Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-01-13
BARRY'S BITTER TALK
he Scores Powderly and His Col
leagues at a Public Meeting.
SOME SECRETS OF THE K. OF L.
Figures Showing the Lack of Uniformity
in Wages and Prices
IN THE C0NNELLSVILLE REGION


fore the knights of Labor of this vicinity
In three hours speech he told seVra
hundred knights who assembled at Lafay
ette Hall last night how he thought they
had been deceived by Terrence the First, D
as he called the General Master Workman
yof the order.
The meeting was under the auspices Of
Ak Makers Assembly No. 154S, and E. w.
Murphy, of that local presided. There were
several stanch administrationists in the hall,
who had evidently come for the purpose Of
breaking up the meeting, and one of them,
at one time prominent in the
Trades Assembly, avowed his intention
of bringing in a crowd and dispensing the
gathering. He attempted to speak several
times and interrupted Mr.. Barry until he
was forcibly elected from the hall.
Mr.. Barry spoke for three hours, and said
many things that have already been pub
lished in this paper. The substance of his
most interesting remarks is appended:
would much rather occupy the platform to
discuss other questions. Mr.. Powderly and
his friends have said that 1 am here
for the purpose of breaking up the
organization; but this is not my
mission. merely want to tell of the cowardice
and treachery of the leaders of the knights of
Labor. am still a Knight of Labor, notwith-
standing my expulsion by the G. E. b., and
was union man when some OF my detamers
were scabbing in their respective trades.
believe a great deal of good can be accom-
plished by the Knights. When I joined there
were no general moguls.
Mr.. Powderly's only answer to my charge OF
lnaifeasance in Office was to call me an An
archist and an infidel. Itwould have been more
honorable if he had told poverty what had been
done with S495O00 of their money
THE KICKER DEFINED.
They say "Why did not Barry kick soonerT'
/ will say in public that have been kicking
since 1883. but have been three times elected
a member of the General Executive Board
without solicitation.
What do you mean by kickers?" called out
Mr.. Ennis. from the audience.
"a kicker in the Knights is man who OBJ
jects to Capitalization of power" was Mr..
Barry's reply. Continuing, he said:
would have resigned a year ago. as my
health had given out, but found that would
live longer, and wanted to begin the work of
reformation in the order. After I received a
second stroke Of paralysis requested Hayes
Aylsworth and Carlton to do my work, but they
refused. Hayes was paid $40 week while
hewas counting his wife, and other members of
the board were paid like amount for talking
to pretty stenographers.
A report has frequently been circulated all
over the country to the effect that Powderly
was dangerously i'll from over work. saw
him eating dinner on one of the occasions
when he was recorded sick, and this is what he
ate: Soup and fish, roast beef and turkey, pie,
pudding and cream, concluding with fruit and
nuts. Mr.. Powderly is one of the most sue
cessful fakes in the country. Not one
member of the order can name
ctrily hat fisfa fnri1x 1axy
MIR. Powderly. 1t was not Arthur that de-
feated our people in the Southern strike, but
it was Powderly and John w. Hayes. That
fight was won when Powderly wired to Irons to
order a resumption of work, after he had held
a conference with Jay Gould. If he had not
interfered the strike would have been won
without doubt.
The same thing occurred in the stockyards
strike in Chicago. had the fight won when
Powderly declared the strike off, telegraphing
his order to me and to Phil Armour at the same
time. There is not a butcher in Chicago who
does not believe that Terry was well paid for
that.
John W. Hayes now draws s35 week salary
for seven days work, receiving pay for the day
he should spend in church, and SIS a week for
hotel bills, and he even turned in S23 for
Mrs. Hayes wash bill and an account for i'm
ported ale served in his room at the
hotel. When Dovey, of your city, was asked
for an itemized account of the expenses, it was
said that if one was made it might break up the
order: Then said that the order was paying
Tor UnlS lnIOrmatlO0, ana IL was MI. D0VeyS
duty to report, but it was not given.
NO REPORT GIVEN.
The stenographer's report of the proceedings
at Minneapolis was never published in the re-
port, and the members of the order are ignor-
ant of the proceedings of that body.
The constitution of the order provides for
fair and impartial trial of members who violate
their obligation; but was never tried. l could
put some of my traducers in the peDi-
tentiary if I had time to bother with them.
[Mr. Barry was here interrupted by cheers,l
Hades will never be filled until it gets some
of these people. 1 have more respect for
Jesse James, who robbed and murdered people
in the West, and who, 1 believe, had more
honor than some of these cringing scoundrels
who are robbing the poor working people.
Mr.. Barry then referred TO Pinkerton and his
men as assassins.
Continuing, he said:
Tom O'Reilly was paid $50 by Powderly and
$500 by John w. Hayes out of the funds of
the order, when he was not doing anything.
1t bsTs aefraggsd his Msnt the to Florida ben
of his health, and the only return the order re.
ceived was baby alligator! Mr.. Reilly sent it
to headquarters, the freight being paid by the
order, and it was kept in one of the bathtubs in
the place built with poverty's money.
At this point Mr. Ennis arose and inter-
phv ordered him to sit down, saying: 'I
have learned that you intend to raise dis
turbence here, and if you do not sit down
will have you elected from the hall"
Mr.. Barry then proceeded, saying that
heretofore D. A. 8 had "sent intelligence to
the General Assembly, but this time it sent
boodleism and a chunk of fesh." He told
how Powderly had transferred locals from
n. T. A. 1876 to various districts in order to
increase the membership so that his friends
could be sent to the General Assembly
District 135, he said, had fallen from q, 900
to 19, 900 in less than month. Continuing,
he said:
Terrence the First went before the Congress
sional Committee and swore that we had 6OO.-
600 members. He only lied on 81, 900 as we had
at that time but 259, 600 members.
IN EVIDENCE OF THE CLAIM.
Mr. Barry concluded his remarks by say
ing that all the big strikes that were ever
settled by the General Executive Board
were settled by him, and showed gold
watch and chain presented him by strikers
in Cohoes for the work he e-had done there.
He stated that he would answer any ques-
tions asked, and number of persons re-
sponded, but the questions and answers were
not of special interest. An affidavit from
7. f. Donnelly that he expected to read
could not be procured. Mr.. Donnelly, in a
letter which was read, explained that he
could not find it.
Among the prominent members of D. A.
3 who attended the meeting were Worthy
Foreman Hooper, Homer L. McGaw, Secre-
tary. 1. n. Ross, John O'Shea,
T. J. Dicus, T. R. Lovine, Joseph
L. Evans, Felix Maue, NJ. P. Carrick,
Charles Bonsall, Miss Matte Call, also
David J. Bowen, of N. T. A. 1893; William
Martin of the Amalgamated Association;
William Dillon, OF the A. F. G. w. u,
and others.