Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1886-06-12
THE KNIGHTS OF LABOR GENERAL
ASSEMBLY ISSUES AN AD-
DRESS AND ADJ0URNS.
With but little discussion the follow

WIN Out llGtl0 ulSCuSSlOH tlIC lOiioW
ing address was adopted:
0Brothers iu the cause OF labor: We.
the knights of Labor, in general as.
sembly convened, extend our heartiest
greetings to all branches of honorable
toll, welcoming them to the most
friendly alliance in a common work.
This organization embraces within its
folds ali branches of honorable toll and
conditions of men without respect to
trade, occupation, creed, color or
nationality. We seek to raise the level
of a and reduce the hours of
labor, to protect men and women i'll
their occupations, in their lives and
limbs and in their rights as citizens
We seek also to secure such legislation
as shall tend to prevent the unjust ac-
emulation of wealth, to restrict the
power of %monOpolies and corporations,
and to enact such wise and beneficial
legislation as shall promote equity and
Justice, looking forward to The day
when cooperation shall supersede the
wage system and the classes that now
divide men shall be forever abolished.
We recognize the service rendered to
humanity and the cause of labor by
trade union organizations, but believe
the time is fast approaching when all
men who earn their bread Oy the
sweat of the brow shall be enrolled
under one general head as we are con-
trolled by one common law-the law
of our necessities-and we Will gladly
welcome to our ranks or to the protec-
ton of our banner any organization re-
Questing admission to such organlZa-
lions as believe their craftsmen are bet
Ter protected under their present form
of government. W. pledge ourselves as
members of the grand army OF labor to
cooperate with them in our mutual
effort to achieve the success which we
are unitedly organized to obtain, and
to this end we have appointed q special
committee to confer with any like COM
mittee from any national or %interna-
tional trades union which shall desire
to confer with us On the settlement of
any difficulty that may occur between
the members of the several Organlza-
tions. We have received a cOmmuni-
cation from a committee of the national
officers of some of the national and in
ternational trades unions, requesting
certain specific legislation at our hands,
but, as we believe the object sought
and stated in the preamble to the COM
munication above referred to can best
be accomplished by a conference be-
tween a committee of this association
and q committee of any other Organiza-
ton, and as the propositions contained
therein are inconsistent with our duty
to our members we therefore defer &C
ton on said propositions until a con-
ference of committees a be held.
The basis upon which we believe an
agreement can be reached would nee
essarily include the adoption of some
plan by which all labor organizations
could be protected from unfair men,
men expelled, suspended under fine or
guilty of taking the places of union
men or Knights of Labor while on a
strike, or while locked out from work,
and that as far as possible q uniform
standard of hours of labor and wages
should be adopted so that men of any
trade enrolled in n order and MEM
bers Of trades unions may not come in
conflict because of the difference in
wages or the hours of labor. We also
believe that a system OF exchanging
working cards should be adopted SO
that members of any craft belonging to
different organizations could work in
harmony together, the card of any
member of this order admitting him to
work in any shop and the card OF any
union man admitting him to work in
any Knight of Labor shop. We further
believe that upon a demand for increase
of wages or shorter hours of labor
made by either organization a confer
ence should be held with the organized
laborers employed in the establishment
where the demand for increase OF
wages or reduction of hours is contem.
plated, action upon a proposed reduc-
ton of wages or other difficulty to be
agreed upon in a like manner, and that
with the settlement of any difficulties
between employer and employee the
organizations represented in the estab-
lishment shall be the parties to the
terms of settlement. Trusting that
the method proposed herein will meet
with your approval and that organized
labor will move forward and onward
in harmony, in effect and in interest.