Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-02-05

not bearing equally on capital and labor,
and the removal OF unjust technlcalities,
delays aud DETERMINATIONS In the admin
istrauon OF Justice; provisions for the
health and safety Of the workngmen and
fof the decentralization Of those injured
through lack OF proper safeguards; the
recognition byincOrporation Of all unions
and orders Of workingmen for their inn
proyement or projection; laws TO compel
corporations 70 pay wages weekly Unlawful
money, and 70 give mechanics aud labor
ers first lien on the products Of their
labor TO the extent OF their wages the
abolition Of the contract plan 10 national,
state aud city works legal provision for
arbitration between employers and en-
ployes, and for enforcing the decisions
reached by arbitratloni the non.cmploy-
mrnt Of children under fourteen In work
shops, mines and factories the prohibit
ing Of the hiring ont Of convict labor;
the Lying OF graduated income tax"
AZ the hands OF congress 1t demands;
'Tho establishment Of national none
tary system, Ia which circulating medi-
um in necessary quantity shall issue di-
rect to the people without the interven-
tion Of banks that all the national issue
shall be full legal tender in payment Of
all debts, public aud private; and that
the government shall not guarantee or
recognize any private banks or create any
banking organizations.
"That interest bearing bonds, bills of
credit or notes shall never be issued by
the government, but that, when need
arises, the EN- Urgency shall be met by
issue Of legal tender, Notwithstanding
money.
"That the importation Of foreign labor
under contract be prohibited.
"That In connection with the postoillce
the government shall organize financial
exchanges, safe deposits and facilities for
deposit Of the savings OF the people in
small sums.
"That the government shall obtain pos
session, by purchase, under the right OF
eminent domain, OF all telegraph>, tele-
phones aud railroads, and that hereafter
no charter or license be ISSUED TO any cor
poratlon for construction or operation of
any means OF transporting intelligence,
passengers or freight,
"And while making tho foregoing de-
mands upon the state and national gov
ernment we will endeayor to associate
our own labors.
"ro establish cooperative institutions,
such as will tend TO supersede the wage
system, by the introduction Of cooper
alive industrial system.
"To secure for both sexes equal pay for
equal work.
"To shorten the hours Of labor by a
general refusal to work more than eight
hours.
"To persuade emp oyers to agree to
arbitrate all differences which may arise
between them aud their employees, In or
der that the bonds of sympathy between
them may be strengthened aud that strikes
may be rendered Unnecessary
1t viii be seen that among the officers
elected By the last general assembly of
North America are those of the insurance
department and of the cooperative de-
partment. These are additions to the
plan Of the founders of the order, are com
paratively new features, and are not yet
assuming proud proportions. In fact,
while the insurance branch may possibly
grow to the extent the scheme its promot-
ers anticipated, hardly any hope remains
that the cooperative venture will be
successful. The insurance branch dates
from 1892. Homer l., McGaw,a Job printer
OF Pitlsburg, is at the head of il. Theco-
operative or mutual benefit system is fol-
lowed 10 this department, and the plan is
30 give $1,000 on the death of member
by an assessment of 95 cents upon each of
5000 members. Membership Is not com
pulsory. Any one between eighteen and
nifty years OF age may become Il member
by paying 81 70. Five hund ed dollars is
now paid on the death of member. Mr.
McGaw, the secretary In charge, is an
Ohio man, forty years Of age. lie was
first u prlnter's devil and then drum
mer-boy in the war, Before he was
twenty-one he was cashier in bank. He
led in the organization of the Knights of
Labor west OF the AlleghonieS. He has
not had years schooling in his life
THE EDUCATIONAL FEATURE
which az first distinguished the order con.
sisted simply of an hour AT each session
given over arbitrarily to intellectual self
improvement. Every second of the hour
was jealousy consumed In that way, no
matter what urgent business was before
the body. Essays were read, public
questions were discussed, set topics we're
debated and addresses were delivered.
Out OF that hour so frequently enjoyed
ana SO generally utilized wherever the
order had footing grew men who have
maze their mark as speakers, writer's.
teachers, clcrgymen and statesmen IL
was q school Tor the development of
workingmen's champions, That custom
and the precious hour that came with Il I
nave disappeared almost TO the same gen |
eral extent as has vanished the mystery
and secrecy the founders valued most OF |
all their works.
There Is secrecy yet, but only to an in. |
intestinal degree. The educational
feature Is still kept up by the farmer
knights out West. They like Mr.. Stevens, I
hour for self-lnstruction, and IL is stlll sci [
apart In many local assemblies amid the I
grain fields, though the laborers of the /
East are too busy with boycotts and
strikes to spare any time for subjects less
pressing.
The local assemblies govern themselves
in the main. They have the mower m
boycott whomsoever they please in their
own precinct. Boycotting is one of the
means OF "enjoillng the oppressor. y
a phrase very familiar in the ears and
mouths of the Knights,
'BoYcoTrNG IS POPULAR.
Every here and there in the great cities
are published newspapers that are called
labor organs, for circulation among
knights and trades unlonists. They nubs
lish the names OF boyeotted goods, Der.
sons and firms in their own neighbor-
hoods, Some publish scores Of such
tabooed objects, and in Richmond, M,
to-day there are no less than eighty. eipht
ooycotts In operation, The fact that in n
eight or ten instances in this Richmond
list the FIRST names OF the humble dairy.
men aud others have not been ascer.
tanned, and that ia other cases no name