The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-06-15
LISTEN TO HIS TALE OF WOE!
Powderly Unburdens Himself in &
"Confidential way

Philadelphia, June difference V
Powderly, ex-master workman of the
Knights of Labor, has issued, for pri-
vate circulation among the members of
| the order, a statement containing the
inside history of the movement which
compelled his voluntary retirement. II
forms a pamphlet of thirty-four pages
In a review of the circumstances lead
ing up to the events of last fall, which
have proven SO momentous to the
Knights Of Labor, Mr.. Powderly al
ludes TO the candidacy Of John O'Keefe,
! in 1892, against Mr.. Sayres for the Of
fee of general secretary treasurer,
which was followed by Mr.. O'Keefe's
discharge by Hayes from his position
in the general Office.
! Mr.. OKeefe's complaint to the gen
/ eral executive board brought to light
complaints from other general office
employees, all members OF the order,
being watched, logged and brow
+ beaten.
They asked for redress" says Mr.
] PoWderly, "and the general executive
/ board gave them hearing in the gem
! eral Office. The general secretary
! treasurer, who was present when the
] clerks and other employees were
called before the general executive
I OOdlNf S2aJldlllCQ anu 4E-QSS1 " NC
+ present at the hearing, The statements
made at the hearing were taken down
| in shorthand and disclosed a condition
| of affairs which gave the members of
! the general executive board no little
uneasiness. Listening at keyholes,
picking of pockets, watching each
! significant move, reading of personal
i letters and in fact, such practices as
| would not be tolerated in any factory
or other industrial institution in the
| land were stated to be of daily occur
renee in the general Office
When the general secretary easurer
was requested by the board to abolish
the system of espionage which pre-
| vailed in the Office, he denied that any
such condition of affairs existed. When
pressed too hard, he said in substance:
81 have informa tion that will damn
the whole of you. I can go to the
world with a statement that you are
all engaged in stock jobbing, land
Ispeculations, and in every way neglect
ing the business of the order for per
When told that that would not be
true, he said:
''It don't make a bit of difference
once a lie is told, it will go, and 1 will
lie whenever | want to score a point
Mr. Powderly then takes UP the pre-
sentation by A. r. Hayes of charges
against the general executive board
which he denies in every detail.
Recounting the consideration Of these
Questions in the last general assembly
Mr.. PoWderley says: fWhen l had spo
ken for four hours and twenty minute:
all told and the general secretary-treas
urer CHayes) had concluded his eight
een-hour talk, Hugh Greener, of D. a
404 stood up and asked the general
secretary if there was any truth il
IL h. not
&c Did these men nlissap appropriate an!
Of the money of the order? Did they US
ANY Of it for their personal ends? Havt
they squandered the funds% were tn
words of Greenan as near as 1 can re
; member them. The answer of the gen
eral OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES was no t
each question. When making his speed
; the general secretary-treesurer said:
always wanted to get rich, [ want t
be rich and L will get rich if can A
another time, after complaining of tn
, workings of the gas scheme in whicl
! he was engaged, he said: I am tn
/ manager. the treasurer and the boar
| of directors OF the company. 1 mad
So. 600 on it this morning and I have tn
money in my inside pocket now.
when the ST. Louis general assem-
/ bly, was in session." continued tn
statement, James Hughes told me tina
l The national Democratic committee ha
2 $4,000 there to defeat me for reelection
: paid no attention to his statement:
( and told him it could not be true. II
: said he had the proof. At a banque
4 given by the st. Louis locals that ever
| ing, James r. Sovereign, who sat or
: posite. wrote on a card and handed
r to ne. From that card now before m
S I quote these words: There are 5000
: here from the east to defeat your RI
election. Say nothing. 1t will fall
In conversation, he said that he We
positive the statement was correct an
, that he knew no had the money
: The ex-ganeral master workna
l closes with an appeal to the member
2 to hold their old assemblies togethe
/ but to scrutinize all new ones and NJ
y allow SO many paper assemblies to
organized that the genuine ones woul
: be outvoted at the next general assen
: bly, at New Orleans