The Labor enquirer., 1886-04-10
EUREKA, CALIFORNIA.
How the ''VigiIanters" Were Downed.
..H. Rapid Growth Of Or ~
- gantzation. -sa

ing once more; not with labor but with
Knights of Labor. We have new as
sembly, No. 5312, less than two months
old, and already it scores nearly 200
members, with from fifteen to twenty
candidates haltlng at the entrance every
week. Our organizer instituted another
new assembly composed of farmers last
week, with acharter list of some twenty
five members. D., These, mind you, are in
farming district, and they meet in a
school house. Previous 10, and when
organized, they came with plans for tn
erection of hall which were discussed
and submitted to committee then and
there. Such is the material our Hum
boldt farmers are made of.
Now, a word for Humboldt assembly,
No. 1887. Her struggle has been one
full of bitter experiences. At first we
prospered, our prospects were bright
and success seemed to meet US in what
ever we undertook. We started the
| Western Watchman and commenced to
show up first one fraud and then expose
some crafty politician, until the capital
istic press and it's hackers began to fear
our power. The fight became bitter
one, our enemies resortlng to their old
dodge, black-mailing; at first singing
out the most prominent members and
black listing all that were known to be-
long or sympathize with US. Thus, by
button-holing and pouring poison in the
ears of those most susceptible, they f.
nally succeeded IN splitting our ranks,
causing many to withdraw, others to
quietly drop out and denv that they
were members, and creating the impres-
sion that those who were standing by
the ship we're nothing more or less than
incendaries, dynamiters, ETC..
The enemy even went so far as to
form, as they supposed, a very secret
mob committee under the pretentious
name of "yigilantss." Then the next act
in the play was to 60 to one of our we'll
known members and tell him to leave
the city. l am ashamed to say it, but
have recently learned that this trick
succeeded IN frightening two of our
members into leaving. But your hum
BILE servant, and one other, when the
thing was limited to us sat down on the
would-be Yigilantes in such i manner
that thev are now so scarce that Pink
erton thug would fail to find one. We
simply asked the party that made the
very polite request if they were ap-
pointed as a committee of one to Garry
the news?" The answer was mo-" but
that they did not like TO see us have to
leave the town as we were pretty good
citizens" and tat the community really
needed men who were such handy
mechanics, but that we had better let
that id gang of Cranks alo1e, etc.
and in the future di>countenance such
people. And that if we did not do so
that when the solid men put their
shoulders to it all of us would have to
take walk.
Our reply wos, "tel the chief of your
gang that the first man that he sees fit
to delegate for the purpose of inviting
! free born and half white American citi
zens to leave their country, that he will
be received with pair of Smith & Wes-
son revolvers, the contents of which will
be transferred to the carcass of said del
egate on short notice" From that dav
to this the X of L. have had peace, and
the arch enemy-the editor of the
Times Telephone-has absolutely gone
and devoted from one-half to two col
umes of his nearly-Doycotted-out-of-ex-
istence paper to the interests of the K.
of l.. and has stopped his denunciations
of the Socialists as well.
I would ask a favor of the Denver
comrades before closing, that is, to keep
an eye out for circular purporting to be
issued by the board of trade, setting
forth fabulous Fages paid to woodsmen
in Humboldt county, California. The
circular states that there is plenty oi
work here, and that the wages are from
800 to 5000 for teamsters, $95 to $125 for
for choppers, $65 to 800 for sawyers and
$50 to SIS for swamHers. The real facts
are that last year the wages were less
than one-half the above figures and
many were idle most of the summer, and
the prospects fer the coming season are
still worse. Many of US have done
nothing except odd jobs for two years
Seven men hired in San Francisco to &C
to work here, were told on their arrival
last week that there was no work for
them.
This is one of the many lodges used
to food the country with men for the
purpose of keeping wages below the
starvation point. The wages paid in the
mills and woods are now $50 to $50, anc
there are hundreds of idle men who are
willing to take even these wages. SC
any comrade seeing red circular or ad
yertisement Of the kind mentioned viii
confer a, favor by mailing the same tt
the Western Watchman Publishing
oo-nopv Eurako Ha1if0rnia