Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1896-09-17
Highest of all in Leavenng Sength-Lates U. Report.
R3%!A9!!! g! RS%asgz RRskiHg
ABSOLUTELY PURE
POWDERLY FlOPS.
And What Flop Was There, My Coun-
trymenl Behold Him!

trymen! Behold Him!
Washington, D. c., Sept. II, 1896.
To the Order Wherever Found, Greeting:
Terrence Vincent Powderly, who for
fourteen years prior to November, 1898,
was the chief officer in the knights of
Labor, has been recently quoted in the
press dispatches as stating authoritative
ly that the free coinage of silver is no
portion of the preamble or creed of the
Knights of Labor.
The influence of anything Mr.. Pow
derly may think or say will have small
weight with those of our members whose
memories go back few years; it may,
however, tend to confuse and mislead
some of tho thousands who have joined
the cause more recently, and to those l
principally address myself.
| have claimed now for three years
that Mr.. Powderly was monomaniac
upon the one subject OF I, V. Powderly,
however sane he might be considered
upon matters cirecting his personality,
and | cannot at this time refrain from
entering into short retrospect of the
career of the man whose unexampled
egotiSm was one Of the chief causes that
brought strife and dissenSon for time
into our sanctuarics.
The free and unlimited coinage of sill
yer has been one of the main demands of
the knights of Labor since the Atlanta
session of the general assembly in 1889,
it has been Reimbursed specifically since
that time in Denver in 1890, at Toledo in
1891, at ST. Louis in 1892, and our legis
latlve committees have been instructed
to make that, with the land and trans
sportaton planks, their chief care.
Mr.. Powdorly, as chairman of dele
gation representing this order, attended
conferences and conventions of the
Farmers Alliance and the Peoples party
at Ocala, Omaha, Washington and st.
Louis, where the Knights of Labor wore
again pledged to the support of the
measure with his active cooperation
and consent; he is on record in more
than one Of his official reports as being
personally warm adherent of these
doctrines and his present attitude is
simple diScarding of the mask and a
proof of the claim so frequently made
that during all the years he held remun-
eratiye Office in the order, he was simply
time server without sincerity of mind
or purpose.
In fourteen years he drew, in actual
cash, over 900 from the treasury
of the order, his postage, street and rail
road car-fare, hotel bills, even the gas
bills in his home in Scranton were
charged to and paid by the order he so
long deceived. From the position of a
mediocre machinist he was, through the
advantages obtained by membership in
the order, given opportunity for study,
leisure to observe human nature, and
abundant chance to become cultured
cosmopolitan with acquired ability to
smooth the worlds rough places for
himself, if not for his fellows, and the
return he now gives to the organization
to which he is so deeply indebted is to
throw his measly weight with rem
nant of his old-time egotism, into the
scale against it and make a feeble at
tempt to help the combined corporate
banks and monopolies against whom he
waged relentless war so long.
All he has and knows he owes to the
Knights of Labor; all he is, he is himself
responsible for. have claimed that his
mental poise was lost in 1893 and every
public act and utterance he has since
perpctratcd has but deepened my con-
yiction; let us in charity all decide that
this view is the proper and correct one
and permit 7. V. Powderly to pass
quietly into deserved oblivion attended
only by the contempt of an outraged
community. NJ. j. Bishop.
General Worthy Foreman, Knights Of
Labor