The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1886-08-26
A LETTER FROM PARSONS.
HE PROTESTS AGAINST A RECENT
SPEECH BY eOWDERLY.

The Condemned Anarchist Saws He N.yer
| Soah'snanced the Destruction of Life
and Property -- Critfcfs,up B,,,pe,s
sreech-A Misunderstanding Among
| chicago knights of Labor Adjusted.
| CHICAGO, Aug. 6-The late speech of I.
'. Io~derly, grand master WORKING of the
| knights of Labor Organization, has pro
voked reply from A. r. Parsons. one of
the convicted Chicago Anarchists, which
was given to a reporter from his cell IN the
laii Tuesday night, and which is a follows
IT General Master Workman
f""derly, of tba knights of Labor.
| is correctly reported in his speech
| DELIVERED 10 workluemen at Lulerue, Pa
where be Is credited with sayipg-viz.
| Anarchy is destructive of civil liberty
and no honest workman can afford to iden-
Ihy hin'seit With an organization which
mas Tor ITS object the destruction of life and
| peoperty If he uttered these sentiments,
then ] am justified in denouucing him as q
man who bears false witness against his
neighhor In the names of tens OF thous-
| ands OF American workmen solemnly pro
test In tue past ten years have been
active as labor organizer and orator |
am knight of Labor | challenge Mr.
fe"deriy to find man who can
truthfaily say that l. as So.
clalist or Anarchist, have advocated
OF countenanced The destruction of life
and property Whoever saws So lie:. The
foundation principle of Socialism or An
archy, Is the same az the knights of Labor,
VIZ; The abolition OF the wages SYSTEM
and the substitution in its stead of tho in
dustrial system Of universal cooperation.
making every capitalist a laborer and
every laborer capitalist, ending forever
tue conflict of classes and the inevitable an
ta2onlsms of the wage-slave system. If
this be destruction of life and property,
then is Mr. Powderly equally criminal with
the Anarchists, The assertion that we use
and advise the use of force Is sratuitious
and untrue But we have declared that the
existing social order is founded on force and
maintained by force and we have ami do
stitl predict social revolt of the work PEG
pie against this force system, that they
the wage workers. will be driven uncon-
scloBsly into open rebellion against the
class rule and class domination. This Is
Anarchy, its teaching which means an end
forever to brute force, the reign OF eternal
peace and prosperity.
For saying these things myself and
comrades now are in prison awaiting the
pleasure of our executioners | think it i'll
BELTS Mr.. Fowderly in the name of labor
to Join in the cry for our blood
Whether we live or whether we die. the
social revolution is inevitable The labor
movement means the downfall of bosses of
dictators and rulers, and ruler or dictator
II m tn ba srIa tai -
the knights of Labor than out of 1t, and |
is no more sufferabe whether he be a Pow
derby or a Gould Mr. Powderly can ILL |
afford to malign his fellow lahorers, ami |
when he does so in the name oil labor his |
act is douhly despicable
The speech of James G, Blaine at Sa-
hago, Me, is the real opening of the na-
uonai presidential campaign in 1883 He |
reads the signs of the times and foreteIIs |
the coming questlon-yiz., The labor prob
lem But opine that he reckons without
MS host when be endeavo-s to outline the
protective tariff question as the coming is
sue That racket won't work any longer
1t is played out
he labor question is up for considsra-
li"ti ana adjustment To the hundreds of
thousands who have heard and know me- |
say, beware OF false gods and false issues
"A Il PARsoNSn
There are no dissensions TO misunder
standings of any kind within the orcaniza
ton of the knights of Labor in Chicago
said Grand Lecturer r. r. Carlton of the
knights of Labor Wednesday morning
MIR Carlton has heeu In the city for the
past three or four weeks Investigating the
strike at Mccormick S factory and other
kindred subjects of interest to the order. In
relation IT, the trouble at McCormick's no
decIsion has been reached yet Ccpsilera
tiun has been chic ty e. f,ended in reaching
a better understanding of the trouble
which i9d Master Workman J. f. Murphy
TO suspend as ;emhlias .tp and 3O5 of dis |
-fIct No. 4. The former assembly was com.
posed Of cooperS, WHOSE leader was George
Schiiling, the Socialist Parsons the
Anarchist, who is row under sentence of
ieath, was member of the assembly last
ianed, and it appears the impression get | ,
lbrcad IN some way that both assemblies |
we're strongly tainted With the doctrines of {
After til haynarket riot de-
luneiatory resolutions were passed bv |
district assembly No i and the n.r
'euatcrs OF tue outrage were SO strongly
that the members of both as {
@:Il2 and I20'. complained TO the
enerai officers, and their suspension from !
II benefits of the order followed at once.
Mr Carlton said Wednesday that both
ssemblies were restored to tteir original 3
landing in the order, and that the investi- 7
alton conducted by him had established b
be fact that there was absolutely no sym !
athS within the knights of Labor for {
narchy or Socialism or for any who :
speused these doctriues