New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-08-13
DECAY OF A GREAT ORDER.
MR.. POWDERLYS KNIGHTS AND THEIR
DIMINISHED FORTUNES.
WILL THE MASTER WORKMAN REsrGNf-A GEN.
ERAL GLANCE AT THE CONDITION
OF THE ORGANIZATION

. ~
his Office az head OF the Knights OF Labor. with
| perennial freshness such announcement Is made
annually at this season, when delegates arc being
elected to the next General Assembly, but each
recurring year secs Mr. Powdefly sim in his place.
This time however, owing 10 certain aggravated
conditions surrounding bis incumbency the report
comes with increased air Of genunencss.
Yet as John Morrison. Of New.York, the rcdoubt-
able Homo Club kicker said two years ago. It f.
"a venerable timc-honored dustcOverei chestnut
Just before the Cleveland session OF the knights
General Assembly, Mr.. Powdctly made the Same
declaration, coupled with the proviso, II the knights
wanted him TO. Just before the Richmond convention
this Identical declaration repeated, likewise before
the Minneapolis convention; and at that session
Of tho General Assembly he asserted unqualhedly
that he could not be induced TO serve again after the
expiration Of that term lie did not resign, however,
N the ensuing convention held at indianapolis last
November and now II remains TO be seen Whe'hef
be viii do 80 not at the convention "hch II 10
meet at Atlanta Ca in November this year In
case he should. he will be sadly missed II nced
not be- surprising II he does step down and OUT Tor
tho circumstances in which the order Of knights Just
now Is placed are such 10 render It's lcaler
thoroughly heart sick and weary, hcdscd about with
difficulties and halasscd by humialinS embarlass-
mcuts.
Among Tho District Assemblies OF the hnish's
throughout tho country, from now unuI Inc "."''
If d
convention viii be held, and It IS this fact mat
makes the question Of Mr. Powderlys resignation
or continuance a timely one II l. Important i0
him and his adhercnts that tie dcl'gA'n' 90 b'
elected shall be friendly. and inasmuch A. inc s'a''
mcnt Of his intention 10 resign has th' clc't 81
dlsarming opposition, the utility Of such acHoN
as a political expcdlent Is readily seem
But what = that order now nom the chi'i ONCE
Of which he may re,irnl It +, an Organization 50
I'm
a. to present a truly lamenablc spectacle I" uos'
who belonged to II in its prime. For me ruin CT"
I'D lonc1r b. concealed. It's membership j. s"
shrunken that # would be hard even TO appIoNlWa''
m, actual roster and its funds at 80 low an cDo
that bankruptcy is bound to onsue II u'HFcli '''
cannot soon be had. The beautiful hca'q'ar'''
in North Broad st.. this city, that cost S45oo) cash.
may have TO be mortgaged, and even sod, al an
carly date to meet cxigenccs, and the present mod
era,c expenditures viii have 10 be cut down SIN
further Mr. Powdcry himself has been obliged To
forcgo his long cherished trip to Europe anu
the Paris Exposition as the ohc"
commissioner of the order because oil
the impoyerishmcnt Of the treasury. Although II ha9
been said that he changed his mind sooly on account
~ the abuse which he was notified would be hcapd
upon him by tho Continental Anarchists and socialists
in the international Vorkngmcn. Congress al Pail',
yet the reason +, simply lack Of funds during MS
STAY at tie headquarters here tbs week h. was even
said 10 be encountcring delay IN the receipt OF DIS
salary At all events recent developments prove tha'
he acted with wisdom a. the Indianapolis convent II
when 10 voluntarily suggested reduction Of his own
salary from $1,000 a year to 20 600. ~ the lesscncd
late of salary he will probably receive just ~ much
a. il the former raie theoretically continued.
However. with the reduction Of salary there IS a
reduction In the amount OF work TO be done In tiu'h
the duties Of tie Office Of General Master Workman
may now he called merely nominal. Tho foice 81
clerks at the headquarters ha, been cut down to a
handful tie functions Of general secretary an! general
treasurer have been combined, the work Of running
the machinery Of the order mas become purely mechani
cal and perfncoy. while all that Is required OF The
members of the General Executive BoaId is 10 travel
lelsurely and lecture occasionally. Truly, great
change ha, be n wrought IN The order Nj. PoWurN
duties. for instance, have been materially decreased
and tho amount OF his leisure 30 literally incfca'eI
that he has been enabled, a a bosom friend q his
saws, with some cXultaion, to III himself for The
practice II law and IS prepared 10 hang ont his
professional ,hingo either in scranton or elsewhere
whenever lie may see proper TO do so.
A glance at the labor field Will reveal thu general
situation The ranks Of tie knights In The Indus lN
and manufacturing centres throughout Nav England,
New-Jersey Baltimore. Wilmington, thi, city, Pitt
burg and the VEST a. well a, in Now-York city AMI
IT'S vicinity have been depicted u an extent thai Is
dsheartening The dissolution Of emblles has taken
place by the hundreds almost everywhere ana III TIE
former strOnghOds of the once all powerful hnlsaS
the name and purpose Of the Organization ar Ah'
song that Is past lnde ID. tho roy!son of sentiment
Is so great as to be- almost beyond belief, were tho
evidences Of the fact les numerous AMI visible
ono would naturally suppose that In this
city the head and centre Of the knights organization
and the seat of its general government tic traditions
Of its founders and the usefulness OF the oer "oud
he maintained. But the tao, precisely the re-
verse. OF the 10000 mcmb IN good standing that
were counted on the Official foll, three years ago.
gcarcely 1000 remain. Tie rest have lapsed slipped
out fallen away. Only few veterans ale ltIt u mona
the name Of the organization.
In July. 1-o6 according TO the general secretary
troasurcrs report 10 the Richmond General Assembly
the knights possessed 10000 pad-up members IN
July, 1887. according TO secretary Lhchmans report
TO the Minneapolis Convention, 100000 I'm July l770
when the app0rtonmcnt made for delegates 10 iAo
indianapolis session, 100000 What the meml ,FNAip
Is now can only be conlecturcd, the reports OF july
this year. when the usual annual census of assemblies
was taken have not been compiled and finished but
the falling of must have been enormous CONSIDERING
the degree of apathy that now prevails IN the formerly
crowded ranks, and the seriousness OF the wholesale
dcfecons in the order that resulted last al rom tue
political enaugements into which certain CHER officers
entered careful observer Of events In the labor
world however, estimates the present membership
at something less than 100000 not all Of these even
being in perfect standing.
such powerful crafts as the miners, attached TO
District Assembly No. 1876. the Iron workers. lnclud'd
I'm District No. eli. tho shOcmakers, mar,hAieu IN
District No. 216, and the Philadelphia and Eea0WS
Rsi.oad employees, in District No. 214. have almost
uniformly abandoned the knights. and their rspec'N'
bodo; ale now practically wiped out W. 1. Lewis
the chief Of the miners IN recent angry manu- SO
addressed to Mr. Powderly complaining Of nt'ifer-
ences said You know there arc two mlncco' or
canizatious in the United states today. You kno"
that out Of the 275,OOO miners and mine laoorrs eie
is not a handful in both organizations. We VIII save
ourselves the shame OF giving the number IhN Is
about the status of the Others too, it is said. If the
truth told.
While It was the fashion year or so ago Tor MI
Powdely and his iellowoilcers to congratulate them