Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1886-05-28

from men who talk about buying
guns and dynamite. If the mel
VINO possesses money enough to buy
guns and dynamite would invest i,
in the purchase Of some vel, selected
work Or labor, they would put the
money to good Use. They will
never need the guns or dynam,ta in
this country. II is my opinion that
the man who does not stuLy tLe
politics OF the nation and the wants
OF the people, would make bat
LITTLE USE OF A RIFLE.
The man who cannot vote in:elli
gently caunot be depended upon to
use either gun or dynamite. II the
brain OF man cannot work out the
problem now confronting US, his hand
alone will never solve it. III kill
my enemy l silence him, but l do
not convince him. Iwould make q
convert rather than q corpse of my
enemy. To our drinking members,
/ extend the hand Of kindness,
hate the uses to which rum has been
put, but it is my duty to reach down
and lift up the man who has fallen
a victim to the use of liquor. II
there Is such a man within the sound
OF the Secretary's voice whom this is
read, 1 ask him to stand erect on the
floor of bis Assembly, raise his hand
to Heaven and repeat with me these
words: Il am Knight of Labor.
l believe that every man should be
free from the curse OF slavery that
appears in the shape Of monopoly,
usury or intemperance. The firmest
link in the chain of oppression is
the one which l forge when I drown
manhood and reason in drink. No
man can rob me of the brain nv
God has given me unless I am a
party to the theft. If drink to
drown grief, bring grief to wife,
child and sorrowing friends. add
not one iota to the sum of human
happiness when invite oblivion over
the rim of a glass. If one moments
forgetfulness or inattention to duty
while drunk brings defeat to the
least of labor's plans, lifetime of
attention to duty alone can repair
the loss. l promise never again to
put myself in such position. If
every member of the Knights of
Labor would only pass resolution
to boycott strong drink, SO far as he
is concerned, for five years, and
would pledge himself to study the
labor question from its different
standpoints, one would than have an
invincible host arrayed on the side
of justice.
We have, though some unfortu-
nate misunderstanding, incurred the
enmity OF several trades-unions.
While I can find no excuse for the
unmanly attack made upon US by
some ofthese people, at q time when
we stood face to face with o mos,
perplexing question, neither can ]
see any good reason why there should
be any
CAUSE FOR A QUARREL.
We must have no clashing between
the men of labor's army. If I am
the cause of the trouble, I stand
ready at moments notice to make
way for any one of my rivals whom
the General Assembly may select.
When ! joined the Knight of Labor
l left the trade-union. I believe the
aims and objects of our order come
first. l believe in combining all the
scattered battalion of labor's mighty
host in one grand whole. Labor
saving inventions, steam and elec
tricity have forever broken the power
of one trade or division of labor to
stand and legislate for itself alone,
and with the craft that selfshly
legislates for itself alone I have no
sympathy. Well may we say of the
men who are fighting US: "For.
give them, Father, for they know
not what they do" Break the
power of the Knights of Labor, and
you hand labor, bound hand and
foot, over to it's enemies. Years ago
l extended an invitation to men of
all trades to become part and par
Gel OF the Knights of Labor. To-
day I stand ready to make every
honorable concession, to do every
thing in honor, to bring about q better
feeling between trades-unions and
the Knights Of Labor. At the
special session of the General As
sembly the entire trouble can and
must be settled. If mistakes have
been made, they must be rectified
if wrongs have been inflicted, they
must be righted. But there is one
thing that will not be done while l
stand at the head OF this organiza.
tion-it will not be used to further
The schemes of individuals, cliuues
or parties. 1t will be subordinate