The Labor enquirer., 1886-12-11
the Knights of Kapor. Thus the defined

the Knights of Kabor Thus the defnet
policy of the trade union operated as
boom for the Knights of Labor. Their
was no other reason for this result
especially in the small towns. Th
Knights of Labor take persons from al
kinds of occupations or trades into on
union or assembly, while the trad,
union makes Its assemblies all of mem
bers of one trade; that is, only carpen
ters can join carpenters union, ant
only masons masons' union, and so on
making such of the trades a union b.
itself In small country towns wher
| there are but three or four persons O.
each trade, a trade union cannot be main.
tained, and for this reason the Knights
of Labor are most available, because
the few of each trade can all join to
gether in one assembly. This advantage
and the taking" feature in the name
gave the Knights of Labor the advan.
tage.
Early in the spring, or the latter part
of last winter, when the Knights were
booming in anticipation of Nav l. Mr.
PowderlY issued an order to organize no
more local assemblies for the present,
for they were being organized faster
than they could be equipped. and there
must be halt until the General Assem-
bly, could get up with its work, and
could fix some safeguards against abuses
arising from this rapid growth. About
the same time he issued this order
within the organization he published a
proclamation to the world in which he
declared that the Knights of Labor
would take no part in the eight-hour
move fixed for May l.
This was great surprise and setback
to about every, knight who had joined
the order since the trade unions fixed
May as the day for the strike. They
saw then that through their own or
somebody's ignorance or stupidity, or
somebody's corruption, they had been
led to Join the wrong organization. Mr..
Powderly, seeing that this misunder-
standing had created confusion and
feeling took special care that it should
not occur again, and therefore in his ad :.
dress at Richmond distinctly declared
that the Knights of Labor would, with
his consent, make no eight-hour moves
until ten hours had been esta blished
throughout the country.
The, strike at Chicago was evidently
based on misunderstanding of Mr.
Powderly's present opposition to any
eight-hour moves. He did not even
recommend that where eight hours had
been establish ed it should be sustained.\ \
I would be the last person to accuse
Mr., Powderiy of dishonesty, for I believe
him to be strictly honest and upright
man, and that he is broad-minded and
an able leader of public sentiment there
can be no question; but as broad
minded men are apt to do, he general
ICES everything and makes nothing
special and definite. For this reason
Mr.. Powderly is worthless as an ex ecu
tive officer. He neglects every definite,
direct action and turns everything into
worthless generalities, with the mis-
guided notion that that is the way to,
reach the good of the great whole, An
honest man, q good leader of sentiment,
but worthless leader of men, must be
the verdict of history upon Mr.. Pow.
derly.
The trade unions are soon to meet in
convention at Cleveland, Ohio, and GER
tainly We have a right to hope that they
will mark out some definite line or
lines of action and put man or men at
the head who are known for practical
ways of getting straight to hepoint.
Men cannot be induced, for anV ex-
tended period, to stick to an organiza-
tion, much less Join it, aud steadily pay
dues and assessments, without seeing
some definite point they are working
at And more, each man wants to
know that there is at least one point
ahead that is going to benefit him in
person, and he wants to know what that
point is and when and how it is expected
to be reached. Any leader of any or
ganization who overlooks these facts
will not long have an organization to
lead.
Men like to listen to broad general
ity, for it is the premise to many definite
actions. But men think they have done
enough when they have listened to gen.
eralities. A generality is something a
man will not invest much money In.
Laborers cannot be expected to Or
ganize or sustain their organization if
their conventions fail to mark out deh-
mite labor policies, or policies that fail to
reach home to the heart and the inter-
est Of each man, C. s. GRIFFIN.
Bad Rerormsrs.
For the ENQUIRER.