The morning times., 1895-11-14

1
They printed scurrilous circulars and con
tributed money TO SOW the seed of discort
| and dissensiOn In our ranks, and publicl,
| boasted that $4,000 OF our members hat
joined the revolt against what they called
the regime of sofficiai corruption In tht
order.
TRAITORS ELECTED.
Thousands of loyal members were in
duced by false representatives W withhold
their support from the general office, ant
thousands Of others went out In the gloon
OF hupclessness and despair.
ITO say tthat the acts Of these con
| spirators embarrassed the general office
and retarded the ordinary work assigned
! our generah officers, is indeed n mid
expression Of the strain and distress thus
f, imposed upon us. But no general Officer
| lost heart Or gave up in dsinay, and under
the shield of an order pledged TO humanity
and armed with the truth, we applied the
| knife or surgery To charters and membership
| disloyal to the cause Of knighthood, ana
| when the virulent tumors were exposed 10
the world, thousands OF misguided members
saw the errors Of their ways and returned
to the sanctuary.
"Seceders were summarily elected from
local and district assembly meetings, por-
traits of seeding eX-generai OFFICERS were
thrown into the fire by local members as
an expression of scorn and contempt, ana
the benign Influences of recuperatiun spread
over the entire order
To-day, for the first time IN
many years, our order stands be
fore the world a united whole with an
unbroken front, battling for the brotherhood
of man and the freedom OF labor from the
| thraldom of greed, and the so-called inde-
pendent movement, which had It's origin
| in selfishness and dishonor, has sunk be-
| hind the horizon in the Industrial field TO
be mourned by monopolies or the country
who fondly hoped 1t would crush forever
| the order of the Knights OF Labor.
Now that this order has proven lis
| ability To live In spite OF The aggressions
| OF organized capital, and Withstand the
assaults OF designing persons, who sought
10 subordinate its usefulness TO their sell
| fish desires, / would urge that this ses-
sion of the general assembly be devoted
as far as possible 10 the work Of extend
! ing the fields OF our operation.
! Labor is now between the devil and
a deep sea with the devil running down the
! beach and the tide flowing in. Capital has
! munopolized the elements of production and
| labor is In competition with itself for tue
! right TO live, and there can never be exact
! justice to labor and n final solution TO
| the industrial question while the competi-
/ i've ana wage systems continue TO pamper
| the passions of greed nd grind the faces
/ OF The poor. money ollgarchy is fast
wiping out the last vestige of individual
i liberty.
oLIGARCHY OF MONEY.
Construction by judicial authority is
| already given 10 law, placing all labor
organizations in the category of criminal
| conspiractes. Misdemeanors of the most
! trivial cha aracter have been raised TO felony
! without sanction of law and used to im-
1 prison representatives of labor organiZa-
| tons. and iniunctions followed by charge
| of contempt have been used 10 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 therealm
of free government and constitutional Sc
| curity. T.
Year 10y year the laws become more
( eXacttpG in their application to the pool
/ and more liberal in their application to the
/ corporations 'aId the idle holders of idle
capital. Year by year labor grows weaker
and more dependent, and the possibilities
| Of resuScitatiOn more doubtful. The in
dustrial masses are fast being reduced
to circumstances that oveIshadow inde-
pcndence and manhood with the struggle
for bread and shelter.
With these facts before us | take the
liberty to urge upon this general assembly
the necessityiof preparing for al aggressive
/ campaign against the common foe
CONFLICTING CONSTITUTION.
IN former sessions we have spent most
of the time debating nj legisiating on
lechmcai questions concerning tie internal
/ government of the order, and very little
| time considering how to organize force
] and curb the powers OF greed or stay the
! hand OF social robber. nd after all
| the long weary sessions we have spent in
4 this matter do not believe We have any
| better constitution today taan we had
( fiftren years ago.
IN my opinion the constitlIt ion govern
Z ing this order is conflicting in many of its
sections. i firmly believe we should
liberaltZe our present con nstitution and
grant to local, State, and district assem-
blies the greatest possible measure of
/ home rule and local self government COM
patibie with the security of the order
! In my opinion our present constitution re-
! quires OF the general Officers too hiuch
| time and too much of the funds of the
order in adjusting petty offenses, and too
little time and money in the great field
/ of organization and education.
Throw additional safegua rds around
| our test OF membership by Strengthening the
| obligation, and most of the differences and
contentious between members and assem-
blies viii pass away r....
II recently concluded the reading of the
| proceedings of the American Bankers As
sociation, covering period of twenty
| years. That association is composed of
a membership less honorable in their deal
ings with each other and the outside world
than the members of the Knights of Labor
| ever were or ever will be.
yet the laws governing that body would
not contain ten pages of our Constitution,
| and the proceedings of their annual sessions
| do not show that they have spent more than
| five hours in twenty years amending their
| constitution. When they meet in Conven-
| tion they Immediately go cunning for big
| game and most always succeed in getting
| it. / call your attention to the methods
of the American Bankers Association in