The Labor enquirer., 1886-12-25

foresee the poverty and suffering which are
sure TO follow, and the crime and blo0dshed
that will almost certainly follow in the wake
of this strike ii it IS permitted to drift along
to the inevitable catastrophe.
"The appeal had the desired effect at
the time. Powderlv ordered the strik-
ers back. The demagogues afterw ards
"got in their work, as they themselves
would express it, and Father Flanagan |
had again to appeal to Powderly to end
another foolish and senseless strike. |
What an excellent man Father Flanni-
gan would be for an Arch hbishopric In |
some such industrial centre as Chicago.
What pity it is that al the stock-yard
priests ars not as energetic in behalf OF
their corelig onists and the peace of the
community as he il"
Remember this was done by FIanni-
gan and Powderly, while the latter W as
a thousand miles from the scene of the
trouble, and Barry and Carlton, two
members of the General Executive
Board, the former sent bv the General
Assembly in session, were on the
ground, co operating with the strikers
towards securing settlement with the
bosses, and everything goes, to prove
that the men would have gained their
point had the ''order" been held back
six hours. 1t could hardly be possibie
that the packers informed Father Flan-
nlgan that they would have to yield to
the men unless something unusual trans
pired
But it transpired, and the 25 600
Knigbt of Labor in Chicago were BE-
trayed, the bosses scored great vic
tory, Barry was insulted, and the Off
GERS of the order who we're compelled
by their positions in the bodies order
Ing the strike to be in the front rank,
became the chiefs scape-goat, as poor
Martin Irons was in the Southwest.
The capitalist press pats on the back
the men who helped the bosses to de-
feat the strikers, aud ISLANDERS and rldi-
cules the honest fellows who had the
courage to face combined capital, with
its hired thugs, but not enough to over
come their superstltious awe for some
thing which they could not name if
their lives depended upon it.
The general Offices of the order are
being used as distributing center for
anything and everything that can be
utilized to stab trad es unionists-in and
out of the order-in the face of the ly-
ing declarations made that the order
extends helping hand to all branches
of honorable toll" The public is de-
ceived into the belief that the represen-
tatlves of the order are attempting to
promote friendly relations with other
labor organizations, and large percent
age of tie membership of the order is
also blinded to the truth, that the gene
raj Office at Philadelphia, under the
control of a narrowminded, small
souled non-unionist, Is issuing the most
fatal poison on the subject.
The Home Club" of District 40, IN
New York, is still ignoring the laws Of
the order. the will of the General AS
semblY. the rights of the members Of
the local Assem- blles under its jurisdic,
tion, and the General Executive Board
under the control of the ring, is back.
ing it up.
The appeals Of destitute members all
over the country are being met with
advice not to strike, orders to bend the
neck to tyrannicsl bosses, and 25-cent
assessments. Is 1t any wonder that
there is kick and big kick?
The foul atmosphere which hovered
over the Cleveland session, became "the
small cloud" at Richmond and the first
clap of thunder is hard to locate-eithe er
at Chicago, in New York or somewhere
else. The black clouds are gathering
fast and unless the ring steps down and
out the storm will br eak forth with a
terrible force ere long.
l; is we'll enough to talk about "har-
mony;" but it is dangerous tc build it
upon corruption and deceit. Let US
have Justice if ruin follows. Stop the
cry of Peace peace when there is no
peace !"