Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1886-05-28
Knights Of Labor.
INTERESTING STATISTICS CONCERNING
THE STRENGTH OF THIS pow
ERFUL ORDER.

1t is impossible to estimate closely
the strength of the order of the knights
of Labor. Though all the trade:
unions are embraced in the order
there are thousands of men belonging
to these separate bodies who are mem
bers of the common brotherhood
Naturally the Knights desire to kesT
their strength unknown to outsiders
lest by knowledge of the full extent
Of the power which would have to be
met, capital in some cases might fee
justified in meeting contest or in
prolonging its resistance to their de.
mands. There are said to be about
five thousand local assemblies of the
order in the country, and it is believed
that modest estimate would put the
average membership at one hundred
to each assembly. Of course many ol
the local bodies number few members
but on the other hand there are many
which contain several hundred or
their rolls. Not less than five hun
dred thousand members may be cred
tied to the order throughout the coun'
try: careful inquiries lead one to place
at the present maximum membership
at not over one million. The strength
of the order, however, is rapidly in.
creasing; in fact, admission of new as.
semblles has been suspended for a
while. because there is so much to be
done in writing up the rolls of those
recently organized, and, second, be.
cause the order does not care to weak.
en- itself by admitting labor trades
which might tax the whole organiza.
tion for support in possible contest
over unreasonable demands. The Bro
therhood of Locomotive Engineers and
the Anal gamated Iron and Steel
workers are the two most powerful
unions of laboring men in the coun-
try, but they are rot as bodies, mem,
bers of the knights of Labor. The
Knights are believed to be strongest
in the Middle States They are weak.
est in point of Numbers, probably, in
New England. Among the cities,
New York without doubt furnishes
the largest number to the order
There are fully fifty thousand mem.
bers here. as nearly as can be ascsr-
timed. Throughout the country the
cigar makers furnish the largest mum.
Der of members to the organization
and after them, in regular order, the
csrdrlvers and the anthracite coal
miners. In New York City the quots
of Knights furnished BY the printers
unaoubt btedly exceed that supplied by
Rny other class of wage earners, but
the carpet workers are also strongly
organized. Before this year is out
these Proportions will probably be
changed. The telegraph brotherhood
is likely to be in the organization, and
strong effort is being made to make
the railroad operators unite with their
commercial brethren. Active prose.
lyting, morever, is going on among
the brakemen, gatemen, ticket-sellers,
station men aud every other employees
connected with the railroads.
The order embraces many other
than manual laborers. In the mem
bership are merchants, employers OF
labor in numerous trades and manu-
factories, architects clergymen, ply
sicians, newspaper men, and more than
might be expected, Congressional and
State legislators and members of State
and municipal government are knights
of Labor The only businesses which
are debarred from admission are thoss
of the banker, stock broker, lawyer
aud liquor dealer. With regard to the
last business, the exclusion is so wide
as to keep ou. all persons who derive
any profit or income from the sale o
intoxicating drinks. Many women are
members of the organization, and one
of its fundamental principles is ''equa
pay for equal work" Inferentially
The right Of suffrage is conceded to
women, and the Michigan branch o.
the order recently adopted resolutions
specifically favoring the extension ot
the ballot to female citizens ". 7
Tribune.