Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1886-05-15
GOOD ADVICE TO KNIGHTS.
~...n masser Workman POwderll
Gives the Order Some Sensa-
ble Word of Caution.

CHICAGO, ILL, May 9.-The daily
News will publish the following to-
morrow morning:
"The following secret circular has
been received by the Knights OF Labor
of Chicago and will be read in the var
ious assemblies during the coming
week:
TO the Order Everywhere, Greeting.
NoRLE ORDER OF THE. KNIGHTS OF
LABOR Of AMERICA,
PHILADELPHIA, Pa, May 3, 1886. }
The response to the secret circular
issued on March ID, has been SO gener-
ous and the Endorsement OF the sentl-
ments contained in it has been SO unan-
imous that 1 feel encouraged and
strengthened in the work. Nearly four
thousand assemblies have pledged them
selves to act on the advice contained In
the circular of March Is. feel that
It ONLY REQUIRES the coming to the front
of the real men of our order to set us
RIGHT before the world. We have been
LOSING ground, so far as public opinion
10 concerned, for some time. One OF
the causes is that we have allowed
things to be done under the name OF
the Knights of Labor tor which the Or
ganizatiOn was in no way responsiDie.
1 ask of our members to keep a jeal-
Gus eye upon the dOings OF The men
who never labor and when they charge
ANYTHING to an order in your locality
set the seal of your condemnation upon
it at once by denying 1t.
If a paper criticises the knights oil
Labor or its officers do not boycott 1t,
and if O have any such bOycotts on,
remove them. A journal not long
since made some uncOmpimentary al
lusions to the general master workman
of the knights of Labor. At the mex
meeting of the nearest assembly a mo.
ton was cast to boycott the paper: not
that alone, but every person who al,
vertised in the columns of the paper. ]
wrote to the assembly asking that they
remove the boycott and it was done
We must bear in mind that Il genera
master workman is only a man and no
above criticism. We demand for our
selves the right of free speech. w
cannot consistently deny it to others
We must tolerate fair, open criticism
If a reply is necessary make it in aGen
tlemanly, dignifjed manner. If we All
criticised or abused by a blackguart
then treat it as you would the black
guard himself, in silence. That GU
aims and objects are good is no reason
why our members should be regarded
as beings of superior build or material
We are no more the salt OF the eartl
than the millions of unknown toiler'
who do the work of the world.
In our dealings with laborers ant
capitalists we must deal justly ant
fairly by them. If we would hav'
equity done to us we must in turn d.
j.. equity to others. That is the aim o
the knights of Labor, and must not b.
lost sight of in future. Let me direc
your attention to a few little abuses:
find that wherever q strike occurs, ap'
peais for aid are scattered brOadcas
among the assemblies. Don't pay ont
cent for such purposes in future unless
the appeal Ome from your W dis
trict assembly or the general assembly
If boycott notices are sent to you burr
them. l have in my possession owe,
400 boycott notices which were sent t.
assemblies with a request that they b.
acted On. Let me mention some q
them. A member is editing a paper
He fears a rival and proceeds to get in
to an alteration with him, boycott
him and asks the order to carry it out
A certain paper is influential in one o
the other political parties. Members @
the opposing party conceive the idea G
getting rid of the paper and they i'll
woke the aid of the Knights Of Labor
first taking the precaution to have tn
paper in question say something I'LL
complimentary of the Knights of Ii
Dor. In fact, u order has been use
as a tail tor a hundred different kite
and in future it must soar alOft fire
from all of them.
l hate the word boycott. l was DO,
cotted ten years, and could not z,
work at my trade for months. 1t is
bad practice; it has been handed to l
by the capitalists. | have no use for
only when everything else fails.
Appeals for aid, circulars, petition
advertisements of every kind are sea
tered everywhere through the order.
copy a letter which comes to me on Il
subject: GA large part of our time b
been spent in reading boycott motto
and appeals for aid, keeping US I'M
II O'Clock. We were led to believe t
Knights of Labor to be an education
institution but this kind OF education
not productive of good. We have
time for instruction. What do yOu a
wise us to do?" I advised them
either burn or table these matters. Nc
ask of the secretary of each assent
to do the same.
If your Journal was not boycott
by our members it could be made :
medium of communications betwe
the general officers and the order,
the Journal Is not read by e-quar
of the assemblies. Some assembl
send out documents ip. envelopes a
dressed to: Secretary of Assent
Mo- In many places the secretar
have been discharged because Of t
practice. No member has the right
address another in that way, and il
is ever practiced again the often,
will be punished.
In future, the general executive boz
must not be interfered with in the p,