San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1886-05-11

| OF IaDOf OF CnlCdBO, ana VIII De Tcdu III Ndfl-
Gus assemblies during the coming week:
NOBLE ORDER X. OF L., OF AMERICA,
PHILADELPHIA, May 3, 1856.
To the Order MISUNDERSTANDING:
In response to secret circular, issued on
March u, there has been so generous an in
dorsement of the sentiments contained that il
has been unanimous | feel encouraged and
strengthened in the work. Nearly 1000 assem-
blies have pledged themselves to act on the ad-
vice contained in the circular of the 18th ult.
feel that IL only requires the coming to the
front of the real men of our order to set us
right before the world. We have been losing
ground, 50 far as public opinion is concerned,
Tor some time. One of the causes il that we
have allowed things to be done under the name
of Knights of Labor for which the OrganiZa-
ton was in no way responsible. | ask OF our
members to keep Jealous eye upon the do
ings of labor men who never labor, and when
they charge anything to our order in your To-
cality, set the seal of condemnation upon il at
once by denying it. II II paper crtiCiSes the
Knights of Labor or its officers, do not boycott
it; and if you have any such bOyCOtts on, re-
move them. \ journal not long since made
some uncomplimentary illusions to the Gene
raj Master Workman OF the Knights of Labor
and ut the next meeting of the nearest assem-
bly, motion was passed to boycott the paper;
and not that alone, but every person who adj
vertised in the columns of the paper. | wrote
TO the assembly asking that they remove the
boycott, and 1t was done: We must bear in
mind that our General Master Workman is
only a man, and Is not above criticism. We
demand for ourselves the right of free speech,
and we can not consistently deny it to others.
We must tolerate fair, open criticism. If re-
ply is necessary, make il in gentlemany and
dignifed manner If are criticised or
abused by blackguard sheet, treat il as you
would the blackguard himself-"in silence"
That our aims and objects are good, is no rca-
son why our members should be regarded rs
beings of superior build or material. We
no more the salt of the earth than millions Of
unknown others who do the work of the world.
In our dealings with labOrers and capitalists
we must deal justly and fairly by them, ana il
we would have equity done to us, we, in re-
turn, must do equity TO others. This is the
aim of the Knights of Labor, and must not be
lost sight of in future. Let me direct your at
tentiOn to few little abuses: | hnd that
wherever a strike occurs appeals for aid are
scattered broadcast among assemblies. Don't
pay one cent in the future unless the appeal
comes from your own District Assembly or Cen
eral Assembly. II boycott notices are sent to
you, burn them. have in my possession over
hundred boycott notices. which were sent to
assemblies with the request that they be
acted on.
The writer then speaks of the details Of
some of these letters and adds 1 hate the
word boycott" | was bOycOtted 10 years
ago and could not get work at my trade for
months. IL is II bad practice and has been
handed to us by capitalists. have no use for
it, only when everything else fails. Appeals
for aid, circulars, petitions and advertise
ments are every day scattered everywhere
throughout the order. | copy letter which
came to me on the subject. A large part of
tees and appeals for aid, keeping us until T.
o'clock We were led to believe the knights
of Labor to be an educational institution, but
this kind Of education Is not productive of
good. We haven't time for instructions.
What do you advise us to dor | advise them to
either burn or table these matters, and now
ask of the Secretary of each assG mbly to do
the same. If your journal were not bOycOttcd
by our members, it could be made the medium
OF communication between the general Off
GERS and the order, but the journal is not read
by one-fOurth of the assemblies. Some as
semblies send out documents in an envelope
addressed ITO the Secretary of Assembly No.
-" In many places the Secretary has been
discharged because of this practice. No MEM
Der has a right TO address another in that way
and if ii is ever practiced again the offender
will be punished. In future the General EN-
ecutive Board must not be nterfCrcd with in
the performance of its duty. If you have con-
1dence in them, sustain and obey them. II
not, ask for their designations. While the
Board was endeavOring to settle the south
west trouble, assemblies in some places with
the best intentions, no doubt, were passing
and publishing resolutions cOndemnfng jay
Gould. These things did no good; on the CON
trary, they were injurious. In the settlement
of troubles IL becomes the duty of the EXecu-
tive Board TO meet every body and to go every
where. While they are doing this they must
not be hampered by the actions of those who
don't know what their task is. Keep quiet
Let your officers do their best, and if you can't
lind anything to aid them, do not retard their
progress. Resolutions do not prevent land
stealing, stock watering or gambling in the
necessaries of life. If had my mind made up
TO rob bank at midnight, string of rcSOlu-
tiOns as long as the moral law protesting
against my contemplated act couldn't change
me; but ii some interested party would take
the trouble to study up the question ard
would inform himself as TO my right to rob the
bank, and would stand guard at the door of
the vault, wouldn't rob il at midnight ii he
did his duty. What we want from every MEM
Der is not gush or windy resolutions about
our rights. We knew we have rights without
passing resolutions. Men who think, study
and act are required.
The General Assembly will meet in special
session on the 18th OF May, i'm Cleveland From
receipt of this letter you must not address any
communications to me. Nor need you expect
an answer if you do. have thousands Of let
tiers piled up around me now, and they never
can be read, much less answered by one man.
During and since my illness the mail delivered
at my house has exceeded 400 letters daily.
They have come from everybody and every
where. i must play the part of a whcelhOrse
instead of the leader of "a great movement, and
our members are responsible for it. | ask
through the Journal, that no one send letters
to me. | am told by some TO get help. II
had 50 assistants, it would do no good, for It
takes my whole time to read one-half of the
letters, and in the middle of my work am
waited on by some committee who generally
misrepresent me after they leave, for every
member of the committee will tell a different
story. From now until the General Assembly
meets | will receive no committees and answer
no letters. j must formulate plan for the
future and will not be interfered with. Let
me repeat: VIII receive no committees and
answer no letters, nor will | go anywhere at
the request of members of assemblies. This
is imperative. | must have a chance to do
something of benefit for the order. and I can't
do IL il am to sit Is hours day reading let
tiers which have been answered and rean-
swered in the journal and constitution What
| will say TO the General Assembly will be said
to the entire order, and you must give me
time to prepare 1t. We have had some trouble
from drinking members and from men who
talk about buying guns and dynamite. Ifmen
who possess money enough 10 buy guns and
dynamite would invest il in the purchase of
some well selected work on labor, they would
put their money to good use. They will never
need gun or dynamite in this country. IL is
my opinion that the man who does not study
the politics of nations and the wants of our
people, would make but little use of rifle.
The man who can not vote integently and
who will not watch the man he votes for after
he is elected, can not be depended on to use
either gun or dynamite. If the head and brain
of man can not work out the problem now
confronting us, his hand alone will never solve
il. If kill my enemy silence him. il is true,
but do not convince him. | would make a
convert rather than a corpse of my enemy.
The men who own capital are not our enc
mics. II that theory held good, the workman
of to-day would be the enemy of his fellow
toiler on the morrow, for after all it is how to
acquire capital and how to use IL properly that
we are endeayoring to learn. No, men of capt.
tai are necessarily enemies TO labor. on the
contrary, they must be brought close together.
am well aware tnat some extremists will say
am advocating weak plan, and will say
that boodshed and destruction of property
alone will solve the problem. To our drinking
members ] extend the hand of kindness. /
hate the uses to which rum has been put, but
il is my duty TO reach a hand TO the man who
has fallen a victim to the use of liquors. If
there is such a man within the sound of the
Secretary voice when this is read, / ask him
to stand erect ON the floor of his assembly,
| raise his head TO heaven and repeat with me