Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1886-10-06

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF KNIGHTS OF
LABOR.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF KNIGHTS OF
LABOR.
ADDRESS OF WELCOME BY GEN. LEE-RE-
sPoNsE By GENERAL MASTER WORKMAN
TERENCE v. PowDERLY.
The General Assembly of the Knights
of Labor met in Armory Hall in Richmond
| at 10 O'Clock last Monday morning. The
Knights of Labor we're welcomed by Gen
eral Lee, who made an appropriate and elo-
quent address, which was responded to by
Mr.. Powderly in an able manner. We have
space only to give few extracts from these
addresses. From Gen. Lees, we quote the
| following
sYou have no fight against benevolence
and charity. The rights of all men are
going to be protected in this country. En-
ployers, it has been said, have no right to
| lock out whole shop full of hands to bring
few unwilling ones to terms, nor have
they the right to engage with other en-
ployers to fix a rate for them to pay or COM
Del all to remain idle, but they have right
to exercise their just judgment as to what
fair dealing and justice demands and what
| they would be willing to give for the work
| thsy want, and Afterwards Il if Sustaining a
loss to say thssyy would not be able to give SO
mich. 'sYou can have hell in your factory
says Washington GLADDEN., 'tor you can
have heaven there just as you wish. If it
| is hell you want. build your business on
| the law of hell, which is simple, every nan
| for himself and the devil take the hind
most; out of that you will get fghtings
perennial and unrelenting. If it is heaven
| you want, then build your business on the
law of the Kingdom of heaven, Thou shalt
love thy neighbor as myself That will
lead you in the path of peace"
Nor can it be admitted on your side that
you have right by combination or other
| wise to prevent others working UPON the
terms and conditions you have rejected, if
| they desire to do So The people OF this
country can never be satisfied until liberty
of action is conceded to all"
eve are all interested ia the aborer get
| ting property and becoming anxious for
stable government so that his aid can be
required in building up his fellow-men
and not in pulling them down, and your
| organisation, whose aims claim to be the
maintenance of order and the enforcement
of good laws, should have no sympathy
with those whose aim it is to break down
and destroy those laws. The employer
will never be allowed to prescribe the condi-
lions of employment and exact service on
their oacn terms; to say will give certain
sum and you shall take it; nor will the
labor+r be permitted to dictate his oUn
terms of service; to say l will work for
certain sum and you shall employ me.
All things that whatsoever ye would men
should do to you, do to them" If a man
cannot legally do au act, combination
of men cannot do the same act. 1t is
wiser, therefore, gentlemen. to have peace
bet ween conservative capital and the labor
ing classes. An issue between them that
cannot be adjusted peaceably becomes an
electric sword and paralyses and transfxes
both. 1t is wise to find remedies for exist
ing troubles"
Gen. Lee concluded as follows:
"And now, gentlemen, permit me to
express the hope that your stay in the city
may be pleasant, and that you will carry
back agreeable recollections of your visit.
| I pray that your deliberations may be
harmonious, that these old men around me
| who like aecla wear crowns of snow and
vet like Hecla have souls of fame" may be
temperate in their counsels and judicious in
their speech. and may the young men here
remember that upon their shoulders future
peace or war will fall, and act their part
wisely and well, SO that it may be said of
each and every member as the years roll on
and the days darken into nights and the
nights in their turn brighten into days, that
this meeting has made a contribution to the
prosperity of their country and the promo
ton of the happiness of her people.
The ship of the Republic was launched
over century ago in the presence of a
:, world May it be the duty of us all to see
that her sails are filled with friendly
breeze and not spread to catch the breath of
passion, and that she is manned by con-
tented and united crew; then, indeed, will
she ride safely on the stormy pillows, loll-
ing in the path of her destiny until she is at
last anchored firmly in a safe and constitu-
tlonal harbor over which will forever shine
the great ark of peace in all the splendor
of an unclouded majesty"
The following are from Mr.. Powderly's
address
| ave come here not alone to settle the
question Of dispute in regard to wages or
hours of labor, we come here partly to study
and learn some lessons of the head and
heart in practical citizenship. We are en-
gagged in work which to the thoughtful
observer means more than child's play !;
| more than the regulation of trade matters,
and the work will NOT end to-day, nor will
the youngest among us live to see it COM
plete. This is life task, there is constant
duty to be performed, there are great
battles to fought out upon the field of hu-
man rights which neither policy nor in
difference can evade.
y
Every great cause will triumph in the
end, and the cause of labor is as grand as
any that man can advocate.
| The question is asked, "Why have you
such an organization as the Knights of
Labor?" And the answer comes from the
lips of every man who does not receive just
compensation for labor done; it comes from
the lips of the thousands of under paid, uu-
der fed and overworked laborers and me
chanics; it comes from the mouths of the
| thousands of farmers whose lands are as
profitless as though blight had fallen on
them; it comes from every hilltop and VAL
ley and every home where the pangs of un
requited toll are felt. That answer is, be-
cause men in whose hands power and wealth
have been placed have forgotten that this
nation is a republic; because they have for
gotten that the founders of the republic in
tended that it should be maintained, up
held and governed by and for the people Of
the republic. We are Knights of Labor
because we believe that the Declaration of
Independence means something more than
mere words and beautiful sentences. We
are Knights of Labor because we believe
that if it was wrong for an alien king to
oppress people and rob them it is also
wrong for any other man to Cypress or rob
his fellow creatures. We are Knights of
Labor because we believe "To whom be-
longs the soil, it is his, even unto heaven.
We are Knights of Labor because we be-
lieve that the rights of the poorest, hum
blest man or woman of toll should stand