Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1895-11-14
SOVEREfGN'S TALK
To the National Convention Of
Knights Of Labor.
ATTEMPT TO DESTROY THE ORDER

Declared to Have Been . Failure-Capital
Roasted-His Boycott of the Latter's
Notes Observation-Disclosures 1t Righteous
Movement and Asks the Convention to
Give It Onicial Endorsement.
WASHINGTON. Nov. 14.-The chief public
interest in the meeting of the knights of
ter Workman Sovereign and General
Worthy Foreman Michael j. Bishop.
Much Of Sovereign's address was devoted
to the alleged treachery of those who
headed the revolt against the general Off
GERS of tho order during the past year.
He reviewed what he termed their devil
fsh treachery," and their efforts to dis
rupt the order" He explained the heroic
methods which had been used to weed
out the disloyalists and said that today
for the first time the order presented to
the world solid and unbroken front
battling for the brotherhood of man and
the freedom of labor from the thralldom
of greed
Draws . Very Gruesome Picture.
Labor is now between the devil and the
deep sea-" he continued. Capital has
monopolized the elements of production
and labor is in competition with itself for
the right to live. A money oligarchy is
fast wipiny out the last vestige of individ
nal liberty. Construction by judicial au-
thority is already given to law placing
all labor organizations in the category Of
criminal conspiracy. Misdemeanors Of
tho most trivial character have been raised
to felony without sanction of the law and
used to imprison representatives of labor
organizations, and I'M functions followed
by charges of contempt have been used to
condemn labor leaders to the felon's cell
without evidence of guilt or trial by jury.
The associated banks have declared war on
the money Of the people and the whole
plutocratic fraternity has invaded the
realm of free government and constitu-
sional security"
His Boycott of National Banks.
He made some suggestions as to the best
methods of strengthening tho order, but
the principal feature of the address was
his appeal to the general assembly to give
to his recent order boycotting national
bank notes its official sanction. He de-
nounced the action OF the bankers con-
carefully reviewing the wreck and ruin
wrought by the money power and the de-
signs of the sound money clubs which pro-
pose bonds and gatling guns for a solution
of the labor question, issued boycott on
| the notes of national banks, and if were
| to die tomorrow l would declare it the
most righteous act of my life. 1t exposed
the unsound money of the sound money
advocates, threw piutocracy on the de-
fensivc and forced the national banks into
u humiiiating confession of their pre-
posterous acts of bad faith with the peo-
ple'
Warns Them of Concentrated Wealth.
The address of General Worthy Fore
man Bishop also dealt with the attacks
| made upon the knights of Labor by the
| revolving members, and contains an APP
peal tor stronger organizations because of
the abnormal progress made by concen-
| trated wealth and the fact that it is con-
| stantly more firmly entrcnching itself be-
| hind barriers which every day become
| more difficult to overthrow" He called
| attention to the evolution of machinery
during the last few years and the elimina-
ton of human skill from all forms of pro-
ductive industry. .
His View of Labor Saving Machinery.
| "This has gonepn," he said, until the
Typographical compositer, the cigar max
err, the locomotive engineer, the skilled
worker in wood and other craftsmen
hitherto considered safe from the general
danger, have this year seen the final ,qui-
etus of their hopes. In the near future
common laborcr' will be fitting uni.
versal appellation"
Both addresses were referred and the
balaAce of the day was devoted to routine
business, including the appointment of
the leading committees.