Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1886-09-04
For THE HERALD.
THE KNIGHTS OF LABOR.

g Knights OF Labor" prompts the
writer of this, a member OF the order,
to make the following reply:
The Statesman is misintormed
when it asserts, that one of the fun
damental principles of the order is
to exclude politics from it, " the sub
ject not being allowed to be discuss
ed.u
| admit that partisan politics is
excluded, but politics in the general
sense of the term is not. Any citi-
izen wishing to exercise the right of
suffrage intelligently, should from
the very nature of the case be more
or less of politician. 1t is one OF
those inalienable rights which the
Statesman will not dare to deny him.
The fact of a man being a member
OF this order, does not deprive him OF
that right.
l read further: "There are de-
signing men, however, i'll the order,
who it can hardly be doubted went
into it for the express purpose of
reaping some political advantage by
their connection with it,"
To this | would say -" Judge
not that you may not be judged"
But should the assertion prove true,
the members of the order will know
how to dispose of them, without the
advice of the Statesman. The arti.
Gle further reads, and right here is
where the shoe pinches -" We
have heard right here in our midst,
rumors of various dickers, and com
binations proposed, whereby the
knights of Labor are expected to
assist in defeating the candidates of
the Democratic party, whoever they
may be-"
In the first place, l will say that
the Knights of Labor are not re-
sponslble for any rumor the States
man may have heard; but suppose
this rumor to be true, have not the
Knights the unquestlonable right to
try to defeat any party, they may
deem it to their interest to do so /?
But the Knights have no desire of
defeating the Democratic party any
more than any other party. Both
of the dominant parties having prov.
ed false to their trust, in having fail
ed to make good the promises to
the laboring and producing class,
for these many years, and therefore
have forfeited all claims and lost the
confidence of the laboring men. To
prove this assertion has not the con-
dltion of the working men been get.
ting worse under Republican pro-
lection from year to year, and is it
not growing from bad to worse
under Democratic free trade agita-
ton?
Again l read -" We do not be-
Iieve the rank and file composing
the body can be so blind to their
interest land he should have add
ed) as to vote to keep either of the
old parties in power any longer.
Again the Statesman says in so
many words, the Knights have a
perfect right to select their candi-
dates from both political parties, but
they must not undertake to select
of their own choice,
from their own ranks; that would
never do, o no, never! The dear
laboring man is good enough to
elect but not good enough to select
Suppose We reverse
the proposition of the Statesman, of
selecting our candidates from the
tickets of both parties, and select
one of our own, and ask both parties
to select their candidates from our
ticket. Would not such a ticket
stand a good chance of being elect
ed, and could either party express
their love for the dear working man
in more substantial manner than
this 7 Again we read -" If man
should be nominated by either party,
even if he be a member of the
Knights of Labor, whose private
interests are not in accord with the
underlying principles of the order,
there is no consistent reason why
his fellow members should feel call
ed upon to vote for him." In
answer to this assertion | will quote
4 decision of the General Master
Workman, he says: Il always vote
for brother member, in preference
to outsiders, on the grounds that if
trae to his rOU he qoiH be true to
labor, and, as matter of course,
must be better than the other can.
dIdate." In conclusion the Statesman,
processes to be the friend of the
man, and a member of that
noble army of martyrs. Not wish.
ing to doubt the sincerity of the dec.
/ feel nevertheless con-
strained to ask, why does the States
man throw this firebrand, wien an
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