The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-11-11
.LIKEAN IRON WALL
Grand Master SOvereigc Com
pliments the Order
Of the knights of Labor on.
Their Behavior
IN LATE CAMPAIGN.
He Maps Out a Line of
Warfare
On Public Evils For knights of
Labor to Follow.
IN LATE CAMPAIGN.

Rochester. N. IT.. New. 11.-At the an
nual meeting of the Knights Of Labor
today Master Workman Sovereign in
his annual report said:
After a struggle Of q years against
the evils of aggregated wealth by our
order, we are confronted with more
serious problems affecting the rights
and liberties of the Industrial masses
than ever before Not only have the
idle speculating classes demonstrated
their ability to dominate productive en-
terprlses and accumulate wealth of
tOiling millions. but they have demon
Slrated their power to cOerce wage
earners and mortgaged farmers with
threats of discharge and foreclosure in
to submission to their Will. The auto
cratic holders Of idle money have sub
verted the principle of free government
by forcing political service from the
poor as the tenure of employment
'LabOrlng men can combat a false
hood, and bid defiance to traitors from
their own ranks, but when a depraved
monster of corporate rapacity steals
into their homes and threatens them
with discharge and persecution because
OF their political convictions. they sac
r1flce their liberties in consideration of
food and shelter for their helpless wives
and innocent children. The struggle
just passed mas demonstrated that Pc
cuniary dependence is political slavery.
In the struggle just passed the
knights OF Labor proved itself to be
like an iron wall before the fire of the
organized money power of the two con
rIuentS- Every general officer and eve
ry district and local assembly Of our
order spurned every offer of bribery
and scOrned every threat of the money
king"
Mr.. Sovereign added that except Eu-
gene V Debs the heads of the labor
organization including the Federation
of Labor gave no material aid in the
recent struggle.
The master workman says the
Knights should abandon the utopian
plans and center their efforts as fol-
lows:
I would so change and abbreviate
our present test of membership as to
center our immediate demands upon an
equitable income tax, the free and un-
limited coinage of silver at the present
legal ratio. the payment of all govern
ment bonds according to present con
tract and the issue of all the money
of the country. I would make positive
and unequivocal declarations against
government by injunction, increase of
the standing army, the payment Of
bonded debt in gold alone, the issue of
bonds in time of peace and the issue
of circulating notes by banking cor
pOrations.
I would then prepare an entirely
new secret work with stronger Obliga-
tions than we now have, establish a
degree known as the minute men and
as far as possible return to our former
system OF WORKING IN aDSOluLe Sc
crscy.
I would then appeal to the free sill
yer and reform forces everywhere for
mem bership and support and throw
this organization into the great broad
field of agitation to fight the money
power and the corporations to an ever
lasting finish.
Il would not recede from our de-
mands for land reform. nor from any
of the other great principles contained
in the preamble of this order but
would designate them as backgrounds
to be fought over after we have throt-
tied the life out of the money power
that is underlying the foundations Of
American liberty
1T may be said that by accepting
this issue we would be charged with
favoring the silver mine owners in the
Rocky mountains. The charge would
not be true. and if it was, have only
to say that I would a thousand times
rather cast a thousand votes for a mine
owner in the Rocky mountains, who
upholds labor and contributes to
the wealth of my country. than to cast
one vote for a foreign Shylock who con
spires to rob the labor Of the world.
I appeal to the delegates
here assembled to place q. demand for
the free coinage of silver at the pres
ent legal ratio in our present preamble
and bar our ports and clear our decks
for action against the plutocratic com
bine arraved on the side of the single
GOLD standard %