Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1886-06-06
KNIGHTS OF LABOR
THE NEWSPAPERS TRY TO
KILL THE NOBLE ORDER.
Petty Ambition Gives Way to Common
Sense-DisOrganizers Talk Tn.
der the Sting of Defeat.
Enlargement of the
Executive Board.

At this writing the special session
of the General Assembly of Knights
of Labor is nearing its close. All
through the session the capitalist
press has printed reports of strife
and bitter animosity in connection
with the proceedings, well calcu-
lated to kill less robust organiza-
ton.
Taking advantage of the supposed
prejudice against people of radical
thought, the capitalist press an
nounces that the additionf ss;iiie
Executive Board are radical" men.
As matter of fact, one of the men
so announced as elected to the board
has been for years one of the execu-
tlves of most conservative trades
union of New York. Another is
the editor of a conservative labor
paper III Richmond, Va, and the
charge made by the capitalist press
that these men are opposed to
Powderly" is no doubt actuated by
an intense desire % SOW the seeds of
discord among til Knights Of La
Dor. Again the same Satanic press
says that the result of the election
of additional members to the Execu-
tive Board is "blow to the trade
unionists," hoping by that to array
the skilled mechanics against the
unskilIed, and nulifying the work
of unifcation that has been so care
fully fostered for years. If, as it
seems, the capitalist press has been
assisted in its dastardly work by dis
appointed men of petty ambitions,
it adds no new strength to the OPP
ponents Of Organized Labor. On
the contrary the solid men will be
more determined than ever to pre-
serve unbroken ranks. Then comes
the endeavor to create sectional
prejudice. "The West has no rep
resentation.' it is said "the East
rules the Vest" and so forth. As
matter of fact, a man is not asked
what part of the country he comes
from, East, West, North or South /;
nor, for that matter; is it Of any
consequence.
The General Master Workman
himself seems to be pretty well salts
fed over the result. He determined
to set at rest any fears that the capi-
talst press might raise by using the
same press to give his opinion re-
gardlng mysterious organization
said to consist Of five persons who
proposed to "run" the great Order
of Knights of Labor. This night
mare was ably treated by Bro. Pow
derby, who told the assembled + !
porters that he was well aware
the fact some men had opposed hi,
as G. NJ. W.; "But," said he, "they
themselves told me plainly that
they would oppose me !; so their op-
position was no secret. Besides,
that happened years ago. Bro.
Po#derly told the reporters that the
mystic club exerted no influence
whatever, and that "the columns of
trash concerning it are false"
HE SEES THROUGH THE SCHEME.
Powderly hit the nail on the head
when he said ]:
81 believe that this whole thing is
an attempt on the part of the enc
mics of the labor movement to Gre
ate distrust and discord. In that
attempt the movers will fail. We
will leave this city after closing one
the most successful meetings ever
held, and all the money that the
enemies of the Knights of Labor can
spend in an effort to break us up
will be spent in vain.
For the details of the work accom-
plished by the General Assembly
we must wait till we receive official
documents, and every member who
is earnest in the work and attends
the meetings will hear the result of
! the deliberations of the Especial.