Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1886-10-05

a wise writer to remember what became ol
Samson. The inventor of the guilotine
perished by its side; the French revolu'
tionists, who worked it most freely on
Others finally paid tribute to it with theil
heads. The law will protect both capital
and labor, and behind the statute law is
great body of law which has existed all
through civilized life, and which is known
as common law. Each State IL
the crowd of the union inherits this system
of law. and its courts enforce it. students
of political economy are universally al
agreed that. the right of the wOrkingmar
to combine cannot be questioned, says
Gladstone, and the combinations on both
sides are 50 strong that they are able to dc
each other and the whole country great
deal of damage, and paralyze the industrle:
of the nation and waste a good part oflt'
savings, and dig the chasm that seperates
the employer and the employed great
deal deeper and wider than it now is, anC
to sow the seeds of jealousy and spite tina
will yield woful harvest throughout
MANY generations. 1t is great mistake
to think that all classes are hostile to the
labOring class.
THE GENERAL MASTER wORKMAN's RES
PONSE.
The large audience listened with clost
attention, and frequent applause marked
their approval fthe principal points made
When the Governor had taken his seat o.
the platform, Frank j. Farrell, the colored
member of the delegation from District 4!
of New York, whose associates refused t
take up their quarters in the hotel where
he was refused admission on an equal foot
ing, ascended the platform, and, taking
his stand beside the presiding officer, said
'His Excellency, Governor of Virginia
and gentlemen of the convention, 1t IS witt
much pleasure and qualification that In
troduce to you Mr.. T. V. Powderly, OF the
State of Pennsylvania, who will reply tC
the address of welcome of Governor Lee
of this state, which is one Of the Oldest
States in the arena of political influence o.
our country"
When Mr.. POwderly stepped forward ht
was received with loud applause. The
Grand Master Workman expressed HI:
qualification at the welcome which haC
been given the Knights by the people o.
Virginia, and more especially the people
of Richmond. Mr.. POwderly said:
Mr.. POwDERLY's ADDRESS.
To the Members QJHe General assembly:
The most eventful and trying year Of Oul
existence as an order has ended, and VT
assemble for the purpose of reviewing what
h IS been done, correcting those things that
are wrong, and of legislating for the tu
ture.
1t is required by law that the General
nit report of his official acts during the
year. TO report all of my official acts per
formed during the past yearwOuld take more
of YOUR time than is at all necessary; and tC
Master Workman shall make ont and sub
properly place them before yOu would re-
quire ut least four weeks time in which tc
prepare them for presentation.
have all of my correspondence and let
ter books within reach, and can, on short
notice, refer to them in matters of detail,
When the law which requires of the Gen
eral Master Workman to make out report
was passed, that officer was not 4 member
of the General Executive Board. Now
that he is a member of that body, the re'
port of the Board must naturally constitute
a report oft important part OF the duties
of the General Master Workman, for my
time during the year was mainly occupied
with General Executive Board business
refer you to the reports of the General
Executive Board and other officers and
agents of the General Assembly, and will
address you briefly upon some few matters
of importance, and make such suggestions
as | consider necessary.
If we are guided by the experience Of the
past, and act accordingly, we can place the
Order upon footing so safe and sure that
no assaults from its enemies can iniure 1t.
If we are not. guided by that experience, il
We fail to read Alright the signs of the times,
and we close this General Assembly with
out having improved on the past, we will
tail to properly represent those who sent us
here.
The rapid increase in organization since
the Hamilton session of the General AS
sembly was most marvellous. An examin-
alton of the reports of the General Secre-
ary-TreaSurer for the year ending July lSt,
1886, will show that i'll one year l,O6S As
semblies have been organized. The new
members so suddenly brought together
could not be assimilated. Thousands have
been attracted toward the Order through
mere curiosity; Others have come for purely
selfish motives; while the great bulk ofOur
new recruits have joined for the good that
they could do.
Quite q few have entered our Order for
the purpose of redressing existing wrongs,
II L,E ,,niRin,, fn lnDrn ANYTHING
cerning the duty of the Knight to the
Order, have plunged into rash and ill-con-
sidered strikes. The troubles coming from
this direction began while the General
Assembly was in session. The car drivers
of st. Louis were organized under promise
from the organizer that they would receive
aid, unstinted, in case of strike. Even
before the receipt of their charter they
were on strike. Their proceedings were
characterized by such utter disregard for
our laws and teachings, that the paid and
known agents Of their employers, the de
tectives, had no difficulty in securing the
passage Of motions of a violent character.
1t is an established fact that men who
were employed by detective agencies stood
up on the floor of that Assembly, made
imflammatory speeches urging the men tC
deeds of violence, and urged that the
property of the strcet-car companies be de
stroyed. 1t was only the good sense OF
the men that prevented such outrages from
being perpetratGd, although these agents
of nefariOus spy system induced some
desperate men to blow up the cars upon
the streets. For these outrages the Order
was in no way responsible. The st. Louis
car troubles were but the beginning of the
ii lal wave of strikes and bOycotts which
swept over the country, and which
strained the strength and resources of your
General Officers almost beyond theil
powers of endurance.
THE SOUTHWEST STRIKE
began when the time aud attention of the
General Officers were taken up with othel
matters of vital importance. No notice o
the contemplated action was given to us
and we knew nothing whatever concerning
it or the causes leading to it until it had
been in progress several days.
It has been asserted that condemned the
men while they were on strike. No such
statement ever escaped my lips. The only
statement of mine that could be made tC
o,,>aar ~ tho Hubf of a condemnation WA.