The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-11-25
RIVAL KNIGHTS OF LABOR.
, wTgk. IO,0 0RiP ~ mn ORDFR Ar
HIRuINsHiN. A.
Have. Faction and Parsons Faction Each IN
Convention. and zach Protests rs the
Oni, Real Thing ths,'," Bsrn M FRO
cstinrsSra what Zach sa,.of the Othsr


BmMINGuAM. Ala. Nov a. Tor u "hols
week the uvll officers ui the kriSht- oi Labor
have leen ngh'iug among Themselves. here
and they have enjoyed Themselves migo.v
NJ the expense Of the or ganiZatiOn, In In
gineers' Hall III" annual convention ot tho
General Assembly 81 the Knights OF Labor
Of the nited States and canada presided
over by John y Parsons q New York. tho
man who tried 30 stir NJ two great street ran
road strikes and failed In both attempts. heid
forth. From the Florence Hotel, n few blocks
away. another convention claiming the same
imposing title. In which John " Hayes was
the central figure. made wordy war on the Par.
sons crowd and settled the affairs OF the order
IN it, own way.
The rival factions have been hghting now
for nearly a year. and the end is not yet In sight,
Each side has appealed to the courts TO declare
II the only genuine representative OF the organ
iNntion which once was the kingpin Of the labor
world and the lawyers are making a good thing
out Of the muddle the officers Of the knights
have got them into. At the end OF the Kill
kenny cat fight there weren't any cats left.
The prospec, Is that there won't be any KNIGHTS
OF Lab soon. Ten years ago the order counted
It's members at half a million or more. Labor
men here outside the Knights say that IL
the Knights can count a tenth OF that umber
now they're 1000 stronger than anybody
else believes them to be.
When the last general assembly fthe knights
met in Boston a year ago they were a united
but dwindline body. Birmingham Invited
them 10 hold their next convention here. Mo-
body counted on getting two conventions in-
stead Of one. but that Is what has happened.
Within a few weeks after the convention. Par
sons. the General Master Workman q the
zrl.. a.-tz,,. .. oaa.r, lia nua In hla nUn
organization. after the two farcical trolley
strikes In New York. arbitrarily suspended
a local assembly. He was himself in turn de-
olared deposed by a majority Of the Executiv"
Board In Washington. consisting OF General
Worthy Foreman chamberlain. General SEQ
rotary 7 Treasurer HAYES and himself. the Gen.
eral Master Workman. Henry A. Hicks Of New
York was declared master of the order IN his
place. A split followed. hence the two cons
ventions here this week. The Hayes faction
has the books and papers Of the organization.
Each claims that 1t has the support OF a MAJ
Jority OF the district assemblies. A receiver
ship has been applied for by one side. Tbs
other has an application before the court seeks
ing 70 declare II the nghtful custodian Of the
organizations records and receipts-especially
receipts. The Hayes faction has expelled
Parsons and his followers and the Parsons
faction has formally pronounced Hayes and
his friends out Of the Organization. Each
vehenently declares that it Is night and unless
one side isn't telling the truth. why there isn't
anything Of the ord er now but the records of
its existence. and the few members left needns
bother TO pay any more dues.
But pending a decision OF the litigation. which
may be given in another year and may not
each faction. 30 lar a. could be judged this lass
week. seems 10 be making a good thing out Of
the order. The Parsons contingent were
quartercd at the Morris iiotel. and they had a
me tune They took IN all OF the dmusements.
dilut seem 10 be much disturbed over tho
Vaccinations OF their rivals. OF whom they
spohe very toleraALy. Hayes and his friends,
one of the Parsons crowd SAID. were making .
big oluii. which the courts would call as soon
a. the cas-. was tncd upon It's merits. 80 1t made
no difference what The Hayes crowd did now.
