The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1886-05-11

letter which comes to me on the
subject:
"a large pat Of our time has been
spent in reading boycott notices and
appeals for aid, keeping mp uctll IL
o'clock. We were led to believe the
Knights Of Labor 10 be an educational
institution, but this kind OF education
is not productive Of good. We have
no time for instruction. What DO you
advise us to do?'
advised them either TO burn or
table these matters, and now aek oil
the secretary Of each assembly to do
the same. II your journal were no.
boycotted by our members II could De
made the medium Of communicate
between tie general officers OF the
order, but the Journal is not read by
| one quarter Of the assemblies. Some
assent lies send out documents in en-
We Opes addressed to Secretary OF AS
sembly No. -" In many places the
secretaries have been diPcbarged be-
cause Of this practice. No member
has The right 10 address another in
that way, snd IL II is ever practiced
again the offender will be punished.
In the future the General Executive
Board must be iutsIiered with in
ihs performance OF its duty. III sou
have nfdente in them, su3ta' IN them
and obey them II DOT, ask for their
res gnstions. While the board vas
eBdeavohng 10 settle the Southwest
trouble assemblies in some places,
with The best OF intention, no doubt,
were passing aad publishing re'olu
mons condo inning Jay Gould. These
things d d no good on the ctnuary,
thsy were injurious. In the sstlt-
m mt OF tr lubles il hesomes the duty
OF tbs Exc n,ive Board ID n Get every
tody and 20 everywhere. WIFI they
ire doing this u ey must not be ham-
pered by II &C iol Q Cf these who do
not know what their Ia k is. Keep
quiet, let your officers do their besr,
and il GU cannot find way 10 aid
them, do not let nd their progress.
r soluti N do not prevent land steal
irg, stock watering or gambling in the
restssliies of life. II l had my mind
made up to rob bank az mid
night, a ItriIg OF resolutions as
long IS the mo al law protest
ing fgaiust my conlempla ed schon
would not IL fluence me particle, but
If some interested party would take
the trouble t. study up the question,
aud you d inform himself as to my
right to rob the bank, and would
stand gusrd at the door OF the vault, ]
won d net iobit at midnight II he did
his duty. What we want from every
msmb. r ia not gush or windy resolu
tons about our rights. We know we
have rights without passing resolu
tons. Men who think, study and acI
are reauired. The General As emily
will meet in Epscial session on the 25tr
OF MAY, in the city OF Cleveland. From
the re ceipt OF this letter you must moi
address any communications to me
nCr need you expect an answer II you
do. / have Thousands OF lette tileC
up around me now, and they neve
can be read, much less answered, by
one man. During and since
my illness the mail delivered a
my houss exceeded 400 letters I
day. They come from everybody anC
everywhere. / must play the part o.
wheel. rse instead OF leader Of 1
great movement, and our own mem
bers are responsible for 1t. asked
through the Journal that no one senC
letters TO me. / am told by fOme Il
get help. II l bad fifty assistants I
would do no good, for II takes my
whole time to read oue-half OF the let
tsrs, and in the middle OF my work
am wait d on by some committee, Wit
generally misrepI eSent me after they
leave, for every member OF the com
mittee will tell a different story. From
now until the General Assembly meet
will receive no committees; auswe
no letters. 1 must formulate q plaI
for the future, and will not be inter
iertd with. Let me repeat, ] will re
ceivo no committees, answer TO lei
ters; nor will l 20 anywhere a
The request Of members OF assemblies
Tnis is imperative. l must have
chan ca to do something OF bentfi t 10
the de-, and cannot do IL II | am :
sit for eighteen hours a day leadin
letters which have been an swered an
re-answered in the Journal and const
tutor. What | will say to the Gen
eral Assembly will benefit the eutir
order, and You mutt give me time t
prepare II.
We have had some trouble irlr
drinking members and from men VIII
talk about buying guns and dynamite
Ii the men Tho pos iees money enoug
to buy guns aad dynamite wolld II
We II in the purchiss OF aoms we
selected work on labor, they would pu
the money 10 good use, They wi
never use the gun or dynamite IN tbi
country. 1t Is my opinion that tn
man who does not study the politics {
the nation end the vans {
our peop'e would make but it'll
use OF a rifle. The man who connC
, vote intelligently, and who will nc
watch the m an he votes for after he
elected, cant OF be depended upon
, use either gun or dynamite. II tn
head, the brain OF man cannot wor
out the problem now confronting II
his hand alone will never tolve It. II
-. kill my enemy silence him, il is thu
, but DO not convince him. Iwoul
4 make a Q, nvert rather than CorrS
!, OF my enemy. Men who own capiu
/ are not our enemies. II that theoI
a held good the workman to-day woul
\ bs the enemy Of his fellow toiler Q
/ the morrow, for after all IL Is how
acquire capital and how to use Il pro
A erly that we are endeayoring TO lear
4 No, the man Of cspital Is not niece
= sarily the enemy Of the laboTtr. Q
y the contrary, they must all be bTougl
y closer together. l AN we'll aware tb
: some extremists will say 1 a
q advocating weak plan, al
y say that bloodshed and d
4 structon OF property alone "
\ solve the problem. To our drin
= Ing member I extend the baud
4 kindntss, IhRte the usea to Whit
rum hna been nut. but IL il nv du