Vernon Parish Democrat., 1920-09-02
From Newport. R. |. Trades Coun-
Gil Labor Day Souvenir. 1851

Labor Day we owe to corruption and
cowardice among the general officers
of the Knights of Labor in 1880 and
1881. This sounds queer. Still the
fact remains. And this is how it oc-
cured;
At the General Assembly in Detroit,
Mich, in 1881, the General Executive
Board reported that Charles H. Litch-
man, then Grand Secretary, had used
the defence fund to purchase expensive
machinery wherewith to do the printing
for the Order. At the same time,
Litchman published a paper in Marble
head. Mass, called the Essex States
man, using the.types and presses of the
Order for his own personal benefit.
The report created CONSERVATION
among the delegates. Litchman plead
ed guilty, asking for mercy and for
giveness. Powderly, with whose con-
nivance the money of the Order had
been used for purposes for which it
had not been collected, sided with
Litchman. He did not possess the
courage to condemn the unfaithful sec
retary, and the majority Of the dele
gates were weak enough to let Litch-
man go unpunished, although they did
not re-elect him.
The action of the General Assembly
caused great indignation among the
few local assemblies whose delegates
reported to them the actual state of
affairs. Principal among these was
Local Assembly 1862 of Brooklyn,
which had been represented at the Gen
eral Assembly by the Grand Statisti-
clan, Theodore F. Cuno. He and VIM.
A. Horan, who was Master Workman,
and Mathew Mcguire. who was secre-
tary Of L. A. 1862, after consultation,
came to the conclusion that it was nee
essary to purify the Order to save it
from misrule and corruption. A cir
cular was issued to the members at
large. 1t became known as the vel
low circular, because it was printed
on yellow paper. In it, the misdeeds
OF Litchman and his supporters were
set forth, and the members were re-
quested to elect men to the next Cen
eraI Assembly who would put an end
to official scoundreIism.
Powderly became frightened when he
saw the circular, and he set his wheels
In motion to "cnsh" the offenders.
An opportunity soon offered itself to
lnjure the Grand Statistician, who. re-
lying upon reports from Glen Cove, L.
H. where workmen were tyrannized by
the Duryea Starch Company, publish
ed boycott circular adopted bv L. A.
1862 against the tyrannicaI concern.
The boycott was eminently successful,
and the Duryea's were frantic. They
set about to discover the originators
of they boycott, and from Robert D. |
layton, Litchman successor as Grand
Secretary, they received Mr.. Cuno's ad
dress. 1t was subsequently ascertained
by P. ]. Mcclure, now General Sec
retary of the United Brotherhood of |
Carpenters and Joiners, and then a |
member of L. A. 1862, that the agent
Of the Duryea's had spent 5000 to bribe |
Layton and other" into the betrayal
Of the members Of L. A. 1862.
The Duryea's now tried to bam-
Ooozle and buldose the Grand Statis-
-ician. They wanted him to publicly |
state that Ne had been misinformed in |
regard to the occurances at Glen Cove.
Mr. Cuno, knowing that what he had !
published about Glen Cove was true,
refused to comply with the request of
The Duryea's, although he had been |
that the company would
nave him discharged from the position
which he occupied on the staff of one
Of the great dailies in New York; sub
Mr.. Cuno really lost his po-
'ition on account of the boycott. But |
the Duryea's succeeded. notwithstand- |
ing. They caused the General Execu-
tive Board of the Order to 'investi-
gate" Glen Cove. and the result was
a report favorable to the tyrants, and
branding their poor, oppressed wage
slaves, as well as the members of L. A. |
1862, as liars" and ''blackmailers.
Acting upon the report of the bribed
Investigators among whom were
Philip Van Patten, H. H. Bengough. |
and one Munyon, Powdeyiy and his .
suspended" the Grand
for alleged malleasance in
office, Local Assembly 1862 there
II en- issued another circular to the
rembers of the Order, exposing the
:rtne Glen Give atrocitv ard uphold
ng the Grand Statistician. For this,
las been kicked out of court under
uspicion. Butler was the clerk VINO