The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1886-12-09
LITE sTRIREs.

Eastern papers claim that the imposing !
Of assessments on each individual member |
of the knights of Labor will do more to
break up the order than anything that
could have been devised, as the thinking
members win begin TO make inquiry as 70
the causes Of 80 much idleness in their
ranks. The oficers assert In their circu-
lar leVying assessments that large num-
Der of the members Of the order have been
deprived Of occupation and wages "with-
out warning, without provOcation, and
only because of the exercise OF the InheE-
ent right OF every freeman to belong to
any organizati he plsAses not in conflict
with the laws Of the country" This stale
ment may have been made in good faith
but 1t is not strickly true, aud does not
present the issue in plain and proper
wsy. Take for instance, the late packing
house strike In CnIcago. Revelations made
since its close 60 TO show that thousands
OF men were ordered TO quit work simply
for the purpose of making capital for the
political trickster who was an officer of
their assembly, and who was so utterly
uO1El4C1a a. " lCb q 4CN EObCo AdA = EOttJ
office outweigh all the suffering and hard
ship q severe winter would bring upon
his comrades and their families when de-
prived of work. Another instance is the
great tanners strike at Salem and Peabody
where 5000 knights were employed at
lar wages who demanded a new time
schedule and stopped work because 1t was
refused them. There was no other GEM
plant, and the fact that they were knights
was not objected TO by their employers.
Now, in both these instances where thou
sands Of men were throw out Of employ
ment-as also in the great Missouri Pa
ciflc strike, with which we are all more or
less familiar-the sioppsge of work on a
technIcaIity was done without the consent
and even in direct violation OF the order of
their wise and conservative chief, Powder
lY. In Chicago, this was notoriously so,
and it has been shown since then that or
! ders that he sent, commanding the men
toireaume work, were held back for three
days by the leaders of the strike, who had
nothing TO lose and much to gain, politI-
cally, through the miseries brought on
those they had sworn TO stand by as broth
ers. Nevertheless, these strikers only
obSyed the orders Of their supSriorS IN the
order, and, of course, are entitled to fall
back on the order for assistance, whose
officers commanded them to strike. But
it Is not true to say that they lost their sit.
uAtionS owing to the exercise Of theiI
rights to belong to labor organization.
for they were not discharged, but dis
charged themselves. and ether men, who
have an equal right TO earn = living and
an equal right of personal freedom, &C
oepted the work they refused. This is E
plain statement Of Affairs. Nevertheless
those In want should not be denied assist
Ano0, and, while 1t II proper to. assist and
proper that the order to which they owe
allegiance should assist then, still, it il
only right that the situation should be
fairly stated. All OF the above simply
again proves the advice OF PowdSrly to
have been good: "Workingmen, beware
OF the workingmSn who do not work"