The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1886-05-21
POWDERLY PROTESTS,
A Powerfully Written Circular
to the Various Assemblies
of the knights Of
Labor.

1Ieei that IL only requires the coming to the
'front.' OF real men OF our order to set us right be-
fore the world. We have been losing ground SO
far as public opinion Is concerned for some time,
One OF the causes is that we have allowed things
to BIO done under the name Of the knights
Of Labor for which the organization was in no
way responsible. / ask of our members to
never labor, and when they charge anything to
our order IN your locality, set the seal Of your
condemnation upon II At once by denying it.
on1cers do not boycott 1t, and II you
have auy such boycotts on, remove them. A
journal n%otlong since made some uncompliment
ary illusions to the general master workman
OF the knights OF Labor. and at the next meet
Ing OF the nearest assembly motion was cast
to boycott the paper. not that alone, but every
person who advertised in the columns Of the
paper. ! wrote to the assembly asking that they
remove the boycott. and it was done. We
MUST BEAR IN MIND
that our general master workman is only a man.
and Is not above criticism. We demand for our
selves the right of free speech. We cannot con-
fair, open criticism. If a reply is necessary,
make it in a pentlemanly, dignitisd manner.
II we are criticised or abused by a black
blackguard himself-in silence. That our
aims and objects are good is no reason why our
members should be regarded as being Of a supe-
Nor build or material. We are no more the salt
OF tho earth than the millions OF unknown toll
ers who do the work Of the world. In our deal
Justly and fairly by them. II we would have
equity to others. This is the aim of
lost sight of in the future. Lot me direct your
attention to q few little abuses. I find that
whenever q strike occurs appeals for aid are
scattered broadcast among the assemblies. Do
not pay one cent for such purposes In the future
unless, the appeal comes from your own district
assembly or the general assembly. II boycott
notices are sent to You burn them. 1
have in my possession over four hundred
boycott notices which were sent to assemblies
with q request that they be acted on. Let me
mention come nf them A mnml er 10 oditfn1 a
paper. He fears a rival, and proceeds to get into
an altercation with him, boycotts him, and then
is influential in one or the other of the political
parties. Members of the opposing party con-
s ssiys the iei idea of t getting aa rid Of the paper; and
Of Labor, first taking the precaution
to have the paper in question say
Labor. In fact, our order has been used as a
tail for a hundred different kites. and In future
II must soar aloft, free from all Of them. hate
the word boycott. was boycotted ten years
months. 1t is a bad practice--it has been
banded to US by the capitalists. 1
thing else falls. Appeals for aid. circulars.
petitions, Advertisements Of every kind are
scattered everywhere through the order. I copy
large part OF our time has been spent in reading
boycott orders and appeals for aid, keeping us
until ~ o'clock. We were led TO believe the
knights OF LABOR to be an educational ~tnstiuu-
ton. but this kind Of education is not pro-
ductive Of good. We have no time for %instruc-
ton. What do you advise us to do?-
these matters, and now ask of the secre-
tary Of each assembly to do the same.
bers it could be made the medium of communi-
cation between the general officers and the
order, but the journal is not read in one-quarter
of the assemblies. Some assemblies send out
documents in ENVELOPES addressed to Secretary
Of Assembly No. ---' In many places the
secretaries have been discharged because Of
fhtu rrnnffrA No ,nnLo 49, a. -. =
ADDRESS another in that way. and
IT it is ever p~racticed again, the offender
WILL BE PUNISHED.
III future, the general executive board must not
pc interfered with in the performance of its duty.
II you have confidence in them sustain them and
obey them. If not, ask for their resignation.
While the board was endeayoring to settle the
Southwestern trouble. assemblies in some
places, with the best Of intentions, no doubt,
demning Jay Gould. These things did no good,
on the contrary they were Injurious. In the set
tlement OF troubles 1t becomes the duty Of the
70 everywhere. While they are doing this they
must not be hampered by the actions
81 those who do not know what their task is.
Resolutions do not prevent land stealing, stock
watering or gambling IN the necessaries OF life,
What we want from our members is not gush
or windy, resolutions about cur rights. We
know we have rights without passing resolu-
lions. Men who think, study and act arc re-
CURED. The general assembly will meet In spe-
cial session on the 25th of May, IN the CITY of
Cleveland. From the receipt of this letter YOU
must not address any communication to me. nor
need you expect an answer Il You do. From now
receive no committees. answer no letters.
must formulate a plan for the future, and will
not be interfered with; , What I will say TO the
time to prepare it. We have had some troubles
from drinking members and from men who talk
ABOUT buying guns and dynamite. If the men
who possess money enough to buy guns and
dynamite would invest it in the purchase
Q. some well selected work on labor, they
Tney viii Vii never aey "1 need To the f1 s%n use cr
dynamite in this country. It is nv opinion that
nation and the wants of our people, would make
but little use Of a rifle. The man who can
not vote intelligently and who will not
cannot be depended upon to use either gun or
dynamite. II the head, the brain of man can
n nss n sis G nand the a Rrsslsm ne new 's s0jye 5ss
III kill my enemy 1 silence him. it is true,
lido NOT CONVINCE HIM.
esrps' capital q are my not e oar ynemte sen If 3 Shs
theory held good the workman of to-day
morrow, for. after all, it is how to acquire cap
,tai ., and how to use it properly that We
not necessarily the enemy Of the iaborer: on the
contrary, they must be brought closer together.
l am well aware that some extremists
" WIZ soy \ auSoCdteh Wedh pan, anu WAL say GQaG
bloodshed and destruction Of property alone will
extend the hand of kindness / hate the uses
duty to reach down and lift up the man
who has fallen u victim to the use Of
liquor. T. there Is such a man within the
ask him to stand erect on the floor Of his as
sembly. raise his hand to heaven and re-
k Gsas won Of labor .nes and words Z believe am that :
every man should be free from tho
curse Of slavery, whether the slavery appears in
ance. The frmest link in the chain Of
oppression is the one l forge when /
a5swn cam manhood hoS m aed reason re- 81 IN s drink. n
God has given me. unless 1 am a party to the
theft. II one moments forgetfnlness or ~inatten-
Of plans,a lifetime Of attention to duty
alone can repair the loss. l promise never AGAIN
to put myself in such a position" We have,
through some unfortunate misunderstanding,
incurred the enmity Of several trades unions.
While can find no excuse for the unmanly at
tack made upon us by some Of these people at
q most perplexing question, neither can l
see any good reason why there should be any
cause for a quarrel. We
MUST HAVE NO cLAsHrNa
between the men OF labor's army. II I am the
cause of the trouble, l stand ready ut a moments
whom the general assembly may select. Break
the power of the knights Of Labor, and
yoa hand LABOR: bound baud and
LOW over 10 ls enemies. Years ago,
extended an invitation to men Of
All trades to become 2 part and parcel OF the
Knights of Labor. To-day I stand ready to
make every honorable concession, to do any
thing in honor TO bring about a better feeling
between trades unions and the Knights Of Labor.
At the special session of the general assembly
the entire trouble can and rust be settled. II
mistakes have been made, they must be
they must be righted. But there is
one thing that will not be done while I stand at
the head OF this organization-tt will not be ussd
to further the schemes of individ uals, cliques or
parties, and IL will be subordinate to no other
organization On earth.