Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-10-06
THE ANNUAL ADDRESS.
Mr.. POwdorIy's Formal Report 10 tho
General Assembly.


The following Is the annual address o
Mr.. Powderly, which will probably he pre-
senied to-day, and which was premliurel'
published yesterday in the Troy IN. Y.
Stdnddrd-a labor organ:
To the Members Of the General Assembly:
The most eventful and trying year OF oul
existence as an order has ended, and W.
assemble for the purpose OF reviewing
what has been done, correcting those thing
that are wrong, and OF leglslatlng for th'
future.
II is required by Law that the genera
master workman shall make out and sub
nit report OF his official acts during the
year. To report all OF my official acts per.
formed during the past year would take
more Of your time than is at all necessary
and to properly place them before you
would require at least four weeks time in
which 10 prepare them for presentation.
have all Of my correspondence and let
| Textbooks within reach, aud can, on shoit
notice, refer to them in matters OF detail.
When the law which requires OF the general
master workman 10 make out report was
| passed that officer was not q member OF the
| General Executive Board. Now that he Is
member Of that body, the report OF the
Board must naturally constitute a report OF
! tie important part Of the duties OF the
general master workman. for my time du.
! ring the year was mainly occupied With
| General Executive. Board business. refer
you TO the reports OF the General EXecu-
| tive Board and other officers and agents Of
| the General Assembly. and will address you
briefly upon some few matters Of import
snce, and make such suggestion, a3 | con-
| slider necessary.
II We are guided by the experience OF
| the past, and act accordingly, we can place
The order upon footing so safe and sure
| that no assaults from its enemies can iniurc
it,. II wc are not guided by that expert.
ence. il we fail TO read Alright the signs OF
the times, and VIC close this General As
emily without having improved on the
past, Wc will fail TO properly represent
those " no sent Us here.
The rapid incI aSc in organization since
The Hamilton session of the General Assem-
bly was most marvellous. An examination
II the reports OF the general secretary
treasurer for the year ending July !, lSs6.
will show that IN one year 4.CGS assemblies
have been organized. The new member
so suddenly brought together could not b.
properly assimilated. Thousands have been
attracted toward the order through mc"c
cuiiositv;'othorS have come for purely SELF
ish motives: while the great bulk Of our
new recruits have joined Us for the good
tlat they could DO.
Quite few have entered our order for
the purpose Of TcdrcSsing existing WronE.,
and, before waiting TO learn anything con.
corning the duty oi the knight 10 the or
der, have plunged into rash and ill-con-
sidtrcd strikes The troubles coming frOm
this direction began while the last General
Assembly was in session. The car-drivor-
Of II. Louis were organized under promise
from tie organizer that they would receive
aid, unslinted, in case OF strike. Even
before the receipt o. their charter they
were on strike. Their proceedings were
characterized 10y such utter disregard f)r
our laws and teachings that the PAID ana
known agents OF their EMPLOYERS. the de-
tectiyeS, had no difficulty in securing
the passage Of motions Of viO-
lent character. 1t is an established
fact that men who were employed
hy detective agencies stood up on the door
If that assembly. made intlammltory
speeches urging tue men to deeds OF Nio-
lcnce, and urged that the property Of the
siTeC.car companies be destroyed. IL wa
only the good sense o. the men that pre-
vented such Outragcs from being perpetra.
ted. although these agents Of a ncfariOuS
spv system induced some desperate men 10
blow lip the cars upon the streets. For
these OutrageS the order was IN no way
re>ponSible The st. Louis car trouble.
were but The beginning OF the tidal wave of
strikes and bOycottS which swept over the
country, aud which strained the strength
and resources OF your general officers al
most beyond their powers OF endurance.
The SOUTHWEST STRIKE
began W hen the time and attention Oi the
general officers were taken up with othc-
matters Of vital importance. No notice o'
the contemplated action was given to us'
and we knew nothing whatever concerning
il, or the causes leading 10 it, until II had
been in progress several days.
1t has been asserted that | condemned
the men while they were on strike. NJ
such statement ever escaped my lips. The
only statement Of mine that could be made
to appear in the light Of a condemnation
was that contained in my secret circular "
the 18th of March, copy OF which is here
with submitted. did not approve OF that
strike could not do so, since confidence
enough was not repoSed in the General EN-
ecuiiye Board TO give them a chance TO ex.
ber- of District Assembly l0l complained Of.
Ii was only when the threat was made t.
stop every wheel in the United states and
engage the whole order in the difficulty that
| raised my voice in denial. | did that in
defence Of the order and the country. ] am
quite willing to assume all the RESPONSE
bihtics attached 10 the act, and would do
the same Thing again under similar circum
stances.
That the men OF the Southwest suffered
wrongs is true; they were many and
gricyous; and II is my firm belief that the
railway companies. with full knowledge
OF what these grievances were, prc;ipltlted
the fight themselves at time when IL would
appear TO the woI Id that the strike was for
an insignificant cause. can do no better
than TO submit the reports OF Brother,
lItcl man and Mcclure. These two
members were by me personally de
tailed to 90 with the congressional com
mittee, and with that committee examine |
into the strike and its causes, so that an |
early report might be made to the order by |
lis own representatives. II the position |
which took during that strike was wrong, |
Il en- the entire order sustained me In II, |
for " hen Issued the appeal Tor aid 10 sup |
mort those whom the companies refused |
10 treat With. ] was most generously suS- |
famed. as a reference TO the report OF the |
general secretary.treasurer will show. The |
documents and correspondence relating to |
that strike are at yOur disposal.
TIE EIGHT-H0UR STRIKE,
which took lace May lsi. was not success.
iul. eycept i'm cases where employers and !
employees we're acting in harmony, or where |
were willing to adopt the plan. In |
many eases the old system OF working long |
hours has been revived. The Fedeiatlon OF
Trades recommended the lst OF May, but
adopted or suggested no definite plan by |
" sbich the shorf.hour system could be in.
,ue,Irated. cautioned our members against
rushIng into this movement. | had tne |
right TO do It, and am firm In the belief that
had not done so great loss wou'd nave
been eniailed upon vat numbers OF our
,ssomblies. What said in my secrei cir
,uar OF March 18th has been severely crili-
.ised, aud have been accused OF OPP
posing the elght-hour movement. no ,tale-
-. -. ...as t,trfbar frnfu the truth. Oh