The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1886-05-11

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story. From now until the General AS
sembly meets l will receive no commit.
tees, answer no letters, / must formulate
plan for the future and will not be inter
ieTea with, Let me repeat, will receive
nocommittees, answer no letters, nor will
l go anywhere at the request Of membera
OF assemblies, This Is imperative. !
must have a chance to do something oi
benefit for the order, and can not do 1t
II am to sit for eighteen hours q day
reading letters which have been answered
and reansWered in the Journal and con-
stitution. What will say to the General
Assembly will be- said to the entire order,
and you must give me time to prepare 1t,
TROUBLESOME MEMBERS,
We have some trouble from drinking
members and from men who talk about
buying guns and dynamite, II the men
who possess money enough to buy guns
and dynamite would invest 1t In the pur-
chase Of Roms well selected work on labor,
they would put the money TO good use.
They will never need the gun or dynA-
mite In this country. II Is my opinion
that the man who does not study the poll
tics Of the Nation and the wants Of our
people would make but little use OF rifle,
The man who cannot vote intelligently
and who will not watch the man he votes
ior alter he is elected, cannot be depended
upon to use either gun or dynamite, II
the head, the brain OF man can not work
out the problem now confronting US, his
hand alone will never solve 1t, II | kill
my enemy silence him, 1t Ia true, but !
10 not convince him. | would make Q
convert rather than aCoTpSe Of my enemy.
Men who own capital are not our enc
mics. II that theory held good, the work
man OF to-day would be the enemy Of his
fellow toiler on the morrow, for after all,
1t Ia how 10 acquire capital and how to use
it properly that we are endeavorlng TO
learn. No; the man ot capital Is not
necessarily the enemy Of the laborer; on
the contrary, they must be brought closer
together. ! am well aware that some ex.
tremlsts will say Rm advoCatinga weak
plan, and will say that bloodshed and de.
strucaon ot property alone will solve the
problem. To our drinking member l ex.
.end the hand OF kindness. | hate the
uses to which rum has been put, but 1t Is
my duty to reach down and lift up the
man who has fallen victim To the use Of
liquor. II there is such Q man within the
sound Of the SeCretary's voice when this
is read, then ! ask him to stand erect on
the floor Of his assembly, raise bis hand to
heaven and repeat with me these words:
II am a knight Of Labor"
THE CURSE or STRONG DRINK.
l believe that every man should be free
from the evils Of slavery whether the
slavery appears In the shape Of monopoly,
uSuTy or intemperanCe. The frmest link
IN the chain OF oppression Is the one |
forge when drown manhood and reason
in drink. No man can rob me OF the
brain my God has given me unless am q
party to the theft. II one moments for.
gettulness or inattention to duty while
drunk brings defeat To the least OF labor's
plans, lifetime OF attention to duty
alone can repair the loss. l promise
never again to put mysolt in such posi-.
ton. We have, through some unfortu-
nate misunderstanding, incurred the en-.
nifty OF several trade unions. While l
can find no excuse for the unmanly attack
made upon US by some OF these people at
time when we stood face 10 face with q
most perplexing question, neither can l
see any good reason why there should be
any cause for quarrel. We must have
10 Clashing between the men OF labot's
army. II ] am the cause Of the trouble,
stand ready at q moments notice to make
way for any one Of my rivals whom the
General Assembly may select. Break the
power Of the Knights oi Labor and you
hand labor, bound hand and foot, over to
ltS enemies,
Years ago extended an invitation to
men Of all trades 10 become o part and
parcel Of the knights OF Labor. To-day l
stand ready TO make every honorable con.
cession, to do everything In honor to bring
about better feeling between trades
unions and the knights Of Labor. At the
special session OF the General Assembly
the entire trouble can and must be settled.
II mistakes have been made they must be
reotidedj II wrongs have been inflicted
they must be righted. But there Is one
thing that will not be done while stand
at the head Of this o'ganization-it will
not be used to further the schemes OF in.
diyiduals, cliques or parties, and II will be
subordinate 10 no other organization on
earth.