The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1888-11-22
POWDERLY'S REPORT.

POWDERLY'S REPORT.
rhe Chief of the knights Of Labor Makes
His Annual Address Many Radical
Changes ia the Laws Of the OrganIza-
tion Fsvnred-He Taxes Occasion to
Score His Traducers-The Present Com
dition NJ the Order Duo to the MachIna-
tions Of Its Pretended Friends but
Actual Enemies.
INDIANAPOLIS. Ind, Nov. ID The noticea-
Bile feature Of the session Of the Knights
Of Labor General Assembly Thursday were
reports from General Master Workman
Powderly, ex-Secretary Litchman and
his successor. The latter took Office
September 8, and the chief points OF his
statements were that the order had been
very materially reduced In membership
during the past two years. Two years
ago there were 10000 members, but
now there arc only 259, sis, with
probably 1880 unreported. There are
b,666 local assemblies. In the Bos-
ton State Assembly there were 81
"a, but it now has only s,9l3.
Cincinnati has ASH knights where two
years ago there were 14.519. The Indian
apolis district reports 800 when it had last
year 2,l4O The assets Of the order are re-
ported at $114,649 O5, consisting chiefly OF
the home building in Philadelphia and
stock in various companies, cooperative
and otherwise.
Mr.. Powderly's report is in substance as
follows:
He began his address by saying that the
order had maintained an existence in the face
OF the most discouraging circumstances, hav-
ing met with the most pronounced OPP
position from those In whose behalf it
contended. It faced the world as
an advocate OF justice for the
poor. and found all who were enemies
OF the oppressed arrayed against ii. The adop-
tion OF the declaration Of principles ten years
ago arrayed all who despised those prime pies
against the order, and the year just ending had
been the most trying OF all to those who
wished to see har monious blending Of all
classes OF workers. He said that many false
rumors had been put in circulation re.
gardng the strength OF the order, and all who
| regarded quantity as superior TO quality
dropped out. The differences between the gen.
eral officers were heralded abroad and magni.
He'd. and many who wanted unity left the order
instead OF waiting until the Objectionable OF.
ficers could be replaced with new ones. Con.
tinuing he said:
With an Executive Board whose members
were not in harmony with each other. who otrav.
eled from place to place denouncing their fellow.
officers and condemning actions that they were
not responsible for, it could not be wondered al
that we have lost in numbers. The unwise
strikes which were entered upon against the
| laws aud principles OF the kn ghts OF Labor
swept thousands OF our members into poverty
| and forced them from the order. Add to all OF
| these causes the campaign which has
| Just closed in the United States, in
| which members and assemblies we're
pitted against each other on a question
which never was made q part OF the
declarat on OF principles, and on which they
| could very well afford to differ without differ
| ing to any point in the laws or rules of the
| order. and we wonder not that there has been
| falling on but that we have passed through
| the crucial test with the ranks unbroken as We
| find them to-day"
| Mr.. Powderly believes that these trials have
| resulted in good to the oraer. He denies tina,
| there has been any official dishonesty and in
| yites thorogh examination OF the books He
| recommends the abolition OF the law for the
| appointment and government OF examining
organizers, which as at present framed is 8
| dead letter.
power he referred to the troubles that always
| arose when many are intrusted with the execu
| tion of 4 .e,w and said:
.One-man power is an absolute necessity il
| order to insure success, but those who confer
/ that power should first know what power te
/ give, anu Wueu Tue emu OI Indt man TERN O
ONCE arrives they should know whether he
has welded his power in such way as bes1
4 to serve his constituents II he has
4 accord TO him the merit Of having done
| SO; II not then censure him. but dt
4 not censure him for not accomplishing results
when the authority to do so was not placed II
| his hands, and when the power TO thwart hi.
| every move was delegated to others who were
| supposed TO act in unison with him. Men hav,
| been placed In office with me with whom
would not for q moment associate in private
business enterprise with any hope OF success
| yet, for the sake OF the good that nigh
| follow silence forDearance under such circum
stances has been observed by me. Your gen
/ eral master workman realized full well his
| which faced him, but it was not necessary to
| retard the progress OF the order by placing aI
| equal power in the hands Of each member o
| the General Executive Board and then expec
| the general master workman to achieve tn,
success so much desired by Gil true knights =
Alter remarkng the influence OF the order oi
public opinion he takes up the auestsons o
| finance, land and TRANSPORTATION, which, h,
| says, must be settled by the people, as tn
| politicians have no interest in doing SO
| II the masses remain idle and indiffer
| ent the classes will rule through tn
power which comes to them through tn
banking, railway, and land monopolies. IL
mittee TO take up the matter and says the OF
der can compel the campaign Of 1892 to b
| fought on these lines He also favOrs q chang
in the time OF holding the General Assembly
believing that It now comes too close afte
| election to allow political excitement to di
| away. He also demonstrated the importanc
| OF readjustment Of the financial forces Of tn
Government, including the withdrawal OF III
rights from private and State banks o
| issuing currency.
Mr.. Powderly handles without gloves tn
provisional Committee" formed at Chicag
shortly after the Minneapolis session for tn
''ayowed purpose OF disrupting the who'll
| order"
In conclusion he said that he did not blam
men for strik ng, but for making tools OF then
selves in not knowing how TO strike, and cor
tinued:
while workmen strike against the evil
which present themselves to their vision, the
do not real re that their action IS contributln
| to the wealth OF thieves who gam BILE III tn
stocks which the strike affects. They do nc
| realize that the very men against whom the
strike are reaping y rich reward in II
creased profits by purchasing from the timi
| owners the stocks which are Affected by tn
strike. They do not realize that n nine case
out OF ten the strike takes the stocks from tn
hands Of many and turns them over to the fe,
who are the aggrcssors in the game OF starv
and steal. They always strike ut III
top leaf OF the tree, because 1t 81
pears plainest to the vision but the
always leave the root undisturoed to gro
other ana moro powerful shoots. On many .
occasion l have almost lost patience wit
prominent men in the labor movement, me
who have lived in the past so long that the
can not see that the agencies of this genera
tion are entirely different from those OF an
other, and from their point OF view the strik
| has the same power as OF old. We must teac
men what 1t Is that creates o necessity for
| strike
| WIN Not Sell Oak view.
| WASHINGTON, Nov. 16-It is denied q
the White House that President Clcvelan
has ut any time intimated to any one
desire To dispose of his propert
known IS Oakview. The Presiden
will probably retain this valuable piec
Of real-estate for some time TO come. II
SO situated that it must Of necessity grea
w enhance in value as the city grows, an
the growth is all In that direction. II
originally paid about SO QUO for it, an
expended perhaps 600 or 5000 in In
| nlSDvincr In (S0Od inluaS af rnal ac ri n