The Saint Paul globe., 1896-11-12
NEW LABOR PARTY.
Platform for One Outlined by Sover-
eign, of the Knights

NA5hs va A'AC
ROCHESTER, N. Y, Nov. 1.-THE
general assembly, Knights of Labor
went into secret session Immediately
after convening today, and will remain
in executive until 5 o'clock General
MasterWorkman Sovereign's report was
read and was Immediately followed by
that of Secretary Treasurer Hayes
Nothing further of the proceedings will
be given out until after the different
committees report, probably tomorrow
morning.
Sovereign says in his annual report:
After struggle of twenty seven
years against the evils of aggregated
wealth by our order, we are con-
fronted with more serious problems af-
fecting the rights and liberties of the
industrial masses than ever before
Not ony have the idle, speculative
classes demonstrated their ability to
dominate productive enterprises and
accumulate the wealth of toiling mill
lions, but they have demonstrated their
! power to cOerce FL wage-ea -earners and
! mortgag ged farmers with threats of dis
charge and foreclosure, into submis-
sion to their will THE autocratfc hold
ers of idle money have subverted the
principle of free government by fore
ing political service from the poor, as
the tenure of employment.
Laboring men can combat a false
uCOu anu plU UGudnC0 TO
from their own ranks, but when a de-
praved monster of corporate rapacity
steals into their homes and threatens
them with discharge and persecution
because of their political convictions
they sacrifice their liberties in consid-
Grafton of food and shelter for their
helpless wives and innocent children
The struggle just passed has demon
strated that pecuniary dependence is
political slavery. In the struggle just
passed, the Knights of Labor proved
itself to be the only labor" organization
that stood like an iron wall before the
fire OF the organized money power of
the two continents. Every general Of
ficer and every district and local as
sembly of our order spurned every Of
fer of bribery and scorned every threat
of the money king!
Mr.. Sovereign added that, except
Eugene V. Debs, the heads of the labor
organizations, including the Fedora
ton 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:
81 would change and abbreviate our
present test of membership as to center
our immediate demands upon an equit-
able income tax, the free and unlimited
coinage OF silver at present legal ra-
ito; the payment of all government
bonds according to present contract
and the issue of all the money of the
country. L would make positive and
unequiVocal declara tions against gov
ernment by injunction, increase of the
standing army, payment of the bonded
debt in gold alone the issue of bonds
In time Of peace and the issue of cir
cUlating notes by banking corporations.
1 would prepare an entirely new Sc
cret work with strong obligations than
we now have, establish a degree hnoWn
as the minute men,, and as far as poSs1-
BILE return to our former system of
working in absolute secresy. I would
then appeal to the free silver and re-
form forces everywhere for member
ship and support and throw this Or
ganiZation into the great broad field Of
agitation to fight the money power
and the corporations to an everlasting
finish. -
"I would not recede from our de-
mands for land reform nor from any of
the other great principles contained in
the preamble of thissorder, but would
designate them as backgrounds to be
fought over after gEe have throttled
the life out of the money power that
is undermining foundations of
American liberty,
1T may be said that by accepting
this issue we woulds be charged with
fayoring the silver mine owner 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
mine owner in the Rocky mountains.
who employs labor and contributes to
the wealth of my country, than to cast
one vote for a foreign ShyIock, who
Conspires to rob the labor of the world.
1 appeal to the delegates here assem-
bled to place demand for the free
coinage of silver at the present legal
latio in our preamble, and bare our
ports and clear our decks for action
against the plutocrats arrayed on the
side of the single gold Standard
Tonight the executive committee gave
out a statement reviewing the political
efforts Of the organization and con-
graduating woFkingmen "that the
money plank, the plank in opposition
to government bond issues, the income
tax plank and numerous other very i'm
portant principles which have been so
long and strenuously battled for by
knights Of Labor against hopeless Odds
have become the commanding issues
of American politics, and have COM
pletely overshadowed all the sham is
sues which have long been used by
politicians and the money power to
blind the peoples eyes, and distract
their attention from those vital ques-
tons affecting the real welfare of the
wealth-producers' Il