Wichita eagle., 1888-11-16
THB KNIGHTS OF LABOR
Continued from First PAGE.


those misguided creatures or stand firm
and defend the order from their vile at
! tacks. These attacks upon the Knights OF
Labor come from the persistent opposition
| which has been shown to the idea OF
allowing other organizations to control
| stand me, for 1 do not refer to trades
unions. once referred to this matter at a
| meeting OF this body and my remarks were
| twisted and tortured to serve the pur-
poses Of designing knaves who attempted
| to play upon the feelings of trades union
ists., l do not mean the trade unionists.
| Their cause and oSrs are one in the main.
The organization which your general
master workman speaks of is the
| International Workingmen's asso-
citation which passed resolutions
| three years ago to secure the election of
its trusted agents as general officers of the
order of Knights of Labor The proofs
men met with but little success and from
| that time to the present the members of
| that organization have secretly and uutir-
! ingiy worked for the ruin OF this order.
There are members of that society who
are members of this who do not favor the
schemes OF the warning factions of the in
! ternaaiOnal working mems association,
! but they are few and far between, for
| those who are known are intent on de-
struction. We had the misfortune to elect
TO a man who was either member or a
sympathizer of the general executive
beard and he was at all times shown a
preference for the principles Of
would go with the society which claimed
his allegiance, but men who will deny
their connection with other societies will
not scrupie to destroy the Knights OF La
Dor if the opportunity presents itself The
opportunity never, presented itself and
they sought to make it and failed. You
may accuse your general master workman
of entertaining bitter feeling for this
element; if so, you are wrong. There is
no bitterness but there is determination
on his part to drive from the order every
element Of discord if it lays in his power
to DO So"
He gives similar case in the MouIders'
such opposition. He advocates a more
equal division Of the wealth produced by
labor and denounces the gambling in
money, in land, in railways and in the
very food which is withheld from the
mouths Of millions at the sound of the
stock brokers ticker"
LITcHMAN's REPORT.
In his report ex-Secretary Litchman
gives a detailed statement of his connec-
ton with the order from his admission to
the present time quoting from the official
records of the past sessions of the general
assemblY..to prove the falsity of the charges
of dishonesty which had been circulated
against him. He showed from the records
that everything had been satisfactorily ex-
planned in the general assembly and his
course was approved by resolutions at the
Detroit meeting in 1887. His connection
with the general insurance secretaryshlp
was in no wise the cause of the failure of
the system, for it failed because it was in
herently rotten.
general secretary two years ago,
explaining that by good service and bust
ness methods he hoped forever to silence
his slanderers He gave details to show
in what points he saved money to the
order. In various controversies he be-
lieved he was the target of undeserved
censure. He had had printing done by his
son, who was knight of Labor in good
standing, and he believed he did properly
i'll so doing, but it was less than one-sev-
enth of the whole amount that was done
there. He Indignantly denied the charge
that he had falsified accounts, explaining
that he had nothing to do with paying the
bills, that work devolving on the treas
urer. He further denied the claim that he
had employed non-union help at the gen
eral Offices.
He recommended that the general secre-
tary be given absolute control of his clerks,
advocated reduction of the general execu-
tive board to five members, consisting of
general master workman, general worthy
foreman, general secretary and two mem
bers, money TO be placed with safe depOsi
tories, acknowledged the Importance of the
present session for the veal or woe of the |
order and c0unseleG great care in the
selection of officers for the ensuing year
His resignation was appended as a part !
of the record. He closed with an express
SFT 4 n lie tn ha f0,.
cOurtesies and the hope for the continued |
success, of the order.
The afternoon session was cut short !
owing to the regular meeting of the Wo- |
mans Relief Corps.
AS there had been talk of a call on Gen
eral Harrison, and it was not yet settled /
whether TO call on him as an organization, |
the following was adopted:
BE it resolved, That we consider it |
would be very impolitic and i'll |
advised action for any body /
OF men from this convention |
to meet or wait upon as Knights of Labor
the president-elect."
Last year exactly similar action was
taken in Minneapolis in regard to Presi- !
dent Cleveland, who was there at that |
time.
Nothing else was done at the afternoon
meeting. the Barry appeal, which was
looked for, being probability Of tomor-
row > session.
Among the delegates to the general
assembly there is very general approval |
to the report of General Master Workman
and the indications tonight are
that his suggestions will be adopted. OF !
course there are dissenting views, but so
far as can be learned the majority is with |
powderly. AS James II. Marrow, OF /
Adrian, Mich, expressed it: The order
is really stronger than ever and in the next
year there will be the healthiest and best
growth in the history of the organization"
The suggestions of Mr.. Powderly appear
in his report and one Of the import
ant ones is the reduction of |
the board to five members. consisting Of |
the general master workman, general /
worthy foreman, general secretary and !
two members. Acceptance OF his recon-
also means greater power in
the hands of the chief executive, which be-
ing settled Mr.. Powderly would probably
accept reelection. His cabinet would /
be selected by himself and mem bers of the
present board would be elected from and
an outsider or two brought in to complete
the number
Hugh Cavanaugh, of Cincinnati. would
be one new man aud J. w. Hays
and I. B. MCGUIRE also stand close to the |
chief.
A RAPiST STRUNG UP.
DoNALDsoNvILLE La, Nov. 15.-On
Tuesday afternoon on plantation near
this town a negro seized an 11-year-old
4; III /