The Irish standard., 1895-11-02
other insane correspond requested him
to ofIicially announce that there was no

God, ts5s.5 ..a5s 4 .zs5 d i.
Still another suggested that he should
establish his headquarters upon the high
est mountain peak n the, country, and
from this elevated position make a care
full study Of the earth as it was spread
out before him. So far the general mas
ter workman has not taken advantage OF
this kind suggestion. He rarely pays any
attention to these communications. Some
time ago, though, he received one that
he could not resist the temptation of an
swering. The article in question was upon
some heavy monetary question, and the
general master workman counted sixty
eight closely written pages before he got
tired and stopped.
In his letter the author said he had
already submitted his valuable views to
several. newspapers, but he found that
they had evidently sold themselves to the
nlonopolists, as they refused to publish
his article. AS a last resort he appealed
to Mr.. PoWderly to have the article pub
lished He seemed to doubt his own SAN
fity, for. lie wrote: II am an idiot, I
would like to know it, Mr.. PoWderly re-
piled that he was not a publisher and had
no time to read the essay. He also sug-
gested thsJt the author appear before the
nearest Judge and have commission in
lunacy appointed to examine him, which
course would leave no doubt in his mind
as to the sanity question.
1t is not generally known, but it is a
fact, nevertheless, that Mr.. Powderly once
came within an ace of being newspaper
man. He is far too modest to tell Of it
himself, as the story as it is comes from
one of his associates on the General Exec
utive Board. Mr.. Pawderly was receiving
$1,500 per annum as his salary at that
time, and there was serious talk of giving,
UP, the unthankful position to accept a
more lucrative one. Just then syndl-
cate of enterpris:rg Western newspapers
offered him $4,000 per year to act as their
special correspondent.
The idea was to send him to Europe
and have it written UP from his stand
point. Special attention was to be paid
to Ireland, and Mr.. Powderly's familiarity
would make any contribution from his
pen of more than general interest. Be
sides this, the gentleman who made the
offer knew that when it came to forcible
writing the general master workman was
good on any subject. The Knights were
just then discussing the advisability of
raising Mr.. Powderly's salary to $4,000
per year, the present sum-
AS a special correspondent Mr. Powder
ly's duties would have been much lighter
and perhaps more pleasant and congenial
than those of the general master work
man. But his unhesitating reply to the
tempting offer was NO" One of his as
sociates on the General Board in speaking
of the matter afterwards said: ''The peO-
pie who thought Terry would snap at
such an offer were very much mistaken
in their estimate Of the man. He had tho
good of the order too much at heart to
desert it. for a few dollars difference in
salary" Fl. Y. ;3S.s isSs h.
There is one question parti icular1y that
Mr.. PoWderly HAS at heart, and that is
temperance. He rarely makes an address
but that he urges the merits Of total alb
stinence. The general master workman
is a member n good standing Of Father
Mathew T. A. B. Society, of Scranton,
and although his time is nearly all taken
up with the affairs Of the Knights of
Labor, he never forgets his membership
in the little Scranton temperance union.