The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-04-21
EDUCATING THE KNIGHTS.
Mr.. PoWderly Has Reason to Think that His
New Departure Will Be Successful.

PHILADELPHIA, April 20.-General Master
orkman Powderly contributes three letters to
this weeks Journal of United Labor. In one OF
them he says: From the returns already in
am satisfied that the special call will be re-
sponded to almost unanimously In the atirma-
ative, for, up to this time, very few have even
asked for Information concerning it, and but
six or seven have voted in such way as to OPP
pose the project Several inquiries have been
made as to who will appoint the lecturers and
send them out. They will be selected from
those who recommended by the district,
State and national trade assemblies of the order.
They will be appointed by the general master
workman who intends to select the very best
material we have in the order Those who go
out will teach what the preamble of the Knights
of Labor means; they will not talk for the Dem
ocratic. Republican. the Prohibition, the Union
Labor, or the United Labor parties. These
parties may send out such lecturers
they please. but our SD eakers will talk in
the interest of united LABOR on the broad
platform of the Knights of Labor. They will
not discuss personalities or differences between
individuals they will not boom any man or set
of men for Office, and tho moment that notice
is served on the general master workman that
any of those who doing such things
he will at once recall them. They will not talk
In the interest of a clique, ring cabal. They
will be chosen from different sections of terrific
~ in which the order is located. / do not
know yet who will be selected, for that matter
has not occurred TO me-"
In another letter Mr.. Powderly says lecturers
for Canada will be chosen from the Dominion.
He also says lecturers in forcing languages will
be chosen. and they will instruct their hearers
to learn the English language He declares that
he will not consider religious belief making
selections. and that it will not be tho lecturers
bushes to eXpound the gospel He continues:
'.If anything were required TO convince me
that the school teachers should go abroad. it
came to me IN the letters received since the spe-
cial cali went out. 1t taught me something
that did not know before It taught that
sefshness is not dead; that political bias is still
imbeddsd deeply in the workingmans hide that
sectional feeling is still the mirror in which some
men gaze when they wish to see how good looking
they are: that the SANDER of enemies takes root
and grows in rocky, finty, gravely soil by being
scattered lightly over the surface, while truth
ana justice must be planted deep and firm in
the best of earth before they will take root at
all. II anything necessary to show
that in the hearts of workingmen there is
deep. earnest longing for better con
ditions the letters which answer
the special calf NEE. every requirement
These letters show how sacred In the eyes of the
rank and file stand the principles of our order,
for nearly every winds up with such ex-
preston as this: Push the good work; do
not be turned aside from your purpose by the
Let the education of the go on, that
politicians. political parties and traders will
soon lay powerlsss at the feet of intelligent Ia
Dor, no longer the dictators Of the Nations des-
tines, but the creatures of peoples will-only
this and nothing more"