The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1886-04-03

strikes, Doycotting, the eight-hour sys-
TEN and other important questions con-
corning organized labor:
Secret Circular.
PHILADELPHIA, Pa, March IL, 1886
Noble Order Of the knights Of Labor Of Amer
icd:
The recording secretary will, on receipt of
this circular,place it in the hands of the mas.
ter workman, whose duty it shall be to issue a
red letter call for Il fuH meeting, either reg
ular or special, have full attendance, and
read it Its extreme length must be excused,
for can not go to each assembly to speak
on the present crisis, and take this method
of reaching them.
An order was recently issued to suspend
organization of new assemblies for forty
days. 1t did not go out until careful re-
view of the field had been taken. Had 1
not been convinced that it was abso utely
necessary for the salvation of the order my
vote would not be cast in favor of cessa-
ton OF the work.
One of the gravest emergencies that ever
faced u human being stands squ'rely before
the head of this order to day IL is not com
ing-it is here-aud it must be firmly dealt
with. Before taking another step in any Ill
rection want to go before the great mass of
our membership, through the medium Of
this circular, ASK OF them to speak to me as
frankly rs now talk to them, and tell me
what Is best to be done. II the order is to
perform its mission ms intended by its found
ers and those who have worked with 1t from
the beginning, q radical change must be eff
fected. A stop must be called and the ship
brought back to her muorlngs. 1t has
always been, and is at the present time,
my policy to advocate Cancellation and arbi
tration in the settlement of disputes be-
tween employer and employe. The law of
kntghtbood demands at the hands of our
members ON adherence to that policy. Thou
sands of men who had become disguised
with the ruinous policy of the strike as the
only remedy for the ills we complain of were
drawn TO us because we had pro lained to
mankind mat we had disearded the strike
until ali else had failed. The men and WON
en- who flock to our standard have
a knowledge of their wrongs. They
have endured these wrongs for years,
and In reason are in duty bound to learn
how to right these wrongs by the least eX =
pensive and most satisfa Glory, MS we'll as
lasting remedy. Six months Will not teach
men our principles and proper methods, yet
men are impressed with the idea that
they can learn them in six weeks or six
days, and before the ground work for a
proper education Is laid we find our assem-
bles on u strike or locked out; and in too
many cases the DrOVocatiOn comes from
their own hasty and inconsiderate action.
| No matter what advantage we gain by the
| strike, 1t Is only indicating the symptoms
| II does not penetrate the system, and, there
| fore fails in e1ectinL Il cure. The only nat
ural sequence Is relapse, and Il relapse
| always means more medicine and Il weaker
patient than before. You must bear with
me and read this lettcr to the end for it may
| be the last one Will ever write to you. My
| duties to the order and humanity must not
| be measured by the standard of dollars and
| cents. My policy must no longer be mis-
| understood. While |, rs the chosen mouth.
| pf q IN In m inn IN, lao
! world that the knights of Labor do not ad
vocate or counte; ance strikes until every
! other remedy has failed, lie wires from a
| thousand cities and towns are bearing the
| news of AS many strikes by knights OF La
Dor, in which arbitration and Cancellation
were never limited at Not that alone, but
! they wee in many cases scorned and re-
| jected by our own members. In some cases
! these strikes were entered upon against the
advice of the general executive board. II Is
AIMED by our members that arbitration is
one sided That may be true of the past
but voluntary concessions made to us with
in the last three months prove most conclu
| svely that the just claims of labor Will be
listened to if we go forward in the way we
started out. 1t Is claimed that this is q wear
| for concessions and advances. BE that rs il
may, we can not force them by striking.
am aware that the machinery of ou r or,
der Is not capable of performing the work
required by the large gains in membership,
and this fact must have restraining inllu-
eral assembly meets. Five hundred assem-
blles were added to the roll in February-as
many AS were organized In the first eight
years of the orders existence. Ii Is not
within the bounds of human possibility to
expect that all OF these new recruits can be
properly trained before the assemblies
are founded. The organizers seld ON
o Ssis t a%a .h fSr INSTRUCTIONS n"t eou oh
They must devote their spare moments to
educating those already organized before
aiding any more new assemblies to the or
der. To attempt to win concessions or gain
with our present raw, nndisciplined mem
, bership would he like hurting an morgan
lied mOO against well drilled regular
army. Again, II snot fair to the older as
6emDlies to bring in new members, PICK NJ
their uuarrels as soon as organized. ant
have them expect pecuniary aid from thOs,
who helped build The order up for nObl,
purpose. 1t is not Sc to give men snC
women premium for joining us 1t 4
wrong to encourage them In the idea tina
they have nothing to do themselves
that they are to lean upon others; they mus
depend upon themselves, and in any cas-
can not receive assistance inside oi sil
months and will hold out no inducement
that Will encoorape them in the belief tina
they will receive assistance even then.
We have buht up a moral force that will
command hearing Tor us before any trbu
nal in the country. We must not fritte
away our strength and miss the golden op
portunity to crown every effort with success
| 10y rushing into useless strikes. To the car
dlnnl principles of the order we must ad
RnOther-pati-nce You have had patlenc
for years, ana had not the Knight
OF Labor appeared upon the seen
you would still be waiting. Your scale
OF prices must stand as they ar
Tor the present II you can not raise them b.
any other process than strike. You mus
! submit to injustice at the hands OF the EN-
ployer In patience for a while longer. Bid
well your time. Make no display of organ
ization or strength until you have ever
man and woman in your department Of In
dustry orr aniZed, and then do not strike
but study, not only your own condition, bu
[ that of yOur employer. Find out how muc
you are justly entitled TO, and then the trl
bunal of arbitration Will settle the rest. Or
! ganizers who publish an account OF thei
, work to the world: assemblies that pnblls
an account OF their strength to tue world
and members, whether public or private
! who speak boastlngly OF our strength to th
world, are very lndiscreet. Mind your Ow
! business. Keep your own counsel IL th
Werld wishes TO learn anything concernin
us, let II ask for Information. II It is prope
TO give the information, we may do !
{ Where we win a victory let us be Inagnar
lmous and not boast OF IL or speak slight
Z | ha Ha