The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1886-10-14

the convention settled dow to the practical
work which had called them together and in
in which they bid fair to be engaged for the
next W weeks or more.
GENERAL MASTER WORKMAN POwDERLY.
His Annual Address to the Knights Of Labor.
At the present session in Richmond, Va,
Of the General Assembly OF Knights of
Labor, General Master Workman Powderly
delivered his animal address, as follows:
The most e~ventful and trying year Of our ex-
istence as an order has ended. If we are guided
by the experience Of the past. and act accord
ingly, we can place the order upon a footing so
safe and sure that no assaults from its enemies
perence, If we fail to read Alright the signs of
the times, and we close this general assembly
without having improved on the past. we will
here: In one year 4.O6s assemblies have been
organized. The new members so suddenly
brought together could not be properly assimi-
the order through mere curiosity: others have
come for purely selfish motives; while the great
bulk Of our new recruits have joined US for the
esrSd t nat t n1ssr could 9oI 30 40; lutte, lutte a d rev. have en-
existing wrongs, and, before waiting to learn
anything concerning the duty OF the Knight to
the order. have plunged into rash and iIl-con-
sidered strikes. It is an established fact that
men who were employed by detective agencies
stood up on the floor of the last general assem-
bly,. made inflammatory speeches urging the
men to deeds OF violence, and urged that the
property OF the street car companies be de-
stroyed. 1t was only the good sense Of the men
that prevented such outrages from being perpe-
trated, although these agents Of a nefarious spy
system induced ssme desperate men to blow up
the cars upon the streets of St. Louis. For
these outrages the order was Ia no way respon-
s1ble. TIL st. Louis car troubles were but the
beginning Of the tidal wave of strikes and boy
colts which swept over the country. and which
strained the strength and resources Of your gen.
eral officers almost beyond their powers Of en-
durance. It has been asserted that 1 condemned
the Missouri Pacific men while they were on a
strike. No such statement ever escaped my
lips. That the men of the Southwest suffered
wrongs Is true; they were many and grievous;
and it Is my firm belief that the railway CON-
panies, with a full knowledge of what these
grievances were. precipitated the fight them
selves at q time when it would appear to the
world that the strike was tor an Insignificant
cause.
THE EIGHT-HoUR STRIKE,
which took place May /, was not successful ex-
cept in cases where employers and employees
were willing to adopt the plan. In
many cases the system Of working long
hours has been revived. The Federation Of
Or suggested no definite plan by which the short
hour system could be inauQurated. I cautioned
our members against rushing into this move
ment: I had the right to do it. and am firm IN
have been entailed upon vast numbers of our
assemblies. What I said in my secret circular
Of March 13 has been severely criticised, and I
have been accused of opposing the eight-hour
movement. No statement ever was further from
the truth. A reduction Of the hours Of labor is a
necessity, and sooner or later must be had. but
we must not forget that in many places the ten
hour plan has not been adopted yet. The very
discussion Of the suiden introduction of the
eight-hour plan injured business, so much so
that in many places men were reduced to half
time or thrown out of employment altogether.
Millions Of dollars worth Of work was left
undone because Of the uncertainty in regard
to perform work Never was it more
clearly demonstrated that An injury to one is
the concern Of all" than Ill the movement I am
s s1esteas the be- K n ! one Of L eleas- apd th R,a trad Is
unions of America must lay aside their jeal-
ousies and differences, come together, name a
day on which to put the plan into execution;
adopt the plan of action, which must be gradual
and such as will not infiict injury upon either
employer or workman. Before a short-hour
system that will be Of any benefit to mankind
man bears to the labor-saving machine must
undergo a radical change. Shorten the hours Of
labor under our present system and the streets
More machines will be erected, and more chill
dren will be called into service to feed them. The
assertion that the advocate Of short hours de-
6llCb W SUOp pIOuuCUlOA 10 1ul6Ss L u II Y uldkc
production gradual, healthy. and have it keep
pace with the wants Of the con-
sumner; keeping a.. al men employed,
producer remain a consumer TO his fullest Ca
pacity, that we desire a shortening Of the hours
Of labor. Visit our large and small factories and
feeder Of the machine of the present. We already
hear OF machines In course OF perfection which
will set the type and mould the cigars faster
fTin1fv will ann tQka tho thrntf1o InUar frnn tho
hand of the man who runs the locomotive. The
day will soon dawn when these agencies will be
doing their work: and when that day does come
the mechanic, now go proud of his calling, will
stand face to face with the alternative Of asking
for charity or the adoption Of the calling Of the
street scavenger.. When that day comes, the
man who now seeks to array labor against labor
in asserting that the "'$$3 a day man should not
move In the same society circles with the man
who works for 81 a day" will either seek to crowd
crumbs Of charity to sustain life. History will
repeat itself, and the fight for existence will be
waged with unrelenting fury. ~
WHAT Is THE Remedy?
The machine must become the slave Of the
man, instead Of keeping the man in attendance
on and subordinate to the machine. A plan of
cooperation through which the workman may
control the machine he operates must one day
supersede the present system. To properly map
out such q plan requires more time than I have
had or am likely to have at my disposal. I can
only cooperate with others In the work.
Inc thirteenth article In our 00clarat1On OF
principles reads, "The prohibition, by law, Of
he employment of children under fifteen years
Of age In workshops. mines and factories" The
end sought for in carrying this declaration into
effect is not that the child may live in idleness;
it is not that more adults may be employed. It
Is that the child Of the poor man may be enabled
to acquire an education to equip him for the
duties which will in future fall upon him as man
and citizen. With an education all things are
easy OF accomplishment; without 1t, hope itself
almost dies, and liberty is . farce. In our or
Ranizations Of labor, and 1t has been so from the
beginning, we take mp the work Of reform when
the subject is advanced in years-the new MEM
ber must be above sixteen years before we admit
him. We attempt to drive from his mind the
false ideas gathered In from the Workshop, or,
possibly the street corner. His habits are
formed, and the work that should have been
begun IT seven years we take up at twenty OF
later on In life. II the principles Of the Knights
OF Labor are right, and few men question them,
we should teach them to the young. 1t should
be q part OF the duty OF every assembly to ascer-
tain tho number OF children who do not attend
school In It's vicinity, learn what the causes are,
and take steps to have them attend school The
sword may strike the shackles from the limbeo Of
the slave, but its education and Orxan-
Eization that make Of him q free man. Hei 10
still . slave whose limb alone have been freed.
j ask thar : special committee on educatt0n be
appointed to prepare and recommend ID this
general assembly D plan for the better education
OF the American youth The trouble With trnde
unions In which certain OF our ember ana a.
seInblios have been engaged was greatly nagni-
Ned and distorted. There were mistakes made