The Portland daily press., 1886-05-11
KNIGHTS OF LABOR.
An Important Circular from Grand
Master Workman PoWderly
In Which He Gives Members of the
order Wholesome Advice.
RoycottIng, Guns and Dynamite
Condemned.
A Strong Appeal Against the Use
of Liquor.

CHICAGO, May 1O.-The Daily News pub
fishes the following secret circular which
has been received by the Knights of Labor
of Chicago and will be read in the various
assemblies during the coming week:
NOBLE ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF LABOR
OF AMERICA.
PHILADELPHIA, May 3.
To the order Ererylol,ere, Greeting;
The response to the secret circular issued on
March 13 has been so general, and the endorse
ment of the sentiments contained In 1t has been
so unanimous that feel encouraged and strength,
assemblies have pledged themselves to act
on advice contained In the circular of the
18th ult / feel that it only requires the coming
forward 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 loa some tbino Ve n he e done
under the name of the knights OF LABOR 1or winch
the organization was in no way responsible. ask
laboring men who never labor, and when they
charge anything to order in your locality, set
the seal Of your condemnation upon it at once by
denying it,
If a paper criticises the Knights of Labor or its
officers, do not boycott, and if you have any such
boyeotts on remove them. A journal not long
the General Master Workman OF the Knights OF
Labor, and at the next meeting OF the assembly
vote was passed to boycott the paper, ana not
that alone but every person who advertised in
the columns of the paper l wrote to the assem-
bly, asking that they remove the boycott, and it
was done. -
Let me direct your attention to few little
abuses. l find that wherever a strike occurs, ap-
peals for aid are scattered broadcast among the
poses in the future, unless the appeal comes from
your ewn district assembly OF the general assem-
bly,. If boycott notices are sent to you, burn
them Our order has been used as a tail for
hundred kites and in the future it must soar aloft
free from all of them. hate the word boycott,
Twas boycotted ten years ago. and g could M not get
tice 1t has been handed to US by capitalists. 1
ha qe no use for it only when everything else fails.
In the future the general executive board must
not be interfered with in the performance of its
duty. If you have confidence in them, sustain
them and obey them; if not, ask for their reslg-
nation While the board was endeavoring to set
tie the Southwestern trouble, assemblies in
some places, with the best OF intentions, were
passing and publishing resolutions ; d Concerning i
contrary, they were injurious in the settlement OF
the trouble. 1t becomes the duty OF the exeeu-
tive board to meet everybody and so everywhere.
pered by the action of those who do not know
what their task is. Keep quiet. Let your officers
S9 %av tnsr De- nof ees' reard the Res
olutions do not prevent land-stealing, stock
watering or gambling in the necessities OF lie.
If had nay mind made up to rob bank at mid
night string of resolutions as long as the moral
law protesting against my contemplated action
would not influence me a parcticle But II some
interested party would take the trouble to study
M the question and would inform himself as to
my right to rob and would stand guard at the
door of the vault would not rob 1t at midnight II
he did his duty. What we want from our men,
bers is not gush or windy resolutions about our
rights, We know we have rights without passing
resolutions. Men who Think study and act are
The general assembly will meet in special ses.
sion on the 25th of May in the city OF Cleveland:
From the receipt of this letter you must not ad-
dress any communications to me, nor need you
expect an answer if you do. l have thousands OF
letters piled up around me now and they never
can be read much less answered by one man n
nv house has exceeded 406 letters per day. They
came from everybody and everywhere. must
play the part of the wheel horse instead OF the
leader of great movement, ana our own mem sln
nails that no one send letters to me. From now
until the general assembly meets Will receive
no committees, answer no letters. must formu-
late plan for the future and Will not be inter-
we nave had some trouble from drinking mem
bers and from men who talk about buying guns
and dynamite. Ii men who possess money enough
to buy guns and dynamite would invest it In the
purchase of some well selected work on labor,
they would put the money to good use. They will
never need guns or dynamite In this country. lt
is my opinion that the man who does not study
the politics of the nation and the wants OF the
people would make but little use OF a rifle. The
man who cannot vote intelligenty cannot be de-
pended on to use either gun or dynamite; II the
brain of man cannot work out the problem now
confronting US his hand alone VIII never solve IL.
If kill my enemy / silence him but do not con-
vince him. would make a convert rather than
But it ii is nv duty to reach down and lift up the
man who has fallen a victim to the use OF liquor.
If there is such man within the sound of the
secretary's voice when this is read, l
ask him to stand erect on the floor of his assembly
raise his hand to heaven and repeat with me these
words:
II am a Knight of Labor. believe that every
man should be free from the curse OF slavery,
whether the slavery appears in the shape q mo mo
nopoly, usury or intemperance. The hrmest INK
in the chain OF oppression is one forge when
drown manhood and reason in drink. No man
can rob me of the brain my God has given me IN .
less 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
glass Ii one moments forgetfulnesS or inatten-
tion to duty while drunk brings defeat to the best
of labor's plans, a lifetime OF attention TO duty
alone can repair the loss. /! promise never again
to put myself in such position"
II every member of the Knights of Labor would
only pass a resolution to boycott strong drink SO
far as he is concerned for five years and would
pledge his word to study the labor question from
its different Standpoints, we would then nave an
inyinciblc host arrayed on the SIDE Of lusuce:
standing incurred the enmity of several trades u-
ions. While find no excuse for the unmanly at
tack by some of these people at a time when we
stand face to face with a most perplexing ques-
tion, neither can see any good reason why there
should be any cause for quarrel. we must nave
no clashing between men of labOrs army. Ii
am the cause of the trouble l stand ready at a
moments notice to make way for any one of
my rivals whom the general assembly may Sc
lect.
When joined the Knights of Labor | left a
trade union. l believe the aims and objects of
our order come first. 1 believe in combining all
the scattered battalions of labors mighty host in
one grand union. Labor-saying Inventions steam
and electricity have forever broken the power OF
one trade or division of labor to stand and leglS-
late for itself alone; and, with a craft that sci
fishly egislates for itself alone, have no sympa-
thy. Well may we say Of the men who are fight
ing us, "ForgiVe 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 its enemies.
Years ago extended an invitation to men OF all
trades to become part and parcel of the Knights
Of Labor. Today stand ready to make every
honorable concession, to do everything in honor to
bring about better feeling between the trades
unions and the Knights of Labor. At special
session of the General Assembly, the entire trou-
BILE can and must be settled. If mistakes have
been made they must be rectifed if wrongs
have been inflicted they must be righted. But
there is one thing that will not be done while |
stand at the heaG of this organization. 1t Will
not be used to further the schemes of indiN iduas
cliques er parties. 1t will be subordinate to no
other organization on earth.
Z. V. PowDERLY,
Grand Master Workman.
THE RR0AnWAY FRANCHISE.