The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-05-21
POWDERLY EXPELLED
EX-CHIEF OF THE KNIGHTS OF La
BOR BOUNCED FROM THE ORDER
A. w. Wright and p. III. Quinn Also
..Fired"-Charged with Conspiring
to Bctrny the Organization.

PITTSBURG, May 2O.-The Philadelphia
correspondent of the Dispatch says: Ter
ence V. Powderly, ex-general master work
man Of the Knights of Laboy, or, as he was
recently termed. "The Uncrowned King of
the Workingmen;" A. w. Wright, of To-
ronto, Canada, ex-member of the general
executive board of the knights. and 2. II.
Quinn, master workman OF District AS
sembly 80, an ardent supporter of Powder
ly, have been unceremoniously expelled
from the Knights OF Labor.
The letters conveying to them the in
formation of their expulsion are now flying
across the country by fast mail. The fact
that Powderly and the little band who
chung TO him after his defeat for reelection
last November nave been pulling wires,
talking and otherwise endeavoring to bring
about the downfall of the new officials OF
the knights has been an open secret. Near
ly every step taken by them has been ex-
posed.
The scheme of Powderly and his coterie
came to a climax at the recent unofficial
labor conference held in this city at their
instigation and for the purpose of hand
ing the order over to the Federation of La
Dor. At that conference Powderly and his
conferees threw off the mask and boldly
declared themselves in favor of the alb
sorption into the Federation of Labor of
the trades assemblies of the Knights. The
pins were all set up to pass a resolution
In favor of this with a whoop and tele-
graph it all over the country as the edict
of organized labor, having the sanction of
the general executive board.
During the conference, however, Powder
ly, believing that there was but one lone
some and helpless enemy in the camp. took
occasion to air his views of the present
general executive board in general and OF
General Secretary-treasurer Hayes in par
ticular. He was not at all particular as TO
what he said. and scored everybody and
everything opposed to him., and especially
Secretary Hayes. for whom he could not
find hard enough names. He moreover
made friends with his erstwhile enemy,
Samuel Gompers president OF the Fede'
ton OF Labor, and, COINS back completely
upon his expressed convictions for the past
fifteen years, declared in FAVOR or the
abolition of trades assemblies In the
In his uuerances before the conference
and Evil before local and district as
semblies, and to individual knights by
speech and letter, Powderly was supported
by his old friend, ~. w. Wright, of Toron-
to. Meanwhile p. II. Quinn, OF Providence,
district master workman of District 80, mad
been widely circulating through assemblies,
local and district, in his own State and
Massachusetts, making the statement tnat
the present general officers OF the knights
were only holding their positions for the
purpose of gobbling up the property OF the
i mgfl eft of ~ the KNIGHTS except the brown
stone building at S4 Broad street, this
city.
The news of this and many other actions
and utterances on the part OF the dis
gruntled trio were promptly reported to
the general executive board. AS a conse-
quence a meeting of the board was held III
BOSTON lasting from Monday until FRIDAY
of this week. The charges against all
three Of the malccntents were secretly in
were mailed to-day advising them of the
charges against them, and If within fifteen
days they did not make satisfactory answer
TO the general executive broard they would
stand expelled, only subject to appeal to
the General Assembly next fall.
The charges against Powderly and his
companions are based on the following laws
Of the Knights, contained in Article 81 of
the constitutions: .
disruption or the withdrawal of any local
assembly or other assembly from the order
shall by that act stand expelled from the
order"
The foregoing section was especially
framed by Powderly when in power to meet
Just such cases as his own, where NAL
contents advocated the withdrawal of trade
assemblies and locals from the order. 9th
er sections read:
'"The general executive board shall, when
satisfactory evidence Is presented to them,
suspend any member who at any local, dis
trict, national, trade or State assembly adj
vocates or advises the formation of any
club or other association not controlled
by the laws of the order, unless an alliance
exists between this order and such organ
iZation.
ANY member of the order who shall
malign any officer or member, and who
shall fail 10 sustain his assertion by pre-
ferring, within fifteen days. charges against
said officer or member, and who shall fail
to prove the same, upon conviction of the
offense shall be expelled. Whenever q
member of the order uses the public press
or takes to the public platform TO name
an officer or member In such d manner as
OF that officer or member, upon satisfactory
proof OF such act to the general executive
said board shall declare the offending mem
Der expelled or fix such other penalty as the
magnitude of the offense may warrant, sub
ject to appeal TO the General Assembly,
as a basis, Messrs. Mcguire French and
Martin, constituting a Quorum of the gen
eral executive board, met In Boston. and,
after an investigation of the charges, ex-
PEELED the three members, as stated. Gen
eral Secretary-treaSurer Hayes was at
delinquent members of their expulsion were
mailed from this city.
Meanwhile Powderly, no doubt aware
that his actions and utteranceS would ul-
timately bring about his expulsion, has
been casting about for a field for his pc
alton of Labor. has finally hit upon the
Prohibition party. In an article published
In the last edition Of the organ of that par
~ he ~denounces high license, advocates
prohibition and fiagellates the saloon as an
habitual violator of the law, the door open
crime, and the briber of the police, the mu-
nicipal authorities and the minister of God