The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-11-17
KNIGHTS OF LABOR.
Annual Address Of Grand Master
Workman Powderly.
RECOMMENDATIONS SUGGESTED.
Considerable space Devoted to the Immigra
ton Qaession-strikes and LocKouIs
Referred to-Other Gatherings.

ST. LOUIS, Nov. 16.-At today's session of
the Knights of Labor General Master Work
man Powderly delivered the annual ad-
dress. Among the matters deslt with was
a recommendation that all local molies
should be made up of mixed membership,
including men and women of ali trades and
occupations. Many failures of attempts at
q betterment of conditions in the past had
resulted from the fact that members in
other trades were not acquainted with the
conditions of particular trades seeking
betterment, hence were not in position to
sympathze and help in tbs struggle. Mr..
Powderly declared that too many labor or
CARNATIONS were struggling for supremacy.
The tendency of the labor movement seems
TO be to DIVIDE up while that of the oppos-
ing force, capital was to consolidate and
thereby gain strength in the fight against
industry. The result was that labor was
beaten IN detachments. Something must
be done to remedy this and there existed
no reason why every branch of toll should
not be enrolled under the shield OF the
knights of Labor.
The speaker congratulated the organiza-
tion on the gratifying results of the agi-
the general assembly only few years ago.
Then no state had q reform ballot system.
Now there was s secret ballot law in force
in thlrty states. In this connection MIR.
PowGerIy recommended that no person De
allowed TO vote who could not read his bal
lot, for the reason that such person was at
the mercy of the man ad mitted TO the booth
with him to assist he in making up MS
vote. His suggestion vas that at at fu
ture date, say i've years, pc fixed upon for
sucn Il law TO go into force, in order 10
give all an opportunity to learn 10 read. In
view Of the multiplicity Of laws, national,
state ana municipal, that were being en-
acted, he suggested that ali should be sub
mltted TO the people for agitation and dis
cussion before adopted cited tne rapid
growth of Switzerland toward ideal democ-
racy and asked that committee be APP
pointed to prepare plan on which the
agitation of this question may be carried
on during the coming year.
He devoted much space to the question
of immigration, saying, in part: Your
general master workman has no hesitation
IN saying that ne fAyors the total exclu-
sion Of all immigrants not self-sustaining
on landing in this country. He would tx
q term OF years-ten would be long
enoug h-during 81 hich time no immigrant
should be permitted 10 land with view of
remaining unless he could prove that he
had sufficient means to sustain himself and
those depending on him Tor one year. He
declared that he ssw great danger not
alone to labor, but TO the whole country If
the immigration question was not care
fully and neroically handled In the near
future. 1t was not question of whether
there was room enough in this country for
all the world, but whether the influx
would cause Us 70 lose all Eane6tg whiaf
we now enjoyn
He then reviewed the question of strikes
and lockouts during the past six months in
which aggregated capital had made such
attempts TO carry supreme power as were
never dreamed Of before. In these strikes
centralized wealth drew the scattering ire
of divided labor and as natural result
labor lost the battle. The tariff question
had been widely discussed in the late cam
paign, but more revenue was Illegally
drawn from the pockets OF merchants man-
ufaclurers and Workmsn IN one month Of
the year by railroads and telsgraphs than
we pay in tariffs for twelve months. In
dustrial organizations must consider these
things and the strike of the future must be
strike for the rule of the people. They
might decry politics but they must be poll
ticians or slaves of politicians. They must
go to the fountain head and make laws.
II every citizen in Pennsylvania knew his
rights and performed his duties lntelli-
gently under law no judge would dare
charge treason against Workmen struggling
for recognition. the battle of the future
must b9 fought at the ballot box. The
speaker advocated utilization with the far
merS' alliances and other similar organiza-
tions.
The report Of General Secretary end
Treasurer Hayes says the benefit of the
insurance feature OF the order Is not very
successful owing to lack of support by
mem oers He urged the workers to remedy
GLIDING the balance from last year. re-
The men. bership shows a Blignt increase
in good standing. The order was prac-
worth $I00 600 The report of the general
reviewed the trouble with the clothing
manu- facturers' combine at Rochester, N
Y, and says the boycott has steadily and
effectively been prosecuted and millions of
dollars of trade diverted from them.
AT the afternoon session clause was
adopted providing for the establishment of
an employment bureau by the order The
suggestion to strike out of the platform the
plank providing for q graduated income
tax was rejected and the plank made
stronger by amendment providing also for
tax on inherltances. Mrs. Ingalls,, repre-
senting the National w. G. L. q. made q
fraternai address, and q letter was pre-
sented by Thomas T. Wright inviting the
order to send delegates to the Nicarauga
Canal convex ton az New Orleans.