The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1886-05-06
MIR. POWDERLN AT HOME.

His Views on the Strikes, the Eisht-IIour svs.
tenn, and Some Other Matters Now Agitating
the Laboring People Of the Country.
(From the New York stcr)
Although General Master Workman |
Powdcrly of the knights Of Labor is an
advocate of reasonable share of rest for
the worlds workers, he deems the entire
twcnty-four hours too brief for his own
daily task. The click of the typewriter
IS heard late into the night in the COW
little back Office of his unassuming resi-
dence III the Hyde Park section of the
city where the labor chief makes his
home. When the correspondent of the
Star called to see the master workman
he found him hard at work in this Office.
The way was led by modest, courteous,
attentive and intelligent little lady, who
stands between the labor chief and
the hundreds who are continually calling
to see him. This is Mrs. Powdcrly, and
she is wonderful assistance to her hus-
Dand IN the performance of his cXactine
duties. Having introduced the visitor.
she withdraws, and the folding doors
which separate the front pNrlor from the
Office library are closed. The Workshop
III which the general master workman
labors IS crowded with books and papers,
but ncatness, order and method arc ap-
parent i'll the arrangement of every
article, from the glass paper weight to
the pie of bound volumes that contain
copies OF all the important letters he has
written i'll the discharge of his official
duties during the six years that he has
been at the head of the greatest labor
organization in the world. A mass of
letters, brought i'll one days mail rises
from the carpctcd floor almost as high !,
us the chair upon which he is seated. |
and Mr.. Powdcrly is carefully going
through these and making such notes of
ther contents as he thinks they deserve.
"4ou must receive as large a mail as
the average exchange cditor,'' said the
correspondent after the first friendly
greetings were over
"Wcll, L don't know how much of q
mail an exchange editor generally gets"
SAID Mr.. Powdcrly, "but this is a fair
specimen OF what comes to me every day
through the mails, and my tclcgraphic
correspondence is not much less. AS q
general thing the assemblies of the
knights Of Labor select intelligent sccrc-
tanes, and their letters arc always in cx-
ccllent shape, but / receive some cDistIcs
that would puzzle an expert calling for
decisions on knotty questions that would |
Sta9gcr Solomon himself. There is work |
enough III my office to keep six men fully |
employed, and yet am expected to do !
IL ana at the same time have sufficient
leisure for philosophical essays on scien-
tho and economic problems that would |
tax the wisdom and scholarship Of a j ohm |
Stuart Mill. Then it IS astonishing how
quickly am taken to task for the use Of |
some learned phrase or expression that
conveys the most direct meaning can |
think OF at the time. L am osways anx-
lous to give my IDEAS the simplest form
OF expression possible, so that there may
be no misunderstanding Of what | say or
"rlte Such simplicity requires study,
and as L have no time for study or rcIlcc- |
ton, the thought must be taken on its
own merits without regard to the settin9,
What with sickness, worry and VOL : !
have had busy tim" 20 20 # lotolv ond |
~ ''0 -. up in the near future. Our
order is increasing with amazing rapid
ty, and as a general thing new members
are more likely to misunderstood it's mis-
sion than the old ones. 1t ought to be
generally known that the order OF the |
knights of Labor is cmphatically op- |
posed to strikes until all other means OF |
securing settlement Of the matters in |
dispute have failed. But | find that some |
of those who want to join us have quite |
Il different impression, and appear to be-
lievo that we are organized for the pur-
pose of conducting instead Of preventing
strikes"
"Was the general executive board cog.
infant of the fact that there was going to
be a strike in the Southwest prior to the
strike taking place?"
owe knew that thamcn there had prie-
yanccs, but We were not quite certain that
the matter would culminato in q strike
There was great dissatisfaction among the