Weekly commercial herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1884-18??, 1886-04-09
An Address Dy ths knIghts q "a


ST. LOUIS, April 6-The joint execu-
tive board of Assemblies Nos. 10l, 9S
and IL, Knights Of Labor, this after
noon issued the following address:
ITO the Workingmen pf the World:
Friends and Brothers Hear us for
we plead for our rights. Men of equity
look upon us, for we struggle against
giants of wrong, mad with the frenzy
of pride and self adulation. Begotten,
as it is, Of the success of outrage and
infamy, there stands before us a giant
of aggregated and incorporated wealth,
every dollar of which is built upon
blood, injustice and outrage. That giant
OF corporate wealth has centralized
its power in and is impersonated by
the eagerness fiend, who gloats as he
grinds the life out Of his fellow-men
and grimaces and dances as they
writhe upon his instruments of tor
ture. 0! ye, workihgmen Of America,
who love your liberty and your native
land, ye great creators of wealth, who
stand as the foundation of all national
good; look upon your brothers to-day.
Gould, the giant iend; Gould, the
money monarch, is dancing, as he
claims, over the grave Of our
order. Over theruin of our homes and
the blight of our lives. Before
him the world has smiled in
beauty but his wake is grave yard Of
hopes, a cyclones path Of devastation
and death our strong arms have
grown weary in building the tower Of
strength; and yet he bids us build on
or die; our young lives have gown
gray too soon beneath the.strainiof un
requited constant toll, our loved ones
at home are hollow checked, pale with
long and weary waiting for better days
to come, nay, more than this, the grave
yards are hiding his victims from our
longing eyes. Brother workmen, this
monster fiend has compelled some
Of US to toll in cold and rain
for five and fifty cents day,
others have been compelled to yield
their time for seventeen and thirty-six
weary hours for the pittance of nine
hours pay. Others, who have dared to
assert their manhood and rebel against
his tyranny, are blacklisted and boy
,, cotted all over the land. He has made
.. solemn compacts with the highest au
thority in our order, and then hal
: basely refused to fulfill his pledge. HI
lives under and enjoys all the benefit
: of Republican form of government
!, and yet advocates and perpetuates th,
: most debasing form ofwhite slavery
He robs the rich and poor, the higt
, and low with ruthless hand
and then appeals to corrupt
and purchased courts to help him take
our little homes away. He breaks oul
limbs and mains our bodies and ther
demands that we shall release hin
from every claim for damages or bC
black listed forever. He goes to oul
grocers and persuades them not t
, give us credit because we refuse to bC
: ground in his human mill. He turns
upon us horde Of lawless things who
comes among our wives and children
) with deadly intent and ther
: he howls for government hel!
,, when he gets his pay II
: coin alike. Fellow-workmen, GoulC
) must be overthrown. His giant power
must be broken or you, and / must b.
slaves forever, the Knights Of Labo
= alone have dared be a David to thi
Goliath, the battle is not for to-day
the battle is not for tomorrow, but th
trooping generations in the cominI
ages Of the world for our children, ant
our children's children. Tis the grea
question of the age: Shall we, in tn
: coming ages, Re nation Of freemen O.
a nation of slaves. The question
! must be decided now as the chains arr
already forged, that are to bind us
= shall we await until they arr
= riveted upon our limbs. May Goo
: forbid. Workmen of the world
: marshal yourselves upon the battl,
! field. WOrkmen of every trade anC
! cline, on to the fray. Gould and hi
, monopolies must 60 down or your chill
; dren be slaves. Think Of the littlt
, olive plants around your hearthstone
who will be blighted by his curse
Think of the little home he is seekinD
, to rob you Of. Think Of the wifi
from whose eyes he has wrung food
e of tears, and from whose heart he ha
' drawn drops Of blood. Who can lool
: calmly upon his perfdy, his outrage, AM
t his crime for he has sought to incitC
!, felony among our rank and file, he has
o bought the peT6dy Of vile men to en-
J. trap the unwary that he might stair
our fair name and gloat over our mis-
r fortunes. Once for all, fellow work
Q men, arouse, let every hand that toll
:. be lifted to heaven and swear by Hin
J, that liveth forever, that these outrage
( must cease. Let ever heart and brow
Q be turned toward our common foe anC
n let no man grow weary until like Go
Hath our giant is slain at our feet.
[Signed.]