The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1886-05-14
woRes CT WISDOM.

Chief PowderIy, of the knights of Labor.
Writes Another Secret CircuIat--Adyiee
Calculated to Restore the Order TO the
Good Opinion of the Public-Dynamite
and tile Boycott Condemned-Excellent
Counsel to Drinkers
CHICAGO, May 1.-THE following secret
circular has been received by the Knights
of Labor of Chicago, and will beread int the
various assemblies during the coming
week:
"NeBLE ORDER OF THE KNIGHTS OF LA+
Dor OF AMERIcA.-PHILADELPH May 8,
1856 To the Order Egeryarhere, Greeting The
response TO the secret Gil cular issued on
March 13 has been 50 generous, and the in
dorsement of the sentiments contained In
it has been so unanimous, that feel
the work Nearly four thousand
assemblies have pledged themselves
to act on the advice contained
in tie Circular Of the 18th ult. | feel that
it only requires the Coming to the front of
the real men of our order to set us right
before the world. We have been losing
ground, so far as public opinion is con-
eerned, for some time. One of the causes
is that we have allowed things to be done
under the name of the Knights of Labor
for which the organization was in no way
responsible. ask of our members to keep
jealous eye upon the doings of the labor
men who never labor.
lin our dealing with laborers and capital
lists we must deal justly and fairly by
thefh. If we would have equity done to
us we in turn must do equity to others.
This is the aim of the Knights of Labor,
and must not be lost sight of in future
Mr.. Powderly then directs attention to
few errors of Judgment which he says the
Knights shofld take steps to correct.
II Il. ,f flao
boycott principle and the interfGrenee OF
local assemblies with the actions OF tile
general executive board. He then says:
I'VE have had some trouble from drink
ing members and from men who talk about
buying guns and dynamite. Ii the men
| who possess money enough to buy guns
and dynamite would inv est it in tine pur-
chase of some well-selected work on labor
| they would put the money to good use,
! They will never need the gun or dynamite
| iii this country. If the head, the brain OF
| man, can not work out the problem now
| confronting us, his hand alone will never
| solve it. ] would make a convert rather
| than corpse of my enemy.
"Men who own capital are not our enc
mics. If that theory held good the work
| man of to-day would be the enemy OF his
| fellow-toiler on the morrow, for after all
| it is how to acquire capital and bow to
| use it properly that we are endeaYorlng
| to learn mol The man of capital is not
| necessarily the enemy of the laborer; on
the contrary, they must be brought closer
| together.
ITO our drinking member / extend the
hand of kindness. / hate the uses to which
rum has been put, but it is my duty TO
reach down and lift up the man who has
fallen q victim to the use of liquor. Ii
there Is such a man within sound OF the
secretafy's voice when this is read, | ask
| TO OF md on floor of M
bly,, raise his hand to heaven, and repeat
with me these words:
"'I am Knight of Labor. l believe that
| every man should be free from the curse OF
| slavery. whether the slavery appears in the
shape of monopoly, usury or intemperance
| The tirmest link in the chain of oppression is
| the one | forge when l drown man
| hood and reason in drink. No man
can rob me of the brain my God has givee
me unless am party to the theft. II /
| drink 10 crown grief, L bring GRIEF 70 Wife,
| child and Borrowing friends / add not one
| iOta to tile sum Of human happiness When IN
wife oblivion over the rim of glass Ii on9
] moments forgetfulness or lnattention to duty
| while drunk brings defeat to the least OF la
| boris plans, lifetime of attention to duty
alone can repair the loss. ] promise never
again to put myself in such position.
Ii every member of the Knights OF
Labor would only pass resolution to boy
colt strong drink SO far as he is concerned,
| for five years and would pledge his word
|
ferent standpoints, we would then have an
invincible host arrayed on the side OF
| Justice"
Referring to the practice of boycotting
he says:
II hate the word boycott was boycott
ted years ago, and l could not get work at
my trade for months. 1t is d bad pracJice {;
it has been handed to us by the capitalists.
have no use for it only when every thing
else fails -
Mr.. Powderly then refers to the trouble
existing between the Knights OF Labor and
several trades unions and says he fails
to discover any good excuse for the qua r
rel. There must be no clashing between
the soldiers of the labor army. The diff
ferences must and will be adjusted. If he
| (Powderly) stands in the way of peace he
is ready at any moment to resign his posi-
ton. He concludes as follows:
"But there is one thing that will not be
done while l stand at the head of this or
ganiZation--it will not be used to further
the schemes of individuals, cliquGs nor par
ties, and it will be subordinate to no other
organization ON earth.
T. V. POwnERLY,
TSeal | General Master WOTitmann