Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-11-22


the people may be, they must meet |
TO determine not what one maa |
wants but what is best for all
men. When they meet, many cherished
theories mast give way to practical ideas,
and when ttese are enacted into law and
intrusted to the hands of one man for en-
foreemeut, every hand should be stretch
ed forth 70 aid that one mgn TO carry out
the will of ali men rather than TO have,
as have said, so many hands stretched
fort 30 stay TIE work that your predeces
sors assigned 20 me. Men have been
placed II Office with me whom I would
not for moment associate
with IN 3 private business enter
prise with any hope Of success, yet
for the sake OF the good that might
follow silence. forbearance uuder such
circumstances has been observed by me-.
Fancy the condition which the United
coIonies would have found themselves IN
had the first ten years of the government
of the United States beer delegated TO
such men as describe; and the Interests
of the three million OF that day were
nc greater than those which were placed
in the keeping Of the general executive
board of the Knights OF Labor.
hlVSI IcudIhIAS WIS iUuGSECS VI Sao
order on public opinion, he took up the
pending questions, saying:
"The most important questions that
can come before this body for consider
alton are those of finance, land and
transportation. These great questions
are up before the people for discussion
and solution. They must be settled by
the people, for it is not to the interest of
the politicians to do so. Those who
control our public highways are reaching
out with hand of steel to grasp. and con-
troll the government itself, land it is indeed
a battle Tor supremacy. If the masses re-
main idle and Indifferent the Glasses will
rule through the power which comes to
them through banking, railway and land
mohopolists. 1t is, therefore,, duty
which we should not neglect TO select Sc
lections which L have pointed out and
place them prominently before our mem
bers for discussion" He recommends
that special committee of three be ap-
pointed TO take up the matter. He ad-
vooates the concentration of energies on
these questions, and further recommends
the formation of junior assemblies
for educating the younger working
people. Matters OF interest, chiefly to
the order, come in for 2 good share OF
attention, and he fevors change of the
time of holding the general assembly, be-
Iieyings il comes too close to election.
He says: "It might happen that in the
heat of particularly exciting cam paign,
the members would differ as SO political
methods and i'll Telling be engendered.
Should our annual session be held IN
the midst of such contest
or soon after one, it could
not be productive of as much good as
one held at time when every trace of
excitement, anger and feeling of the
campaign had died away" He advocates
equal pay for equal work for women.
The provisional committee is referred to
as follows: Scarcely had the gavel fallen
on the last act of the Minneapolis session
than the traitors hands were raised TO
destroy what it had taken years OF time and
patient work TO construct. The mai oriby
of the last convention were right; they
| legislated as they saw the necessity for
| 1t; they refused 80 pass resolutions with
which they were not in sympathy; aud at
| the close of the general assembly, meet
ing was held IN the city of Chicago with
the avowed purpose of disrupting the
whole order. At this meeting 1t was re
solved to organize what was called pro
visional committee, for the parpose OF
purifying the order," Decision 276
which is herewith presented for
the action of the general as
sembly, deals with the question of the
right of a member OF the provisional
committee" 80 visit or otherwise mediate
with an assembly of this order. That de-
cision should be approved and a Law
passed Rt this meeting which would
promptly and forever expel from the or
der any member who would engage III
such dastardly work as was inaugurated
al the meeting Of the Chicago provision
ais. Reforms spring from noble i'm
pulses, but the impulses which furthered
the assembling of "provisionaIs" was
| born ] in hate, nursed in envy, and
grew to it's present size in the hope that
| the great order would one day be brought
| beneath the rule of men who do not pos
sess the courage or the manhood to prop
erly rule themselves. No hesitancy and
| mawkish sentiment should sway US at this
session. Let Us once and forever put it
| beyond tho power OF any man to fight
this order Or its principles ard remain a
member. If they will tear down let
| them tear down from the outside, and
let every true, honest man in the
order take sides and either go with these
misguided creatures or stand firm and
defend the order from their vile attacks.
These attacks upon the Knights of Labor
come from the persistent opposition
which has been shown to the idea CT al
lowing other organizations to control the
knights of Labor. Do not misuuder
stand me, for I do not refer to trade
unions. I once referred to this matter
at meeting of this body, and my re-
marks were twisted and tortured
to serve the purpose of designing knaves
who attempted to play upon the feelings
of the trade unlonists. [ do
mean trade unions. Their cause
and ours are one in the main. The Or
ganization which your general master
workman speaks of is the International
Workingmens association, which passed
g resolution three years ago to secure
the election of its trusted agents, as the
general officers of the order of Kingts of
Labor. Proofs are in ssmy possession that
plans of these man met with but little
success, and from that time to the pres
ent the members of that organization
have secretly and Gntiringly worked for
the ruin of this order. We had the mis-
fortune to elect man who was either
member of that organization or sympa
thizer with it, to the general executive
board, and he has at all times shown a
preference for the principles of that or
ganization. An honest man would go
with the society which claimed his al
legiance, but the men who will
deny their connection with other
societies will not scruple to
destroy the Knights of Labor if oppor-
tunity presents itself. The opportunity