Red Lodge picket. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1889-1907, 1894-12-01
SILVER ANNIVERSARY OF THE K, OIL,
An Address by Sovereign on the Growth
of the Order

Oh t1e oT1eT.
Philadelphia, Pa, Nov 24.-Th5
knights Of Labor VIII be twenty-five
years old at eight o'clock tomorrow
evening. It was on the 18th of Noyen1-
ber 1863, and which happened to be the
| day appointed by President Grant for
the national Thanksgiving, that seven
| garment cutters met at the humble
! nome OF Jriah S. Stephens, a member
OF that craft and by formal resolution
brought into existence what was at
I one time the grea la Dor organiza-
ton that the new world has even seen
All OF the seven have gone to their
t last reward, but their memories are
still reyefenced by those who now com
pose the organization. Some time since
the general executive board called upon
all the local and district assemblies to
appropriate observe the day. B1lt
When 1t was discovered that the ami
NersaFy this year fell upon a Sabbath.
the original order was recalled and
the order was requested to hold its eel
ebrauons either today or Monday as
might be most convenient, In an ad-
dress from Grand Master SOVEREIGN
~~>> ~NNN
De read at every meeting throughout
tlle length and breadth of the land
the chiefs of the organization say:
W hen the civil war was over and
men OF the New World. America. be
San to settle back into the peaceful oc-
cupauons of Wealth-producing they
found that new class Of people had
peen brought into existence in the Unit
ed States, class of Wealtn-oWne1s
composed largely of men who had staid
at nome during the four years of inter-
MAJ strife and grown rich on govern
ment contracts and government neces-
slty. Abraham Lincoln reorganize the
danger OF the republic from the class
equally as quick as Salmon P. Chase or
Ihadeus Stevens. 1t was a class of
wealth secreters and wealth accumula-
tors.
Soon also the workers of the coun-
Try began to realize the existence of
this class, and also the dangers to their
liberties and prosperity that lurked in
Its birth and growth. Out OF this
realization grew the spirit that made
the 10Th of November, 1869, an epoch
making day in the history of civiliza-
ton. On that day nearly 25 years ago
now, was born a new hope to the repub- |
lie; new hope to the working people |
of the world For on that day Uriah |
Stephens and his confreres organized |
the greatest educational instrument |
ever given to the common people-the |
Knights Of Labor
We need to rehearse the tremen-
dous work Of that great organization. !
From its humble origin with the small |
number OF seven men, it grew to mil |
nons Of members and untold influence
for the good to the workers of the world
1T blazed pathway in the woods of ia-
nOrance and taught the lesson of edtl-
cation and organization to the laborers,
as we'll as to the millionaires. 1t has
aroused public thought. quickened the |
public conscience and defended the pub
lc interest when the apathetic interfer-
ance benumbed the world and was
leading us on to the barren rocks of
class rule and aristocracy
For 25 years the knights of Labor
IS an organization has fought the bat
les of the lowly and taught them to
-hink and assert their independence.
''lt is today % years since the first or
sanized local assembly saw the light
If day. Though there may have been
mistakes both by leaders and rank and
lie since then, yet the Father Of the
Sod and the brotherhood of man have
oeen the main-spring of all it's acts
or quarter of a century, and battle
'ry of The Interest of One the Con-
'ern of All has penetrated every nook
md corner of the civilized world teach
ng that broad Christianity which will
eventually dominate civilization and
develop in man, the most perfect being
possible in natural life.
''All hail the tWenty-fifth anniversary
# the Knights of Labor, the greatest
abOr organization on earth"