Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1891-02-19
POVERTY IN DEs MONIES,
What the knights OF Labor Want
and Demand,

At the recent meeting OF tho
Knights OF Labor in De, Moines, Mr..
Powderly addressed an immense
meeting in the Grand Opera House.
The following is summary OF his re-
| marks:
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, FELLOW KNI6nTs
! AND FELLOW CITIZENS: Until n short time
| ago IT was grave question whether should
| DC with you to night. The fact was, 1 have
been in jail, and have just gotten out No
| doubt you will want 10 hear the oifcnsc
| charged. Well, the fact was, was on jury,
| and there were eleven stubborn fellows who
wanted to convict two young men of larceny
| on cireumstaniial evidence, anu we argued the
| matter two days aud nights before tine Judge
let us 20. The young men happened To have
| been trinking, anu were IN the place when the
| gooIs were stolen, aud us far as We knew No
| one else had been there. For my part felt
| more like censuiing the common wealth OF
| Pennsylvania for lowing and licensing plac,
! where young men could he made crlnliaais OF
and made the proposal 10 the jury that We 80
! find. The jury did not see II rs did. My
talk Will DC rambling. IL took up the TWEEN
! ty'two planks of the Knights OF Labor plat
40 III and discussed each In order YOU would
be here as long rs was on the Jury. will
merely pick out few points here aud there
aud tell To this audience where We stand and
what we are after
| Inc secretary OF state mas TtIerrcu 10 the III
| crease OF undesirable Immigration. Are you
aware what this meansi A,e you aware that
| a gentleman OF New York, n banker, whose
! circular will quote from, Henry C.evs, stalol
| afew years ago, that IL the emigration laws
were the same the capitalists would outnank
| the labor organizations; that they, or natural
| causes would bring men over faster than they
| could make Knignts OF them, and that this
| lire in rear meant the surrender and abandon.
ment Of organized labor. This same Henry
| Ciews has recently Issued another circular Ia
| regard to the recent threatened crlsis in New
| York, ascrlbing the same TO the hostile legis'
| lation OF the CHANGERS, and stating In view
| OF this fact that the legal decision of the
| courts as 10 what constituted reasonable rates
would lie modified. Was there ever language
more presumptious! shall Wall street dictate
| what the ceclsion Of our courts shall be on
| questions Of law which have been submitted
| 10 them. Language holder was never uttered,
| But why the reason OF their language and the
| hatred of such men to the KnighH of Labor.
The reason is that the eighteenth article of the
knights OF Labor principles declares for state
| ownership of railways and telegraphs. The
farmers want the same aid but call IL control.
| The Knights while going as far ms the farmers,
| contend that state control leads inevitably to
state ownership.
Last summer gentleman left our shores for
Europe. Before going he had Il conference
with his railway associates. At that me sting
IT was determined ON account of the principle
1
OF Labor on the New York Central railroad
They said this movement must 90 no further.
Now know there Is q prejudice against strikes
ane IL Is a just prejudice. But suppose you
had an organization; that everyone who made
himself prominent IN IL was discharged; that
you saw two aud three and then five and then
ten of your associates lose their places for no
| fault save their devotion TO your interests, Is
II human nature to stand aud bear III No,
place. should not always be purchased at any
l tIa.ha Npilg ia.
waited on Mr.. Webb He declined to receive
! them. Whyf Because they were employees /;
they had struck. Would he hear any one else I
No, they would tolerate no interference Why
were there seventy eight men discharged!
For dishonesty, drunkenness, and insubordin-
ationi Would the company point out which
charge applied to which, under the promise
that If they were sustained the men striking
would 90 back. No. When Mr.. Webb said
this thought why is this, that this man Gr-
rogates to himself so much Of power. lie is
no larger he Is not remarkable In any particu-
lar. lie represented 500, 900 90 and / repre-.
stnted 2,0JJ,C0J OF men In tn, scale of 90
does the dollar weigh more than the human
soul. But he knew, he knew thai the cray
J Jugs of hunger would cause the men TO yield,
and that famine was his ally. But In this
country OF GUS has u como to this that dol
lars out weigh flesh and blood, and the wish
Tor luxury Is stronger than the desire for JUS.
| ticc. In this country OF ours we have Two
dent Of one and Jay Gould OF the other We
elect the men to Washington aud he captures
them after they get there. A bag of moley in
the Hobbies is better than speeches and torch
| light professions You say II is deInagCgery
in me TO say this. How about John WanS,
maker then who says $4,000 was offered one
member of congress 10 work against his postal
4 telegraph schemes. For my part don see
the difference. You put stamp on a letter
: ordering goods; the government carries the
| lattpr. WHY does "a mp 4
1t to bring back the freight. Six men IN the
q United States maze the rates for the entire
country. Let the people own the roads aud
make their own rates.
G In the United States three men own s; 5 J. 0 o
i, CO., These men, II they wished coJld bank
lupt the country They would absorb all the
4 gold money we have and business would 20 to
Y smash. One hundred and twenty-five men
! own Il 10 OBJ. more than the entire cireulat
: ing mcuiuln of the country. They could stol
: every wheel, mill and industrial or bushes.
! organization II they saw TIT. These things are
wrong, wrong, and for one am not afraid tc
call il by its right name. 1t 1t not sklllfu
manipulation of finances, but bold faced rob
b cry, aad | for one w0nld Welcome means tt
> get from them their III gotter gats.
The speaker then referred 10 politics IN
= Pennsylvania, and said IL was dominated b,
9 Ihree Losses the corporation boss, the salool
boss AID the political boss. The only way &
| gct rid Of them was with the Australian ballot
Both parties are tal--vcry bad. Hereafter
we will take promises from neither. They
must bc written and acknowledged pledges
The speaker then advocated laws forDiduinl
children less than ID years OF age TO work II
g factories; the single tax theory, M II Is com
I monty accepted; tho prohibition OF alicf
| ownership of land the eight hour law by IN;
JombinCd action Of any one trade Throughout
e The country, and then passed TO the third party
[ movement. lie outlined its inception an,
. traced II TO the proposed conference at Wash
/ nytOn duly 10 next. At that conference
vii he present representatives of every form
I OF wage workers. platform will be formu
! lated and If no existing party accepts II, Ia
: for one would work and vote for IT, and In hi
5 | opinion the ord9r would do the same.
r Mr. Powderly closed IN an imprisoned ap
. peal for the cause OF labor, ITO talk Of revo
luton. We are the most peaceable people OF
E earth, or we would have risen In our nigh
| and wrested the booty from the thieves witt
have stolen long ere this"