Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-11-12
EAST OF THR ROCKIES.
1 Family Quarrel Results in a Fatal
Shooting ARRAY.
POWDERLY'S ANNUAL ADDRESS.
Congressman Mckinley Gives His
Views on the Causes that Led
to the Republican Losses.
EAST OF TIE ROCKIES.
POWDERLY,s ANNUAL ADDRESS.
ESPECIAL DISPATCHES TO THE REcoRD-uNIoN.
KNIGHTS OF LABOR.
Grand Master Powderiy's Report to tn
Convention.

Convention.
DENVER (Col), November 11th.- The
General Assembly of the Knights of Labor
convened this morning with about 200 dele
gates present. General Master Workman
Powderly read his annual address, after
which the Assembly adjourned until to-
morrow.
a public reception was rendered the dele
gates this afternoon, at which several thou
sand people assembled.
Powderly in his annual report touching
on the economic policy of the Government,
said, in part "We have not, as an order,
adopted a tariff or anti-tarif clause in our
preamble, and do not advise such thing
now. We should, however, throw open
the doors of our Assemblies for the dis
cussion of this great problem. so that mem
bers may become educated in the basic
principles of protection and free trade.
recommend that on and after the 1st OF
January next it shall be permissible for
local Assemblies to discuss the question ;
Which will bring the greatest good 10 the
greatest number, tariff or free trader Thus
we do not commit the order to either
school, and yet allow our members to take
I'D for discussion and agitation that vital
question"
Upon the question of maintaining legis-
lative committees Powderly thought if the
Assembly decided to maintain them it
should also decide what measures they
shall advocate, how far they may go, and
with whom they may co-operate-so they
may not be considered the legitimate prey
of every faction and political party.
Mr.. Powderly dwelt at length upon the
New York Central strike. He said in part:
individual effort in the direction of amel-
ioratiDg the conditions that were not easy
of endurance proved abortive. Public offi-
cials were appealed to here and there, but
nothing ever came of it. The public press,
from Buffalo to New York. was, with but
few honorable exceptions, under the in
fiuence of the Vanderbilt system. With
chosen servants of the public travelling on
passes, with editors of papers along the
road subsidized in the same manner, 1t be-
came impossible for workmen to get the
public ear or place their grievances before
the officials of the company without SUBJ
iecting themselves to dismissal"
Referring to his correspondence with
Master Workman Lee, Powderly says :
MANY malicious persons and papers pre-
sumed to interpret my language as being
in favor of a conspiracy to get up strike
either during the Presidential year or when
the Worlds Fair was in progress. What
SdIu Wdst ludl IL Couid OC
kept up until the Worlds Fair the New
York Central would be unable to refuse
any Just concession. Those who saw con-
spiracy in that sentence would, if they were
just, say that no just concession should be
refused in any year. / am opposed to
strikes; my views on the subject are well
known. But if men are to gain anything
they must be organized, They must be
prepared to strike, even though we never
do ii. If we must have strikes, then we
should prepare for them, and not allow
every subordinate to rush the order into
them at moments notice, without prepa-
ration. If 1893 should be the best year to
gain what is just and right and proper for
labor, and a fiat refusal should be given,
that would be the best year to strike, and
not al time when no preparation has been
made.
During the New York Central strike we
had an opportunity to learn who our
friends were among the newspapers, and
found that they were exceedingly few. We
were given quantities of counsel, warning
and censure. Many papers friendly to us
did not seem to understand the situation,
or the necessities of men who worked for
low wages. We see the editor of New
York paper and the President of the New
York Central Railroad Company, operat-
Ing the raising OF fund 10 feed men ana
women in Ireland, who have been robbed
through exactly the same diabolical sys-
TEN that is now beginning to rob the work
men of America. That which is found
worthy of praise in the Irish workman
who strikes against injustice is damned in
his brother in New York when he asks for
enough to keep his children out of the
poorhouse. In order to prevent strikes we
must make every preparation to make
them successful when entered upon, and
legislation in that direction must be en-
acted at this session, or your incoming
general officers must be given to under
stand that under no circumstances must
they take part in strike of any kind"
Powderly advocates equal rights for
both sexes acceptance to send delegates to
the next Farmers Alliance Convention,
and cooperation of the Knights of Labor
with various railroad organizations in the
work of federation.