Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-04-03
WHY THEY SECEDE.
THIRTEEN THOUSAND MACHINERY CON
sTRUCT0Rs TO QUIT THRK. OPL.
POwdarlys Letter 10 the Knight-fhs Old
Charges Of 0rOOksdness-fhs General Master
Workman's Lsttsr-HOw il Strikes
Members Of the Order.

quarters, when General Master Workman
POwdeIly was placed under fire. The old
charges Of erookedness at the Minneapolis
convention were revived, and some alleged
proofs were shown. Mr.. Powdeily, in or
der TO vindicate himself, decided to leave
the matter to vote of the delegates, and
last week they all received the following
letter signed by Powderly aud bearing the
official seal Of the order:
SCRANTON, March %, 1885,
DEAR SIR AND BRoTHgR were
elected to attend the session OF the General
Assembly which convened at Minneapolis
last October. You were present and acted
in the capacity OF a representative. During
the debate which took place on certain
subject, a member of the General Execu.
tive Board asserted that he did not expect
to have justice done him, or words to that
effect, for the reason that the General As
sem5ly was packed"
At the fret meeting OF the General Ex-
ecutive Board, after the close of the Gen
eral Assembly, was accused by member
OF the board of packing the General Assem-
bly, in my own interest, or in the interest
of some scheme in which was supposed
to be interested. At subsequent meetings
of the board this offensive and insulting
language was repeated. l believe it to be
duty which owe to the representatives
of the last General Assembly to allow them
to speak for themselves on this matter.
believe that they should know in what
estimation they are held by some of the
general officers, and if the member speaks
tie truth in asserting that the General
Assembly was packed by the General
Master Workman, or any one else, then
those who allowed themselves to he SO
ustd sre unfit TO ever again sit in Gen
eral Assembly. This is plain language,
but it is necessary that Ii should he spoken
and men given au opportunity TO say
whether the charge is true or false.
AN EMPHATIC DENIAL.
deny emphatically having in any way
attempted to influence either Local, Dis
trict ar State Assembly in the selection of
its representatives to the last General As
sembly, and do not know that such q
thing was done by Others. therefore ad-
dress you in the hope that you will reply
to the following inquiries in plain Anglo
Saxon, and in such way that it will not
be misunderstood:
Were yOu ever approached by any per-
son representing himself to be friendly to
I. V. Powdelly, and asked by said person
to Iun as candidate for represep tative to
the Minneapolis session of the General AS
ssmbly in the interest of Powderly or of
any project which he had in view?
Did any one approach you, or vas any
Influence brought to bear upon your Dis.
triCt Assembly or yourself by any general
officer in the interest OF any Of the general
officers, with view to securing your cleo
tion TO the Minneapolis General Assembly
to aid sUch Offiaer or project?
/ know that it NAY seem unworthy of
the General Master Workman TO notice
such in-inuationS, hut when they reach the
ears Of those outside of our order it cannot
fail to leave the impression that those who
the last General Assembly were
simply puppets" who lacked the intelli.
gence 20 legislate for themselves, and l am
that such an impression should
prevail concerning the representatives or
myself. Ii does not matter whether you
were friendly TO me at the last General
Assembly or not; your opposition to or
friendship for ME is not concerned in this
matter. The question at issue is: Did you
live up to the instructions of your constit-
uents at Minneapolis, and are they salts
fed with your wOrkP
Do me the favor to reply at your earliest
embodying no other subject
in yOnr letter than that which concerns
this matter.
With kind wishes remain, fraternally |
yours, 7. V. PowDERLY,
General Master Workman.
That trouble has been brewing in the or
der since the General Assembly at Mime
lpOlis is we'll known to all the Knights |
An effort WAS made 10 reprimaud several
# the General officers for extravaganza |
aud upon other charges, which have al
ready been published. The sdministrs-
tionists, however, succeeded in seating |
enough delegates Of their own to control |
The body.
When Joseph r. Buchannrn, one Of
enemies, WAS barred, az he |
and offered to prove, without |
cause, be was refused an opportunity to
prove it. The observation-disclosures then
decided
TO LEAVE THE ORDER
and form another; but the movement was
only successful in Chicago and Philadel.
phia. None of the Pittsburgh Knights
soOk any part in the movement. Some of
he Pittsburgh delegates fought for a
,hange in the constitution compelling all
to join National Trades districts.
rhe constitution said they "msy joiD,"
while it was desired to change the words
10 that they should read "pust join"
The words were finally changed; but MEM
,ers who belonged to local assemblies con-
lected with mixed districts were permitted
% remain in the districts, though new
were compelled to join National
Trades districts.
If the constitution had been altered, as
lesired, there would not have been much
# d. A. 2, rs over One.half of the mem-
'ers would have been compelled to join
heir N. T. d.
Trouble has been brewing here and all
'ver the country among the members Of
National Trades District No. 1913, COM
,ossd Of machinery constructors, and it
las at last been decided by them to leave
he Knights of Labor and join the Ameri-
an Federation of Trades No. 1913 has
g, 900 members, 600 Of whom belong to
=. A. 97l, of this city. They meet at No.
O2 Fourth avenue, and, at the regular
Meeting held on Saturday night, it was
lecided to notify their delegates to the
National Convention to vote for withdraw
j from the order. This convention will
'e held in Washington in June, and sew
ral members who were spoken to yester-
lay say the members are almost unit on
he question of Withdrawing.
Their action may have some effect on the
ther trades, among which, it is said, there
re dissatisfied members.
Not 10 INDECENT circumstances.
WASHINGTON, April 2.-Civil Service
Commissioner Edgerton is very indignant
yer the published report that the family