
control the machine he operates must one day
supersede the present system. To properly map
| out such a plan requires more time than have
| had or am likely to have at my disposal I can
| only cooperate with others in the work.
| The thirteenth article in our declaration Of
principles reads. "The prohibition. by law, Of
he employment Of children under fifteen years
| of age In workshops, mines and factories. The
end sought for in carrying this declaration into
effect is not that the child may live in idleness
| 1t Is not that more adults may be employed It
is that the child Of the poor man may be enabled
| to acquire an educatton to equip him for the
duties which viii tn future fal upon M him as man
| easy Of accomplishment; without 1t. hope itself
| almost dies, and liberty is farce. In our Or
ganizations of labor, and it has been SO from the
beginning, we take up the work Of reform when
| the subject is advanced in years-the new mem
Der must be above sixteen years before we admit
false ideas gathered in from the workshop or,
possibly the street corner. His habits are
| formed, and the work that should have been
| begun at seven years we take up at twenty or
later on in life II the principles Of the Knights
| Of Labor are right. and few men question them.
| we should teach them to the young. 1t should
be q part Of the duty Of every assembly to ascer-
| tain the number OF children who do not attend
| school In its vicinity, learn what the causes are
take to have The
the slave, but its education and organ
| ization that make Of him free man. He Is
still a slave whose limbs alone have been freed
| ask that a special committee on education be
| appointed to prepare and recommend to this
general assembly plan for the better education
! of the American youth The trouble with trade
unions in which certain Of our members and as
semblies have been engaged was greatly magni-
fed and distorted. There were mistakes made
been 20 jealous in their way of organizing that
they have encroached upon the prerogatiye Of
other associations and on several occasions the
rights OF our members have been
SERIOUSLY 1NTERFERED WITH
by members Of trade unions. For the future,
recommend that all matters likely to create a
breach Of the e'peace between our order and any
other be at once submitted to the executives Of
both ORGANIZATIONS. This plan has worked well
in every new case called to my attention since
the Cleveland session. and It is worthy 'of
| adoption. More trouble has been caused us by
men who profess to be members 6f the Knights
Of Labor than by members ef trade unions, I
union, dees eyerythina honorabie IL his power
to defend and peFpetuate his organization: but
for the Knights OF Labor who would even at-
tempt to subordinate our order to any other /
have nothing but contempt. In my estimation,
| there 10 but one place FOR such man, and that
is on tho outside Of the order. II the represent-
stives Of the trade unions and Of our order ome
together, ana both are siubere In tl1etr devotion
to their respective Organisations, al honest and
| satisfactory solution Of every difficulty can be
i arrived At have never, during the seven years
that have served as general master workman,
made member Of this order . subject Of per-
sonal or public criticism or abuse. Such treat
ment has not been accorded to me. whether
the intention was to have me reply through the
public press do not know but have made IL .
rule never to speak in criticism, harsh or other
wise. Of man. except when standing face to
race with him. And have % studiously re-
Trained from replv1nR to or dAnvinr aktacka or