The San Francisco call., 1896-11-12
LhBOR'S KNIGHTS
IN GRAND COUNCIL
Sovereign's Annual Address
Touches on the Late
Election.
Rejoices That the Order SolidIy
Opposed Concentrated
Wealth.
SUGGESTIONS FOR THE FUTURE
Says Knights Should Fight the Money
Power to an Everlasting
Finish.

mornings session of the General Assem-
bly, of the Knights of Labor opened at 10
o'clock. The assembly will last week
longer; officers to be elected later. Sow
ereign will undoubtedly be reelected.
Upon taking the chair this morning Sow
ereign delivered his annual address.
Grand Master Workman Sovereign in
his address to the General Assem- bly, to-
day said that the Knights were the only
body which in the late contest had solidly
opposed aggregate wealth. The Fedora
tion OF Labor, he said, had been loose and
had fallen a prey to Wall street. He
stated that the Knights should now seek
10 unite all industrial reform forces. He
said:
We should center our Immediate demands
upon an equitable income tax, the free and
unlimited coinage of silver at the present
| ratio, payment OF all Government bonds ac-
cord1ng TO present contract and the Govern
ment issue OF all the money of the country
| We should make positive and unequivocal
| declarations against the Government by in
! junction to prevent the increase of the stand
ing army, the payment of the bonded debt in
| gold alone, the issue OF bonds in time of
peace and the issue of circulating notes by
| banking corporations. We should prepare an
| obligations, establish a degree known as
| minute men, return to the former system OF
working In absolute secrecy.
We should then appeal 10 the free silver and
reform forces ana enter into the great broad
| field of agitation to fight the money power
and corporations to an everlasting finish.
The report of the general secretary
| treasurer was then read. A synopsis OF
| the report follows:
| Since we met together one year ago, your
general officers have had to contend against
attacks of a most villainous character by rea-
son OF the just stand taken by them in rcfus-
| ing TO allow q small clique of men, who are
familiarly known as the 'New York Triangle"
OF the Socialistie Labor party, to get control of
| the machinery of the knights of Labor for
| the dissemination of their doctrines, which
| believed inimtcal and at variance with the
| platform apd principles OF this order.
| Among those who assisted this "cOm bina-
| ton" in their work of attempted destruction
We find some of the best and truest friends of
| our order; men who were induced to believe
| that the movement started by the triangle was
| purely and solely in the interests of the
Knights of Labor, but who learned, when
nearly too late, that the deep-lGid plot was for
| the purpose OF enabling Daniel C. Leon,
| Lucien Sanial and Ernest Bohm 10 control the
order in every department. The last named,
| falling in their efforts, have used the public
press and platform to denounce the officers
| and the order. with the hope that they would
destroy the same and upon its ruins build up
an institution with the name OF the Knights
of Labor as their guiding star. The men be-
hind it were INSCRIPTIONS, men who would
stop at nothing to accomplish the object they
During the present campaign we have
printed for the National Silver Committee
100000 documents, for which we received
$1700; for the Democratic Congressional Com
mittee, 5000 documents at $4,000 and I50.-
600 copies of the Journal at 1 cent per copy,
Committee, 125, 900 documents at $3.50, max.
| ing grand total OF $780,
i call attention TO this subject on account OF
| the newspaper abuse and vilifcation that
your general officers are subject to, emanating
from within and outside of the order.
The report makes a savage attack upon
the Washington Daily Times. or the
window-glass workers of the United States
it says:
The window-glass manufacturers have built
up an enormous monopoly at the expense OF
| fact, which is alleged to help the American
! workman, the increase OF labor employed is
not Anne erican. / would request that the ex.
ecutive board be instructed TO urge that in
stead OF prohibitory tariff on glass the tariff
| be transferred to the immigrant glassworkers
SO that the INDUSTRY shall be retained in the
control OF native workmen, and the foreign
workman kept where he belongs.
Thesreport shows receipts during the
year of $33, ia 70 from all sources; bal
ance on hand July 1, 1885, $6404 80; total.
$40, ,l19 70.
After the reading of Secretary Treasurer
| Hayes report ]. NJ. Bishop read the re-
port of the general worthy foreman, after
which the assembly adjourned until after
| noon.
The afternoon session, which was also
secret, lasted until 4 P. NJ. The financial
committee stated that the report as sub.
mitted by the secretary-treasurer was cor
rect.
The following delegates were appointed
as committee on secret work and will
make changes and reconstruct the
ritualistic work of the order: James NJ
Kenny, Omaha, and Henry b. Martin
| Minnesota.
The following constitute the committee
on cooperation: E. A. Malone, Min
nesota; E J. Lindenholm, Illinois; j. A.
Parsons. New York; E. J. Flannigan
Idaho; J. G. Edwards, New York.