Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-09-08
KNIGHTS IN POLITICS
General Foreman Bishop Issues Statement
Concerning Powderly.
He Claims That the Order Has Been
for Free Silver for Years-Edi-
tor Martins Observatfons.

A conference of the leaders of the knights
of Labor will, il is understood. be held this
week, either in this city or New York, as
may be determined within a day or two, for
the purpose. it is said, of discussing the
political situation.
1t is asserted that the fact that T. V.
Powderly has offered his services to Chair
man Hanna as a speaker for Mckinley and
the gold standard has aroused his former
associates. and 1t is thought probable that
stump.
AS starter in the fight against Mr.. Pow
derly, General Worthy Foreman NJ. ].
Bishop has sent notice to each member OF
the order. as follows: Terence Vincent
Powderly. who for fourteen years prior 10
November. 1888, was the chief officer of the
knights of Labor has been recently quoted
as stating authorita:ively that the free
coinage of silver is no portion of the pre-
amble or creed of the knights of Labor.
have claimed now for three years that Mr.
Powderly was a monomaniac upon the one
subject of I. V. Powderly. however sane he
might be considered upon matters not af-
fecting his personality, and / cannot at this
tune refrain from entering into a short re-
prospect of the career of the man whose un-
eAdmpieQ egouSm was one or the CHIEF
causes that brought strife and diSSenSiol
for a time into our sanctuaries.
Ihe Tree and unlimited coinage of silver
has been one of the main demands of the
k nights of Labor since the Atlanta session
OF the General Assembly i'm 1889 1t has
been re-enforced specifically since that time
at Denver in 1880, at Toledo iE 1891 and at
st. Louis in 1882 and our legislative COM
mittees have been instructed TO make that,
with the land and transportation planks,
their chief care.
'Mf.S SPowderly, as chairman of a delega
ton representing this order. attended con-
ferences and conventions of the Farmers
Alliance and the peoples party at Ocaia,
Omaha, Washington and ST. Louis, where
the knights of Labor were again pledged
TO the support of this measure, with his
active cooperation and consent. He is on
record in more than one of his official
speeches as being personally a warm ad-
herent Of these doctrines, and his present
attitude is simply a discarding of the
mask.
"All he has and knows he owes to the
knights of Labor; all he is he is responsible
for. Let us permit T. V. Powderly to pas;
quietly into deserved oblivion
Editor Martin on the Situation.
Mr.. Henry b. Martin, editor of the Jour
nal of<he knights of Labor, which is pub
lished In Washington, has just returned
from an extended tour through the western
and New England states, and I'm converse
tion on the political outlook he said:
Il think Bryan's election sure. There
appears to be- no doubt of his triumphal
success in November. There is no signif-
canoe in the election returns from Yer
mont. Both parties there declared for the
gold standard i'm their state platforms. The
stone trust of Vermont, of which Senator
Proctor, the republican national committee
nan of that state, is the president, and the
banks, holding the farmers mortgages, left
nothing undone to increase the republican
majority.
The quarry owners compelled their
workmen to vote the republican ticket by
threatening them with dismissal and the
banks forced many of the farmers to sup
port Grout, the republican candidate for
governor, under threats to foreclose their
loans.
I'm all the stone quarries of Ohio the
men are wearing Bryan buttons, in def
ance OF their employers. The city of Cleve-
land is a hotbed of democracy, and labor
Ing men there are for Bryan to a man.
The knights of Labor are fighting Ham
ma tooth and nail because the first organ
ization that he destroyed was the knights
OF Labor organization of seamen in the
lower lake regions. The Central Labor
Union of Cleveland has repeatedly denounc-
ed Hanna as labor crusher. Hanna has
several times attempted to open negotia-
tons with the leaders Of the union. but
our people will have nothing to do with
him.
1T is fact worth recalling i'm connec-
ticn with the republican claim that this
government cannot maintain a bimetalic
system OF currency, that i'm 1892 the repub-
lican party published text book, showing
that the purchase of 4,J0O0o ounces of
silver under the Sherman law had raised
the bullion value of silver to 81 2l an ounce
and averted panic through the failure of
Barring Bros. of London"