The Hayes contingent mad d whole floor OF
their hotel ana "A Dis force OF stcno Srapners
and ~typewrIiers TO help IT oraie 10 the puDlc;
lhey have been kept Dusy iil0rming the world
that Parsons and his irrIds were outlaws from
the order and tnat the court would settle quickly
their hash when 1t got the merits oil the dispute
fairly under review. In" Hayes people Nv q
a. well as the Parsons crowd and seemed as
little worried. Inns IS what Parsons had to
aay about the Hayes crowd.
The men Who are here with Hayes do nos
represent any membership in the order. as will
be shown to the satisfaction Of tie court when
tins controversy come, up upon It's merits. As
10 the facilities Tor L!ikliIs out credentials.
Hayes il II professional at that, ana by this
/ u4t1Ds lie has N't4AitlI'o ms ll'id bBpu Nv
secrepiry-iIp Of the order against the protests
oil every bona lidc district IN the country. lLs
public Will not be imposed upon by the state
nIcnts made by Hayes ana his friends as TO thu
merits oi TINS dispute IN the hnights oil Labor.
lhe present board OF ~otIs.rs, OF winch John n.
Parsons 4, the General Mister NoThnan. are
being recognized By the great majority of ths
order and are luiiy III accord WITH the Efforts
being made 10 compel hdyes 10 render an ac-
! count o! the money Of tie order, which he has
up to date ret used to do. These men who are
noA supporting Hayes IN his nght AGAINST these
Officers are beng hept IN tne oLuer uy HAYES
Tor mat purpose alone. AS tie districts which
they claim 10 represent have long ago gone ous
OF existence"
In a statement issued TO the newspapers
by the Hayes contingent they Lad this 10 say
about Parsons and hls friends:
As a represenlaNys boqy, coming from
the city of Biru.lI snhm IA annual session. We
feel Chagrlncd that Tor the INST time IN tho
history Of the order Of the Knights Of Labor.
a period OF thlTty-ihree years, We are COM
PEELED TO give reasons Why We are here. Bus
since our arrival We find eight men who have
heretofore been expelled from the Knights Of
Labor az various times attempting 20 inn ora
on the NEWSPAPERS and the general public q
birn,nsham ny adNer,tsiPs ,nems.iyes ss
to Inform the public Of the facts These eight
man are reported To De John y. Par ms. who
Iabo-. and reprr-ents no ois tnized body OF
our order: Al. O'k.ef. Of birmingham, who
is not a member Of the Knight, OF IAhor. nor
representation foi-t"d himself NJ on the general
order a. representing the Knights Of Labor
Of Birmingham, but who has since been fully
exposed and ,ncCtuallv disI os"d q by the or
ganization: Patrick McMahon, W. Healv
and VI Fitzgerald. eN-mcmb"rs Of the Knights
of Labor, WHO purIort 10 represent Distrcs
Assembly a. Of New York. which Is repre-
,pntrd in The real assembly in Birmingham
bv Nj. j 6 Holev I. T. BIrley. who assumes
Ia represent National Trad" Assembly 1855.
which has not a sufficient number Of local as.
semblies Ia he represented at this General
Assembly, ". T. Carr Of Washington, b
was eypelled from the order at Chicago two
years ago under H." auspices OF Mt Parsons.
With whom ~ il now associated In irving tn
prevent tho orrnrizHtion from pursuing Its
work. Henry {. 1rauhag"n and John Fernau
of Pttsburg. a member ~ what was Districu
q, Assembly ?, which vas SUSPENDED some time
ago from correction with tho order.
This comprises the body 81 men which
has cen for three d8Vs imposing on The news
taters Of this city with long stories Of what
ihev are doing and pro'D-e to do. like the Three
Iailors Of ToOley street They represent
only one district assembly in Pitt-hurg Of less
than l9p men and the iaif Of another district
representatives Of The entire order Of the United
States aud Canada We have the afidavits
Of the officers Of every district assembly in
each l~pcllitv. showing their fidelity 10 this body
This general assembly represents the entirS
order OF the Knights Of ] abOr assemblies at
tAched to the general assembly, not only in
us legal character bu, IN every other sense II
the word, and We trust that whom We give 10