Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-02-14
Dark Lantern Work.
Adopted by Many Chicago
Knights Of Labor.
DEAD sEoREsY THE wATOHwoRD.

George Schliifng Leading u Host OF
Knights Back to First Principles-A
Brief Statement of Their Objects and In.
tentions-An Attempt to Pump the Lead.
ing Organizer Fails.
CHICAGO, Feb. 1.-THE Herald saws: A
revolution, of which the general public has
learned little or nothing, has been going on
in the Knights of Labor organization for
months. The movement has changed the
status Of many of the local assemblies here.
but the storm did not reach the public ear.
George Schilling has had charge Of the move
ment in this city, and so carefully has he
guarded it that no one outside of the secret
knew Of it, until by chance yesterday the
whole thing became known to The Herald
reporter. The astonishing part of the affair
is that such radical measure could be car
ried to the extent 1t has in secret The
only explanation for this is in the fact that
the basis Of the movement was a secret in
itself Very soon after the Indianapo dis con-
vention the work of reorganizing the knights
on secret plan was begun and has continued
until the present time. The bulk of the as
semblies, it is claimed, have gone back to
first principles" and, dropping all con-
nection with Powderly's general executive
board, have reorganized on the secret plan.
At the Indianapolis convention many Of the
members felt that while they could not in
dorse the wild notions OF Tom Barry neither
could they accept Powderly's administration
Some of those in attendance got together,
and after attempting to discover what was
wrong and to devise remedy they came to
to the conclusion that the whole trouble lay
In the fact that the order had departed from
its original principles of secrecy,
and that the only remedy was in
return to those pAinciples Almost
Immediately after the convention there
was secret conference Of the men in New
York, and again, not many weeks ago, they
gathered in Cincinnati At the latter con
ference plan was proposed by George
Schilling which was agreed to. IL was to the
effect that local assemblies of the knights all
over the United States and Canada should,
as far as possible, be induced to reorganize on
the secret plan, throwing off utilization with
the general executive board and setting up
under a modus operandi that should be IN
known outside of the order
The Cincinnati conference appointed pro
visional executive board and named a new
authorized to send out to trustworthy seekers
for information regarding the character of
the new movement a private circular, which
states that the writers have not founded a
new order, but refounded the original order
and its objects are, as were those of the found
ers of the K. of L. twenty years ago, ito abo-
ish poverty and to place industry on scien-
tific basis" The order the circular saws, has
been diverted from these objects, and the
purpose of the writers is to return to first
principles. The circular continues:
"We started out with the intention of ac>
comprising three things-frst, to agitate
second, to organize; third, to educate our
selves and Acknowledgment, We consider
the first of these purposes has alone been &C
complished; the second only partially 80; the
third has been entirely overlooked, IL not
willfully neglected We therefore
find ourselves, after lapse of nearly twenty
years, compelled to continue the work
of agitation, strengthen and perfect
organization and commence the work
of education. - An education
which shall SO ure liberty for all and present
to the world a spectacle which it has never
yet beheld-a free man in an industrial state.
We believe in secrecy, and SO do
those who hypocritically profess TO oppose it.
We are convinced that the pres
emit disruption of the order has arisen because
of departure from the original method Of
selecting members, and, having admitted
them by election, looking TO numbers rather
than fitness.
ave have seen whatextravagance has been
practiced in the past Men have left useful
employments to live as parasites upon the
pennies contributed by the workers. =
We ara OF the opinion that a man who will
not devote his time to the cause Of labors
emancipation for the same wages which he
receives from boss is not the man who is
DESTROYS Of helping his fellow-man"
The address given to the writers Of the
above is box S34 Philadelphia 1t now trans
pires that George Schilling and five others,
whose names have not yet come to light, are
the organizers of the new movement
They claim that in Chicago alone more than
a score of assemblies have cut off all communi-
cation with the general executive board, and
have organized as part Of the new secret or
der. The work is done in this way: The secret
organizer picks out ten anti-Powderly men
parties whom he can trust. These ten organ
ize with new charter on the secret plan, with
a secret name, under the most binding obliga-
tions. Then the ten charter members feel their
way with the other members and lead them
into the secret order by twos and threes, in q
quiet way, until they have captured a major
ity. Then they go back into the old assembly
long enough to vote it out of existence
An attempt was made yesterday to induce
George Schilling to talk on this subject, but
without success He was asked.
"Are the Knights of Labor reorganizing on
the secret plans"
cannot answer"
"Who represents the new movement IL
Philadelphia with P. o. box s34 as his ad
dressP'
~ cannot answer"
as this movement against Powderlyp
II cannot answer. You see, my dear fell
low, that a secret is o secret. Understands y
From other sources, however, 1t was learned
that the attemp to reorganize the knights II
going on daily. The doings of the order an
absolutely secret. Not so much as its nam,
will be known, much less the name of its of
fcers and the exact location of its assemblies
and their proceedings
Will That Should Stand.
DOVER N H Fab 14-The trial Of th,