The San Francisco call., 1895-11-14

OF Labor. Now that this order has proven its
ability to live in spite of the aggressions of
organized capital and will stand the assaults
OF designing persons who sought to subordi-
nate its usefulness to their selfish desires,
wonld urge that this session of the General
Assembly be devoted as far as possible to the
work OF extending the fields of our operation.
Labor is now between the devil and deep
sea, with the devil running down the beach
and the tide flowing in. Capital has monopo-
i1zed the elements of production and labor is
IN competition with itself for the right to live,
and there can never be exact justice to labor
and a final solution to the industrial question
while the competitive and wage systems con-
tlnue to hamper the passions of greed and
grind the faces of the poor. money oil
garchy is fast wiping out the last vestige of in
dividual liberty. Construction by judicial au-
thority is already given to law, placing all
labor organizations in the category OF criminal
conspirators.
Misdemeanors of the most trivial character
have been raised to felony without sanction OF
law and used to imprison representatives of
labor organizations, and injunctions followed
by charges of contempt have been usen to con-
denim labor leaders to the felon's cell without
evidence of guilt or trial by jury. The asso-
clated banks have declared war on the money
OF the people, and the whale plutocratic fra
ternlty has invaded the real of free govern
ment and constitution security.
Year by year the laws become more exacting
In their application to the poor and more lib
eral in their application to the corporations
and the idle holders of idle capital. Year by
year labor grows weaker and more respondent
and the possibilities of resuscitating more
doubtful. The industrial masses are fast
being reduced to circumstances that over
shadow independence and manhood with the
struggle for bread and shelter.
With these facts before us take the liberty
to urge upon this General Assembly the neces.
slty OF preparing tor an aggressive campaign
against the common foe. In former sessions
we have spent most of the time debating and
legislating on technical questions concerning
the internal government OF the order and very
little time debating how to organize force
and curb the powers of greed or stay the hand
OF the social robber. And after all he,long and
weary sessions we have spent in this manner
don't believe we have any better constitution
to-day than we had fifty years ago. In my
opinion the constitution now governing this
order is conflicting in many of its sections.
firmly believe we should liberalize our
present constitution and grant to local, State
and district assemblies the greatest possible
measure of home rule and local self-govern-
ment compatible with the security of the
order. In my opinion our present constitu-
ton requires of the general officers too much
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 safeguards around our
test of membership by strengthening the
obligation, and most of the differences and
contentious between members and assemblies
will pass away.
During the past year it has been my pleasure
to meet many friends of our order who are
actively engaged in agriculture on the broad
prairie of the West and who know the needs
of organization, and from the friendly express
sions received on the subject must earnestly
recommend that this General Assembly in
augurate movement looking to the organiza-
ton of a National trade assembly composed
entirely of farmers and farm laborers. A
movement of this kind will enable US to suc-
cessfully refute the arguments of the ennis
saries of the capitalistic classes in their efforts
to convince the farmers that they have no in
terests in common with the Wageworkers of
the towns and cities, and will give to both
farmers and wageworkers additional power
and prestige.
After carefully reviewing the wreck and
ruin wrought by the money power and the de-
signs of the sound-money clubs, which propose
bonds and Gatling guns for q solution of the
labor gues ton, / issued a boycott on the notes
of National banks, and If l were to die to-mor-
row would declare it the most righteous act
of my life. 1t exposed the nnsound money of
the t'sound' money advocates, threw plutoc-
recv on the defensive and forced the National
banks into humilating confession of their
preposterous acts of bad faith with the people.
And now urge this General Assembly to in
dorse that boycott and give it every possible
force of official sanction. The conflict between
the working people and the idle holders of
idle capital is inevitable. The wealth of the
many is gravitating to the few with increasing
ratio and labor is drifting toward serfdom
faster than ever before.
did not join the Knights OF Labor for the
mere sake of organization, do not now advo-
cate its principles for the mere sake of
organization, but to curb the powers and CON-
bat the combinations that are robbing labor of
the fruits of its toll. If it cannot do this, I
have mistaken the purposes of this organiZa-
ton, and it's declaration of principles is a
snare and delusion
Trusting in the fidelity of the representatives
here assembled, thanking them for their un-
faltering support and hoping this session may
be productive OF great good to the poor but
deserving toilers, rePledge to you my best
J. R. SOVEREIGN, Grand Master Workman.
The report of the treasurer ca. r.
Hayes) has thus far been religiously
guarded. 1t is in the hands of a commit
tee, and there is an intimation that it may
be given publicity later in the session.
There has been some criticism about the
disposition of the Philadelphia property
of the organization and the amount of
money derived therefrom. 1t is also said
that the financial statement is not as pros
porous as it has been in the past, and the
diminution in membership is also COM
m ented upon. All these things, however,
are merely limited at, and none of the
m embers will take up the subject save in
the most guarded fashion.