Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1886-05-20
a POINTED LETTER.
ar. Powderly Issues Another Son.
sible Circular.

and VIII be read in the various assemblies
during the coming week:
To the Order Erc'y,ehere, Greeting:
NOBLE ORDER OF THE KNIGHTS OF LAncg
OF AMERICA, PHILADELPHIA, Pa, May g.
The response to the secret circular issued on
March Is has been so generous and TIE in.
basement Of the sentiments contained in it
has been so unanimous .ha. feel encouraged
and strengthened in tie work. Nearly four
Thousand assemblies have pledged them.
SELVES to &c: ~cn the advice contained IN the
circular 81 March ID. l feel that it only re-
quires TO coming to the front of the real
men OF our order TO set rs right before the
world. We have been losing ground 30 far
MS public opinion q concerned, for some
time. One Of tho causes is that we have al.
lowed things 20 be done Under the name OF
the Knights OF Labor for which the orxani.
eaton was IN no way responsible.
ask or our members to keep jealous eve
spon Tie doings Of the men who never labor
aud when they charge any thing TO an order
IN yoHr locality set the seal of your cpndeni-
sat,on upon IT nt once ty denying it. If .
officers do not boycott il, and if you have
any such boycotts on, remove them. A Jour
mai nnt lcns since made some uncompnent-
AIRY ailusions to the GeneIA Master Work
man Of thr Knighrs OF Lair At the next
meeting or the nearest assembly a motion
vas cas-. to boycott the paper; not that
eiohe, but every person who advert iscd in
she columns of the paper. / wrote to the
assembly asking that they remove the boy
mind that our General Master Workman
1s only man and not above crti-
clsm We demand for ourselves the right OF
Tree speech. We can not consistently deny it
10 oihcrs. we Rnst tolerate fair, open criti-
c'sm IL \ reply q necessary make it in a
Hentlcnanly, dpehiiied manner. If we are
cruaised or abused By backguerd then
treat II as. you would the blackgi;ard himself,
in silence. That our aims and objects are
goou IS no reason why our members should
ne regarded rs beings of superior build or
material We nir no more the salt of tho
earth than the millions OF unknown toilera
who do the work OF the world.
In our dealings Wits lnhOrers end cslital-
,sts we must deal Justly and fairly by them
~ we would have equity done to us W must
In Turn do equity to others That is the n IN
or the IN ghts OF Labor and must not tie lost
sight OK IN the future. Let inc direct your
ut,cnt'On to n few little abuses: | find that
Wherever strike occurs appeals for ad are
scattered broadcast among tho assemblies
Don I pay one cent for such PURPOSES in
future unless the appeal comes direct from
your own district assembly Or from the gen.
cfal assent bly,. II boycott notices ire sent to
you burn them. | have in my possession
over so boycott notices VIII Oh were sent to
assemblies with q request that they be acted
on Leu me mention some of them. a member
rs ediihg paper. He fears 4 rival and pro.
cccas 20 get INTO an alteration with him boy
COTS MN and asks the order to carry il out
"A CERTAIN paper is influential IN one or the
other political parties. Members of the
opposing party conceive the idea OF getting
the I'm Shts of Labor first TAX ny the pre-
caution 10 have the paper in quest on say
something nncomp!imentary of the Knights
OF LaCor. In fact, our order has been used
as tail for 4 hundred different kites and
Ia fntureit must soar aioft free from all Of
them.
hate tho word boycott ! was boycotted
ten years. and could not get work at nv trade
Tor months. 1t IS bad pract &C; il has been
handed TO us by the capitalists. have no
use !or II, only when every thing else fails.
