Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1893-12-14
CLAIMS OF KNIGHTS.
Discrimination in Favor
of The Rich.
THE BALLOT OFFERS REL lEF
Grand Master Sovereign Speak OF Sui-
fering Among Industrial Classes.

PosToN, Dec. H-General Master Work
man Sovereign and Messrs Mcguire,
Trench and Martin, the newly elected
members Of the general executive board
OF the Knights Of Labor, were rendered a
reception ia Faneuil hall last night.
General Master Workman Sovereign
was the first speaker. He said that IL was
pleasure to him to be privileged TO speak
In the hall made memorable by the long
line OF Americans who had fought for the
freedom OF chattel slaves, but, while we
are all proud and jubilant over the vic
tory that resulted from the movement
these men were engaged In, yet we should
not forget that there was at present as
great need for the abolition Of the white
wage slave AZ ever there was for their col.
ored brothers.
In America, the garden Of the world,
with its vast and varied industries, we see
things that are appalling. According TO
the press reports, there are In Chicago
alone ll7,000 enforced idlers, and move
ment has been started to raise 81 600, 600
for their relief. One of our brightest
writer's, when speaking on the raising OF
this fund, said that he would to God that
the millionaires Of Chicago would spend
one night with these out-of-work people,
and that In the morning there would be
no difficulty In raising the fund.
The Law to Blame.
Why Is this distrcss' No people have
been so industrious as the American peo-
pie. by reason of our industry and In
genuity we have caused the attention OF
the entire world, but with all our indus
try we have not shortened the hours OF
labor nor increased the comforts of life.
There Is wheel loose somewhere in our
social machinery, and the rich are grow
Ing richer and the poor poorer, and there
In rank discrimination In the law against
the poor in favor of the rich.
During the past 25 years we have
raised two distinct classes Of society-the
tramp and vagrant and the dude and
dudelet. The tramp Is a cross between
crime and poverty, and the dude Is cross
between no one and nothing, bD history
has shown that every nation that allows
the rich to grow "richer and the poor
poorer has always gone down, and our
country will also go down IL this con-
tinues. Society is now being shaken from
stem to stern by the labor troubles Of the
present day. We are opposed to strikes,
but In nine cases out Of 10 they are forced
upon us by the hostilities of the capitals
tic class.
Ballots, Not Bullets.
We believe that our freedom can be OBJ
tanned through the ballot box. Many peo-
pie are In favor Of using bullets, but say
1t Is a shame and disgrace To talk about
bullets when there is ballot. The
knights of Labor are working for the
amelioratlon of the working classes The
uprk m m a m uith bia yIifa phi11rar,
provided with the necessares of life is n
very harmless fellow, but when his wife
and children are starving then is the time
to watch that man, for he is liable 10 do
wrong.
IL is the duty of government to make
1t easy for the people TO do right and hard
for them to do wrong In order To obtain
amelioration from these dreadful condi-
tions under which the working people are
living they must organize and educate
themselves as to their rights, and this can
be done through the Knights of Labor.
Advised to Join the knights.
Henry B. Martin of Minnesota was the
next speaker. He advised the working
people to organize and discuss the vital
questions which would benefit themselves
There In wheel loose in our social
structure, as can be seen when so many
thousands are out of work. There 10 q
grave emergency before the people Of this
country and their welfare Is threatened.
The mental power Is the motor for hui
man progress and the working people
must educate themselves so that they may
know what their rights are. How IL the
thing to be accomplishedf BY joining
the Knights of Labor and learning that
the men who produce the wealth OF the
they produce.
Thomas B. Mcguire Of New York spoke
at length on the land question, and, In the
course of his remarks, caused much
amusement by an attack on the silver and
tariff questions.