Savannah morning news., 1886-05-11
POWDERLY'S CIRCULAR.
KNIGHTS ORDERED TO GUARD
THEIR FAIR NAME.

published this morning the following Sc
cret circular which it says has been re-
celved by the Knights of Labor OF CHI
cago, and will be read in the various as
semblies during the coming week:
NOBLE ORDER OF THR
KNIGHTS OF LABOR OF AMERICA.
PHILADELPHIA, May 3, 1857
To TIRE ORDER EvERYwHERE-GREETIN
The response TO the secret circular Issued
March l3 has been 80 generous and the in
dOrsement OF the sentiments contained in IL
has been 30 unanimous that feel encouraged
and streng theued IN the work. Nearly 1000
assemb bes have pledged themselves TO act on
the advice contained in the circular or March
l8. feel that IL only requires coming to the
front of the real men of our order TO set us
right before the world We have been losing
ground so far as public opinion IS concerned
for some time. One Of the causes is that we
have allowed things to he done under the
name OF the Knights of Labor for which the
organization was in no way responsible .
ask OF our members to Keep jealous eye on
the doings of labOrlng men who never
labOr. and when they charge anything
to our order in your locality ses the seal Of
your condemnation upon IL at once by deny
ing II. II n paper crticises the Knights OF
Labor or its officers, don't boycott It, and II
you have any such boycOtts on, remove them.
A journal not long since made some unoom-
plimentary Allusions to the General Master
Workman of the knights of Labor, and at the
next meeting of the nearest assembly a motion
was cast TO boycott the paper; not that alone,
but every person who advertised in the col
umns Of the paper. | wrote the assembly
asking that they remove the boycott anu it
was done. You must bear in mind that the
General Master Workman Is Onlv man and
IS not above criticism. We demand
for ourselves "the right of free speech" We
can't consistently deny 10 to others. We must
tolerate fair, open criticism. III reply is
necessary, make tim Rentemanly and dig
nlted manner. If we are criticised or abused
I anHaa al aal "a
blackguard hmself-in silence. That our
aims and objects are good is no reason why
our members should be garded as beings of
superior build or material. We are no more
the salt Of the earth than millions of unknown
tOlers who do the work OF the world. In our
dealings with laDOrers and capitalists we must
deal justly and fairly by them. II we would
have it equally done to us we in turn must do
equally to others. This ia the aim of the knights
OK Labor and must not be lost sight of
in the future. Let me direct your attention
TO few lite abuses. find that wherever
strike occurs appeals for aid are scattered
broad 'ast among the assemblies. Do not pay
one cent for such purposes In the future un-
les the appeal comes from your own Dlstrict
Assembly or the General Assembly. IL boy
colt notices are sent you burn them. have
in my possession 400 boycott notices which
were sent to assemblies with a request that
they be acted upon. Let me mention
some Of them: A member Is editing paper.
He fears a rival and proceeds to get into an
altercatlon with him. bOycOtts him ana then
asks the order to carry IL out. 4 certain
! paper is influential In one or the other
OF the political parties. The members OF the
| opposing party conceive the idea OF getting
rid OF the paper and they invoke the aid OF
| the Knights of Labor, first taking the precau-
| ton TO have the paper IN question say eOme-
| thing guncomplmentary Of the Knights Of La
| Dor. In fact our order has been used rs q tail
! for hundred different kites, and IN the fu-
! ture It must soar alOft free from all of them.
| / hate the word boycott. was Doycotted ten
| years ago and could not get work at my trade
| for months. 1t is bad practice. II has been
/ handed To us by capttalists. i nave no use for
\ It only when everything else fails. Appeals
! for aid, circulars, petitions and advertise
ments OF every KIND are scat
| tered everywhere through the order. copy
| a letter which comes TO me on the subjects:
! "a large part of our time hes been spent in
! reading boycott notices and appeals lOr aid,
! keeping us until u O'Clock. We were led to
| believe the knights Of Labor TO be an educa-
| tfOnal institution. but this kind Of education
! is not productive of good. We have no time
| Tor instruction What do you advise us to
| doY" i advise them to either burn or table
! thcse matters, and now ask the secretary Of
/ each assembly TO do the same. IT your Jour
nal were not boycotted by our members IL
| could be made medium Of communication
by the general officers and the order, but the
journal is not read in one quarter
Of the assemblies. some assemblies
| send out documents In envelopes
addressed TO "the Secretary OF the Assembly
| No. -" In many places secretaries have
member has a right TO add ess another in
| that way, ana IL IL is ever practiced again the
! offender will be punished In the future the
| General Executive Board must not be inter-
/ fered with ia the performance OF It's duty.
/ III you have confidence in them sustain them
| and obey them. II not, ask for their resiRna-
| tiOns. While the b oard was endeavOring TO
| settle the Southwestern trouble, assemblies in
some places. with the best of intentions no
/ doubt, were passing and publishing resolu-
| tiOns condemning Jay Gould. These
! things did no good. On the contra
| ~, they were Injurious IN tthe settle
ment Of the troubles. IL becomes
/ the duty OF tho Executive Board TO meet
/ everybody and go everywhere. Whhe they
are doing this they must not be hampered by
| the actions Of those who do not know what
their task is. Keep quiet. Let your officers
| do their best. and If you can't find the way do
not retard their progress.
What we want from our members is not
| gush or windy resolutions about our rights.
! We know we have rights without passing res
| outions. Men who think, study and act are
required. The General Assembly will meet
/ ia spcuial session on May 70 IN the city OF
1 Cleveland. From the receipt Of this letter
| you must not address any communications
/ to me. nor need you expect an answer
! III you do. ] have Thousands OF letters piled
/ up around me now and they can never be
/ read. much less answered by one man. Dur
! ing and since my illness the mail delivered az
nav house has exceeded 800 letters q day.
] .
/ / must play the part of q wheel horse instead
/ Of the leader Of h great movement, aud our
I members are responsi BILE for 10. ask through
| the journal that no one send letters 90 me. I
am told by some 70 get hclr. II ! had hfy
assistants 10 would 10 no good. for II takes my
/ whole time % read over half OF the letter.,
| and in the middle Of my work ! am waited
| on by some committee who generally
miarepresent me after they leave
/ me. Tor every member Of the committee viii
/ tell different story. From now until the
General Assembly meets 4 viii receive no
! committees and answer no letters. 1 must
/ formulate plan for Che future anu viii not
/ be lnterfered with. Lot me rcDeHt; | WIFE re-
1 Will 20 anywhere At the request of members
/ Of assemblies. TINS is imperative. / must
] have q chance To do something Of benefit for
/ the order, and can't do IL N am 10 eii FOR
/ Is hours a day reading letters which have
been answered and ro-answered In the Jour
nal and Constitution. What / will say 70 the
/ General Assembly will be said 10 the entire
/ order, and you must give me time 10 pre-
| pare 10.
we have had some trouble from drinking
members and from men who talk about buy
/ ing guns and dynamite. n men who pOsaesa
money enough 70 buy guns and dynamite
would invest II IN the purchase of some well
selected WORK on labor, they wOnld put the
money ~ good use. They viii never aeed guns
or dynamite in this country. 10 ~ my Opin-
ion that a man who does not study the puli-
| tics Of the nation and the wants of the people
would make but little use OF q rifle. A man
I who cannot vote intclligenty. and
who viii not watch the man
he votes for after he is elected
cannot be depended on 10 use either gun or