The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1886-10-06
Glre GttetIiGellfea,
POWpERLY,s AppREss
To the knights of Labor Assembly ut
Richmond, Va.

10 the Knights of Labor Assembly ut
Richmond, Va,
Yesterday General Master Workman
PoWderly delivered the following annual
address to the knights Of Labor Assembly
in session at Richmond;
10 he Members of HE General Assembly;
The most eyentiul and trying year OF
our existence as ap Order has ended, aud
We assemble for the purpose Of reviewing
what has been done, correcting those
things that are wrong, and Of legislating
for the future,
II is required by law that the General
Master Workman shall make out and sub.
NIT report Of his official acts during the
year. To report all OF my official acts per-
formed during the past year would take
more OF your time than ia at all necessary;
and TO properly place them before you
would require at least four weeks time in
which to prepare them for presentation.
! have all my correspondence and letter
books within reach, and can, on short no.
ttCe, refer to them in 7latters OF detail,
When the law which requires Of the
General Master Workman to make out re-
port was passed, that officer was not a
member OF the General Executive Board.
Now that he Is a member OF that body, the
report Of the Board must naturally Constl.
tute a report OF the important part of the
duties OF the General Master Workman,
Tor my time during the year was mainly oC.
cupied with General Executive Board bus
iness. | refer you to the reports OF the
General Executive Board aud other off,
GERS and agents OF tho General Assembly,
and will address you briefly upon some
few matters Of importance, and make such
suggestions as | consider necessary.
five are guided by the experience OF
the pest, and act accordingly, wa can place
the Order upon footing so safe and sure
that no assaults from It's enemies can in
lure 1t. II We are not guided by that ex-
perienCe, If we fail TO read Alright the signs
Of the times, We will fall to properly rep.
resent those who sent us here.
The rapid increase In organization since
the Hamilton session Of tho General Az
sembly was most marvellous, An examin-
alton Of the reports OF the General Score.
tarY-Treasurer for the year ending July l.,
1885, will show that In one year 4 OOS As.
semblles have been organized. The new
members 60 suddenly brought together
could notproperly assimilRted. Thousands
have been attracted toward the Order
through mere curiosity; other have come
for purely selfish motives; while the great
bulk Of our new recruits have Joined us for
the good that they could do.
Quite a few have entered our Order for
the, purnose OF rodressing existing wrongs,
and, before waiting to learn anything con-
corning the duty Of the knight to the Or.
der, have plunged Into rash and i'll con-
eidered strikes. The troubcs coming from
this direction began while tho last Gem
eRal Assembly was In session, The car
drivers oil 81. Louis were organized under
promise from the Organizer that they
would receive aid, unstinted, in case Of a
strike. Even before the receipt OF their
charter they were on strike. Their pro.
Ceedin8s. wers characterized by such utter
disregard Tor our lava and teachings, that
the paid and known agents OF their elm.
ployers, tho detectives, had no difficulty
in securing the passage OF motlons Of VIC.
ont character. 1t Is an established fact
that men who are employed by detective
agencies stood up on the floor OF that Al.
sembly, made inlammatory speeches urg.
ing the mon to deeds Of violence, and urg-
ed that the properly Of tho atroat.car com.
paniea be destroyed. It WAS only the good
sense Of the men that prevented such ont.
RACES from being perpstrated, although
these agents OF nelarious Spy System in.
ducsd some desperate men TO blow up tho
cars upon the streets. For these outfsges
the Oder was in no way responsible.
The st. Louis car troubles were but the
beginning Of the tidal wave Of strikes aud
boyCotta which swept over the country,
and which strained tho strength and re-.
sources OF your General Officers almost
beyond their powers aud endurance.