The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1896-11-19
THE KNIGHTS OF LABOR.
GENERAL MASTER WORKMAN
SOVEREIGN'S ANNUAL. RE
PORT is A SCORCHER.
POLLU1|NG GRASP OF THE LU7OCRh1
The Moneyed Men Have Demonstrated
Their Ability to Coerce Wage Earn
crs and Mortgaged Farmers.
Appeal to Free Silver Forces.

Rochester, y. Y, Nov. 1.-THE gen
: eral assembly of the Knights of Labo
went into secret session Immediately af
ter converting today. General Maste
, Workman Sovereign's report was reat
and was followed by the report of Gen
eral Secretary Treasurer Hays.
Nothing of the proceedings will b,
given out until the different committee.
report.
Mr.. Sovereign, in his annual report
says:
after struggle of twenty sever
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 speculative classes demonstrated
their ability to dominate productive en-.
terprise and accumulate wealth of toll
ing millions, but they have demonstrated
their power to coerce wage earners and
mortgaged farmers with threats of dis
charge and foreclosure into submission
to their will. The autocratic holders of
idle money have subverted the principle
Of free government by forcing political
service from the poor as the tenure of
employment.
| "Laborlng men can combat a falsehOOd
and bid defiance to traitors from their
own ranks, but when Il depraved mon
j OF of 20 nait CD b.
| their homes and threatens them with dis
charge and persecution because of their
political convictions, they sacrefice their
| liberties in consideration of food and
shelter for their helpless wives and in
nocent children. The struggle just passed
has demonstrated that pecuniary de-
pendence is political slavery.
I'm the struggle just passed the
knights of Labor proved itself to he the
only labor organization that stood like
an iron wall before the fire of organized
power between the two continents
Every general officer and district and
local assembly of our order spurned every
| effort of bribery and scorned every threat
of the money king"
Mr.. Sovereign added that except ELL
gene V. Debs, the heads of the labor
organizations gave no material interest
in the struggle. The master workman
said the knights should abandon all Ito
plan plans and center their efforts as fol-
lows:
Il would so change and abbreviate
our present test of membership as to
center our immediate demand upon an
equitable income tax. the free and I'M
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; l would make positive and
unequivocal declarations against govern
ment by injunctons and increase of the
standing army; the payment of bonded
debt in gold alone, the issue of bonds in
times of peace and the issue of circulat-
ing notes by banks and corporations.
Il would then prepare an entirely new
secret work with stronger obligations
than we now have. establishing degree
known as the minute men, and as far
as possible return to our former system
of working in absolute secrecy.
81 would then appeal to the free sill
yer and reform forces everywhere for
membership and support and throw this
organization into the broad field of agi-
tation to fight the money power and the
corporation to an everlasting finish.
81 would not recede from our demands
for land reform, nor from any of the
principles contained in the preamble of
this order, but l would designate them
as battle grounds to be fought over af-
ter we have throttled the life out of
the money power that is undermining
the foundations of American liberty.
at may be said that by accepting this
issue we would be charged with favor
ing tine silver mine owner in the Rocky
mountains. The charge would not be
true, and if it was, l have only to say
that l would a thousand times rather
cast a thousand votes for Il mine owner
in the Rocky mountains who contributes
to the wealth of my country than to vote
for foreign shylock who conspires to
rob the labor of the world.
81 appeal to the delegates here as
sembled to place demand for the free
coinage of silver at the present ratio in
our preamble and rid our ports and clear |
our decks for action against the pluto |
cratic combine arrayed on the other side |
of the single gold standard"
The annual report of Secretary Treas
urer Hays opens with reference %
what he terms attacks of most villain |
Gus character upon the general officers |
of the order "by reason of the just stand |
taken by them in refusing to allow n |
small clique of men, who are Familiarity |
known as the New York triangle Of |
The socialist labor party, to get control of ]
The machinery of the Knights of Labor
LOT lne dissemination OF tnelr uOctrlneS.'
The lack of organization among the
toilers is n grave menace to the republic.
Not 80 per cent of the working people
Of the United States are organized 1t
is imperative that something must be |
lone to organize them more rapidly
What shall it be? We would suggest.
first, that we must make it clear to the
aboring people that it is to their inter
'st, in every sense of the word. to be-
come members of the knights of Labor.
We must make it clear to the employers
hat it will not be injurious to their best
interests if their employees are permitted
md encouraged to joint our order.
We must make it clear beyond question
hat every man and woman who is a
member of our order will be safer and
,etter protected in their rights than those
Who are not members. We must make
he employer understand that if he en-
'loys Knights of Labor he will not be
,laced at any disadvantage with his
who employs no knights of
4abor or is at open warfare with the or