The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-06-07
ANARCHY AMONG KNIGHTS OF LABOR.
The Dangerous Purposes Of the Element
Placed in Power at Cleveland.

Columbus (O.) Special.
The time has come for employers themselves
to take the lead, as the only trustworthy guides
and advisers of labor and the true captains of
industry" The workers have relied greatly
upon organizations Of their own. With intense
longing and hope, they have looked for some
years to the Knights of Labor especially, es hav-
ing broader and higher claims and avowing more
conservative principles than other labor organi
cations and offering an opportunity to advance
the interest of workers without lapsing into So
cialism or anarchy With intense grief, there
fore, they have seen that hope destroyed before
their eyes at this meeting of the Knights of La
bor They now see that the organization has
passed into the hands of the Socialists The
conviction is forced upon thoughtful men that
there is no just ground to hope that a similar
fate can be avoided by any organization which
secures real power in the interests of labor. and
thus offers large opportunities to demagogues
The facts in regard to the struggle which has
just ended are not well known outside of the
order. The publication of scandalous circulars
about the Home Club has only darkened counsel
and obscured the facts At the bottom tine issue
has been between the anarchic and socialistic
tendencies embodied in the secret league called
the Home Club and the conservative influence of
The relations of the prominent men in that secret
conspiracy with leading Anarchists in New York
and elsewhere are exceedingly close. The per-
sonal opinions of some of these Anarchists or
Socialists who call themselves knights of Labor
have been so freely expressed that in many cases
these men have felt compelled to hide themselves
under false names at hotels and in speeches, in
order to escape the odium of their avowed
opinions, while carrying their schemes for
the capture of the organization. They felt,
fhnv fuyr ffof4 hA lpEf hs
order was hostile to their theories, and secretly
organized themselves for the purpose of Selling
it and turning it to the uses of socialism, to the
control of socialistic ideas, and to the adoption
of the methods Of Anarchists
Who are these men2 It is scarcely necessary
to say, to intelligent Knights of Labor, that
scarcely any of them are real workers. Turner
is a rich grocer of Pennsylvania. Hayes is an
owner of two stores in New Brunswick, N. j.
Quinn, who was just elected by the Home Club
member of the executive committee, though I'M
derstood to have been once wage worker, now
lives in the same house with Justus Schwab, the
Anarchist, of New York, and has no visible &C.
cupation, save as labor agitator. Muller. of
Richmond, another instrument of the Home
Club, is supported as editor of so-called labor
paper of socialistic tendencies Cavanaugh, Of
Cincinnati, was, and perhaps is, a shoemaker,
but certainly is an agltator Bailey is princi-
pally known as formerly chief of police in an
Ohio city, and has since the termination of that
engagement spent his time in agitation at the
expense of workers Exclusive of Mr..
Powderly, this leaves only three
men in the executive committee who
are in favor of the conservative policy
hitherto proclaimed, and these worthy men,
but, since the recent elections will be powerless.
Barry is an ax-maker, who sacrificed everything
he had to support his associates in a strike some
years ago. He is a shrewG and clear-headed
man. Buchanan, of Denver, an editor by pro-
fession, is also man of conservative views and
good judgment Where Ayles worth, the other
member recently elected, will prove to belong
cannot yet be said; he was elected as compro-
mise candidate. 1t ID enough to say that the in
fuence of Turner and Hayes was shown in the
encouragement of Martin Irons when he defied
the orders of General Master Workman Pow
derby, and continued the disastrous strike on the
Southwestern roads. 1t turns out that Turner
and Hayes really knew Powderly better than
the public, for he consented to remain as the
mere tool of the very men who defied and de-
feated him. though only little while ago he
declared that il their views prevailed he would
not remain member of the executive commit
tee Certainly it is not strange, in view Of these
facts, that the confidence of conservative work
ers has been to II great extent lost.
The turning point is not the controversy with
trades-unions but the treatment of strikes and
boycotts-measures either law-defying in them
selves, or which necessarily lead to lawless vio-
lence when desperate mon are embroiled in
struggle. The true friends of the cause of labor
strikes, and it is only q short time since Mr..
Powderly declared that they must cease. But
the secret combination of Anarchists understood
Mr. Powderly better than he understood him.
self. They went straight on. and after slight
ly modified power to control strikes and boycotts
had been given to the executive board, they pro-
ceeded to elect a majority Of the board.
The best friends of the workers at this hour
are those who conduct the wellmanaged
trades unions. Many are not we'll man
aged, but such unions can easily be
killed by neglect, il the workers please. On
the other hand. such organizations as the Loco
motive Engineers have been conservative and
WISE The Amalgamated Association of Iron
workers. though the influence of the puddlers
predominated few years ago, and led to dis
asLrous strike, have since manifested wiser
spirit. What power wise leaders might WELD
who are themselves employed, if they would
themselves take foremost part in organizing
measures for the interest of workers. If they
would come forward to promote arbitration ev-
erywhere. to consider the real interests of work
ers such, to provide wise means for investing
the savings of workers, to organize opportuni-
ties for workers to acquire homes, to systematic
methods for the education of their children to
establish and carry forward organizations in
which better understanding of sound princi-
pies could be- inculcated surely vast amount
OF good might DO done And all experience
teaches that the employers who place themselves
such relations with their workers get the
most efficient work and have the least trouble in
any time of distress or disturbance.
Lamont and His Great Work.
Washington Special to Baltimore American.