The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1886-04-01
MIR, PowDERLY TELLS OF HIS L1Fl
How thSGrsAt OrganizOr became identified
With the knights Of Labor.

How thu Great Organizer became Idoutils,
With the knights OF Labor.
New York Star,
Terence Vincent Powderly, the pres
emit head Of the Knights Of Labor, wa
sitting yesterday afternoon with friends il
the parlor OF the Astor House, An in
qutry was made casually as to Mr., Pow
lerly's experience with organized labor
and, thus prompted, he related the origin
OF his efforts for labor and told his idea
aud his theories,
~ was born in Carbondale, Pa, in Jan,
naEy, 1910, Of Irish parents" said Mr.
Powderly, "My parents were Catholics
was their eleventh child, there b,
ing four girls and eight boys in tlIE
family, My father was a day laborer,
was sent to school at 7 years Of age in this
country, my parents having come over
when was baby, and l continued al
school until | was about Is, when went
TO work for the Delaware 4 Hudson
Canal Company, having the care OF q
switch on one Of their railroad branches.
l worked at this Tor several years, when
was employed in the machine shops OF
the company, Mr.. James Dickson was
the superintendent in the shop. Mr..
Dickson was the father OF the late Thomas
Dickson, President Of the Delaware &
Hudson Canal Company. l was the only
man who ever worked for him 10 whom
he ever gave letter Of recommendation,
! would not part with the scrap Of paper,
| assure you,
"In 1870 ] was invited by friend to
walk with him, and he took me to a meet
ing Of the Knights OF Labor. Joined that
night. It was Assembly No. IS. found
there all crafts, and thought had found
just what had been looking for. No. IS
was then the only assembly in northeast
ern Pennsylvania, all OF its meetings were
very secret, and nothing was ever said
about its existence outside OF the meet
ings, Our idea was, that we should Sc.
Cretly add to our strength until we were
strong enough to keep out politicians and
other selt.seekers.
"During this time l had worked In the
surrounding towns, so that when the Oar.
bondale Union Joined the KuiRhts there
were several assemblies In the neighbor.
hood. had thus worked to win them to
the knights Of Labor because l saw that In
the union all Of their legislation about APP
prentiCes and shop rules would amount 10
nothing With the Introduction Of labor
saving machinery the trade was all cut up,
SO that a man who had served an appren.
tiCeship Of five years might be brought in
competition with machine run by a boy,
and the boy would do the most and the
best work. / saw that labor saving ma.
Chlnery was bringing the mRChinist down
10 the level Of q day laborer, and soon they
would be on a level. My aim wa 70
dignity the labor. In the Knights Of
Labor l saw a good field for operation. In
1875 We organized district assembly oil
five or six assemblies in LsCkawanna
county, and / was elected district seCre.
Lary, an Office which have held ever
since from choice. In 1877, when the
strikes on the railroads swept over the
country, many Of our men, with others
not Knights Of Labor, numbering in all
about 5000, were discharged and went
West, settling In the Western States and
Territories. Wherever our Knights went
new assemblies sprang up. Up to that
time there had been no national head To
the Knights Of Labor. So Frederick Tur.
ner Of Philadelphia, Richard Griiliths Of
Chicago, Charles LitChman Of Marble
head, Mass, Thomas King OF Reading
Pa, and l, met and held tho first genera
assembly Of the Knights Of Labor az Read
ing, Pa, in January 1878. We had then
seven districts, representing Philadelphia
Reading, Pittsburgh, Charleston, w. Va.
Scranton and Shawnee, Ohio, and several
local associations which / cannot recall
Mr.. Bailey was then q delegate from
Shawnee, Ohio, but he did not attend the
convention at Reading.
"Mlr. Uriah Stephens, Of Philadelphia
was elected the first General Master Work
man, and l was elected to the next office
which was called General Worthy Fore
man. We then changed the date Of meet
ing from January 10 September. We mex
met in st. Louis, Mr.. Stephens did no
attend this convention, but wrote a lette
recommending me for General Maste
Workman. In April, 1878, l was electeC
Mayor oiSCranton. After that gave IN,
entire time to the work Of my office, thi
being the frat time that l had worked a
any business other than my trade.
1.-THE strikes Of 1877 were caused by tn
men not understanding one another. A
that time began to study the causes o
that strike and the distress Of the work
men. / concluded that an organization
should BIO perfected which should be
grand industrial school. l had no hobby
Others said that greenbacks, the tariff
and a dozen other things would remed,
the troubles Of the workmen, but l though
that the proposed organization shoult
combine them all. / had not read tn
writings Of any theorist. / was re.electe,
Mayor two or three timea. When fra
elected / was not known outside OF th
labofing classes. It was said b.
my opponents that all sorts q
/ trouble would come II wa
elected. However, was elected, AM
among other acts I discharged The entir
police force Of the city, because ioun
that 1 must have men on whom l coult
rely. Then, during my administration
4 the debt Of tho city was reduced abou
$4,000. Previously the debt had at
nually increased. In 1884 the Knights Q
Labor had grown 80 large that the bust
ness OF the order took all Of my time, 30
had to decline the denomination 70
Mayor. l have never written book, bu
have written hundreds OF circulars, bimi
lar in tenor to the circular which wa
4 printed a day or two ago. l have tfavele
all over this country and Canada, an
have spoken on 800 platforms. There ar
assemblies In England and Belgium. Oh
journal, the Journal gf United Labor,
. published at Philadelphia by the genefe
secretary. II has been circulated only Il
the order, but we now propose 10 enlarg
IL and send Il out 10 the public, / hav
read Henry Georges Progress an
Poverty, SpenCef's Social Statistics an
Thornton on labor. have read d grea
deal Of history aud biography.
~ am not sure what my plans will b
for the future. AsyndiCate Of newspaper
has offered 10 send me 10 Europe to writ
Up the labor question % II is there.
Eyes | was connected with the Ian
l,eavue, being a vice president In the fir
league organization In this country.
tho, do not believe In strikes, beCauH
| | do not think there 10 any necessity Il
Ittna, 4 hnItntta that thea tPnNhlnn "a