Appeals for aid, circulars. petitions, adver-
tiseEenis OF every kind are scattered every
where throu2h the ORDER. I copy letter
which comes to me on the subject: "a large
part OF our time has been spent in reading
boycott notices end appeals for aid. keeping
MS unii twelve q ciCck. We were led TO be.
licve the Knights OF Lalor to be an educa-
tOnal institution but this kind Of education
Is rot productive OF good. We have no time
Tor instruction. What do you uiy!se us to
dor l advised them TO either burn or table
thesc matters. Now esk Of the secretary of
each assembly to do the same
II your Journal was not bOycottcd by our
members II could be made the medium OF
communications between the general officers
Snd the order, but the journal Is not read by
onc-quartcr of the assemblies. Some as
hemhieS send out documents in envelopes
addressed to: Secretary of Assembly No"
In many places the secretaries have been
discharged because of this practice. No
member has the right TO address another in
that way, and il il is ever practiced aga n tho
offender Will be pun shed.
In future, the general executive board
must not be intcrfcrcd with IN the perform
ancc of its duty. IL you have confidence in
them, sustain them and obey them; if not
nsk for Their res'gnatiuns. VIII lie the
board was cndeavoring 10 settle the
southwest trouble assemblies in some
places with the best of intentions no doubt
eondemnins jay gould i" These es0' th:Dgs
did no good; on the contrary, they were in.
furious. In The settlement of troubles Il be-
comes the duty of the executive board 10
la
they are doing this they must not be ham
pc7cd by the actions of those who do not
know what their task is. Keep quiet, let
your officers do their best, and il you can not
IND way to aid them do not rctard their
progress Resolutions do not prevent land
steHlings, stock water ny or gambling in the
necessares or life. If had my mind made
up TO lob bank ut midnight. 4 string of res.
oiut ons as long as the moral law protesting
aga INST my contemplated act on would
not influence me particle but il some in
tcrcsted party would take the trouble TO
study up the quest Oh. and would inform
himself MS to my right to rob the bank and
would stand guard at the door OF tttc vault,
l would not rob it at midnight if he his
duty. and what we want from every member
IL not gush or windy resolutions abou; our
4 ghtS. We know we have rights without
passing resolut ons. Men who think, study
and act are required.
The general assembly will meet in special
scss on on May y in the city OF Cleveland.
From tho receipt of this letter you must not
address any communications to me. nor
need you expect an answer il you do. have
thousands of letters piled up around me
answered, 10y one man. During and since
my illness the mail delivered at my house has
exceeded 400 letters day. They come from
everybody and everywhere. I must play
the part of vince! horse instead of leader
OF q great movement and our own
members .,s s,,a arc responsible for it l
no one send letters to me- am told by some |
to get help. II had fifty assistants it would |
do no good. for il takes my whole time to /,
read one-half of the letters. and in the mid |
die OF my work am waite ed on by some com
mtttee who generally miSrepresent me after |
they leave. for every member OF the com |
mittee VIII tell a different story From now /
until the general assembly meets will re-
celvc no committees, answer no letters. | |
must formulate a plan for the future, and |
will not be interfcred with.
Let me repeat, l will receive no commit !
tees. answer no letters. nor will j go any |
where at the request of members OF assem- !
blies. This is Imperative; l must have a
chance to do something Of benefit for the or |
der, and l can not do it il ! am to sit for |
eighteen hours Gay reading letters which
have hcen answered and reanswerei in the |
journal and constitution. What viii say TO
tho general assembly will be to the entire |
order. and you must give me time to pre- |
pare il. We have had some trouble from /
drinking members and from men who talk
about buying guns and dynamite. Ii the |
men who possess money enough to bny guns
and dynamite would invest it in the pur-
they would put the money to good
use. We will never need the guns
or dynamite in this country. 1t is
my opinion that the mRn who does not study
the politics of the Nat on and the wants OF
clr people would make but little use of
life. The men who can not vote intelligent
~ and who vii! not watch the man he votes
for after he is elected. can not be depended
upon to use gun or dynamite. If the head.
the brain of man. can not work out the
problem now confronting us. h hand will
never 4. l l silence
him, it is true but i don't convince him. |
would make a convert rather than a corpse
of my enernyA
Men who own capital are not orr enemies