Weekly commercial herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1884-18??, 1886-05-21

according TO the Chicago Daily News
has sent out the following secret cir
cular to the Knights of Labor Of the
country:
NOBLE ORDER OF
THE KNIGHTS Of LABOR OF AMERICA,
PHILADELPHIA, May J, 1896.
To the Order Everywhere:
GreellDg-The response to the secret
circular issued on March IA, has been
so generous and the endorsement of
the sentiments contained in it has
been so unanimous that | feel encOur-
aged and strengthened in the work.
Nearly 1000 assemblies have pledged
themselves to act on the advice con-
tanned 10 the circular of the 18th ult.
| feel that it only requires the coming
to the front of the real men of III or
der to set us right before the world.
We have been losing ground, so far as
public opinion Is concerned, for some
time. Oae of the causes is that we
have allowed things to be done under
the name of the Knights of Labor for
which the organization was in no way
responsible. l ask our members 20
keep a JEALOUS eye upon the dOings of
the labor men who never labor, and
when they charge anything to u or
der in your locality set the seal of your
condemnation upon it at once by de.
nying it.. If a paper criticises the
Knights of LlDor or It's officers,
do not boycott it, and if you
have any such boycotts on re-
move them. A j%>urnal not long
since made some uncomplimentary
illusions to the general master work
man of the Knights of Labor, aud at
the next meeting of the nearest assem-
bly, q motion was made to boycott the
paper, and not that alone, but every
person who advertised in the columns
Of the paper. | wrote to the assembly
asking that they remove the boycott,
and it was done Let me direct your at
tention to a few little abuses. | i0d thai
wherever IA strike occurs app .al3 for
aid are scattered broadcast among the
assemblies. Do not pay IL cent for
slch purposes in future, unless the
appeal comes from your own district
assembly or the general assembly. Ii
boycott notices are sent to you, burn
them. Our order has been used as IA
tail for a hundred different kites, and
in future it mast soar alofJ free from
all of them. | hate the word boycott.
| was boycotted ten years ago, and
could not get work at my trade for
months. 1t is a bad practice. 1t has
been handed to us by the capitalists.
| have no use for it only when every
thing else fails. In future the general
executive board must not be interfered
with in the performance of its duty
II you have confidence in them,
sustain them and obey them;
if not, ask for their resignation.
While the board was endeavor-
ing to settled the southwestern trouble,
assemblies in some places, with the
best of intentions, were passing and
publishing resolutions condemning Jay
Gould. These things did no good; on
The contrary, they were injurious. In
the settlement Of troubles, it becomes
the duty of the executive board to meet
everybody and 60 everywhere. While
they are doing this they must not be
hampered by the action of those who
do not know what their task is. Keep
quiet. Let your officers do their best,
and if you cannot find a way, do not
retard their progress. Resolutions do
not prevent land-stealing stock-water-
ing or gambling in the necessaries of
lite. Ii l had my mind made up to rob
a bank at midnight a string Of resolu.
tions AS long as the moral law protest
ing against my contemplated action
would not influence me a particle, but
if some interested party would take the
trouble to study up the question and
would inform himself as to my right
to rob the bank, and would stand guard
at the vault, | would not rob it at
night if he did his dnty. What we
want from u members is not gush
or windy resolutions about our rights.
We know we have rights without
passing resolutions. Men who think,
study and act are required. The Gen.
eral Assembly will meet in special ses.
sion on the 18th of May in the city of
Cleveland. From the receipt of this
letter you must not address any com
munications to me, or need you expect
any answer if you do. l have thou
sands of letters piled up around me
and they never a be read, much less
answered by any one man. During
and since my illness the mail delivered
at my house has exceeded 400 letters a
day. They come from everybody and
everywhere. l must play the part of
wheel-horse instead OF leader OF a great
movement, and our own members are
responsible for 1t. l asked, through
the Journal, that no one send letters
to me. From now until the General
Assembly meets l will receive no com
mittees nor answer any letters. l must
formulate a plan for the future and
will not be interrupted.
We have some trouble from drink.
ing members and from men who talk
about buying guns and dynamite. If
the men who possess money enough to
buy guns and dynamite would invest
it in the purchase of some well-selected
work on labor, they would put the