The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1896-11-21
ANNUAL ADDRESS
Of General Master Workman Sow.
ereign, Knights of Labor,
Read Before the Convention
Mt Rochester, n. IA Broad Ar
rRignment of the Money
Power of the Country.


To The Offcers and Members Of the TUentidA
General assembly. Knights OF LGbor:
After a struggle OF - years against the eVlln
of aggregated wealth by our order, we are con-
fronted with more serious problems affecting
she rights and liberties of the industrial
masses than ever before. Not only have the
idle, specializing classes demonstrated their
ability to dominate productive enterprise and
the wealth Of toil.ug millions, but
they have demonstrated their power to coerce
wage-earners and mortgaged farmers with
threats Of discharge and foreclosure into sub
mission OF their will. The autocratic holders
OK idle money have SubYerted the principles OF
free government by forcing political services
from the poor as the tenure OF employment
Laboring men can combat Il falsehood and
bid defiance to traitors from their own ranks,
but when a depraved monster OF corporate
-apacity steals into their homes and threatens
them with discharge ard persecution because
Of their political convictions, they sacrifice
their liberties in consideration OF food and
shelter for their helpless wives and innocent
children The struggle just passed has demon
Etrated that pecuniary dependence IN political
slavery.
How to prevent the complete overthrow Of
our civil liberty is the problem OF the hour.
How weak and impoverished labor can triumph
over naughty, domineering, confederate CAPT.
tai. is Il question too serious to admit Of pro-
OAdNGALldb4OL. II NC NOAotNAtICu III AL -
length and breadth. and the best possible or
ganization perfected TO meet the Vaccinations
OF the money hangers.
In the struggle Just passed the Knights OF
Labor proved Itself to be the only labor organi-
salion that stood like an iron wall before the
Gre of the organized money power OF two con
tinentS, Every general officer and every dis
trict and local assembly Of our order spurned
every offer OF bribery and scorued every threat
or the money king. When the test came our
order was found to possess the knowledge, the
courage and the manhood to defy and combat
che emisSaries OF organized greed. Except
the support given by that matchlesS champion
OF labor, Eugene V. Debs, the chief officer OF
10 other national labor organization gave US
material aid in our struggle for the cause Of
the common people.
The American Federation of Labor proved
200 loose in its organized capacity and too
weak in its test Of membership to either resist
or evade the OnSlaughtS OF the Wall street
combines, and it therefore became an easy
prey to the emissarics OF corporate wealth.
Notwithstanding the fact that recent rulings
OF our higher courts have placed all labor Or
GanizatiOns in the category OF criminal con-
spiracy, thousands Of the memtcrS of the fed
GRAFTON voted to sustain that pcrniciOuS ruling
T1ey plead guilty to the Charge by the votes
:hey cast. Not only did they vote to eXalt the
money changer and make the rich richer and
the poor poorer. but they voted TO sustain gov
erament by injunction and the recent income
tax decision OF the supreme court.
Many trades unions and many of the officers
of trades unions stood log ally by the cause of
depressed Iobor and cid valiant service in our
late struggle for our economic reform, and
they can not be too highly praised for the high
type OF manhood their acts expressed. But
trades unions, in a general sense, are too frail
IN their organic construction. to depart from
rho narrow line Of craft aud SplNShpnSS and
lead 4 great labor movement against the en-
c~roachment and aggreSsions of avaricc and
greed. That duty devOlye5 upon the knights
% Labor, and at this session of the general as
sembly we should prepare the way to unite
under the shield of knighthood all the indus
trial reform forces of America.
To that end | would recommend that the or
der divest itself of all utorian dreams as q
weary traveller would cast away his personal
effects to tighten his burdens In a dangerous
march across 4 dreary desert. l would in
Struct our trade district assemblies to adjust
Nil local differences with employers, leaving
She general Office free to devote the entire
coming year 20 the work of organization. L
would SO change and abbreviate our present
Test of membership as to center cur immediate
demands upon AN equitable income tax: the
free and unlimited coinage OF silver ut the
present legal ratio; the payment OF all ggvara-
ment bonds according to the present contract,
GAG bS government issue OF III % the money
OF the country. l would make positive and
uneGuivOcal declarations against government
by injunction, increase OF the standing arr-g,
the payment OF the bonded debt in gold alone,
che issue Of bonds in time of peace and the is
sue of circulating roteS by I~auiinG corpora
lions.
L would then prepare an entire new secret
work with stronger obligations than we now
have. establish a degree known as the minute
men, and as far as possible return to our for
ner system of working In absolute secrecy.
would then appeal TO the free silver and re-
form forces everywhere for membership and
support and throw this organization into the
great broad field Of agitation to fight the money
power and the corporations TO an everlasting
Hu.sh.
/ would not reccde from our demands for
land reform, nor from any Of the other great
principles contained in the preamble of
this order, but l would designate them as bat
Gle grounds to be fought over after we have
throttled the life out OF the money power that
Is undermining the foundation of American
liberty. This order should not let the bird in
the hand escape with the hope Of catching the
one in the bush. We should battle for the re-
form which is nearest the hearts of the people,
instead OF expendiGg OF energy on questions
eushrouded in the doubt AID gloom 0! a far
distant future.
The money-power has made itself the guar
dian and protector OF every other monopoly
and combine and stands forth to-day the idol
Of every miser. the hope OF every kind and god
Of every despOt. The idle holders OF idle wealth
throughout the world are combined against the
free coinage of silver. A bondholding ~aristoc-
racy demands its abolition as a primary
money in order 10 appreciate debts and depre-
ciate the profits of labor below the profits of
money at interest, so that fixed income annui-
,.ieS may be saddled upon the industries OF the
OSJrid. Labor must bare its limbs to those
shackleS and bow its head to the lash. or ac-
cept this issue and combine in one great organ
ization to throw of the yoke of oppression.
IT 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 n thousand times
rLIker cast 4 thousand votes for u mine owner
In the Rocky mountains who CCi piOyS labor
and contributes to the wealth Of my country
thur to cast one vote for n foreign ShylOck,
who couSqires TO rob the labor of the world.
W. can not afgrd t. shit of the fountain OF
life to fad a grain Of sand. nor destroy a noun
tain uf sold to lind a pebble OF evil. Further
more. tic mine owners can have no more direct
interests than labor Itself. Statistics tel us
that fcr every miner who goes to work il 4 sill
vcr mine nine other working people are
dcsnanded in other fields of industry. one
nislliTg tools and machinery, some producing
food and other supplies for the miner and his
family. and others employed in stamping mills,
slnclte-S. cts.
The labor organizations Of Utah. less than a
Month aga. r ported that in p towns in that
state. where before the repeal of the purchaS-