Democratic Sentinel, Volume 11, Number 33, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 September 1887 — The Knights of Labor. [ARTICLE]

The Knights of Labor.

In 1869 a society was formed in Philadelphia by Uriah 8. Stevens, among the clothing cutters of that city. Its object was to protect the working classes and aid in the devleopment of skilled labor, and from the first its founder cherished the idea of developing it into a national organization. In 1871 this first society was regularly organized as Local Assembly No. 1. A ritual was adopted, and the society was called the Noble Order of the Knights of Labor. All its workings and even its name were to be kept by members an absolute secret, under penalty of dismissal, all necessary public referOice, as the announcement of meetings through the press, etc., being made by the use of five asterisks. In 1881 the name was made public. The order increased in Philadelphia until nearly all trades were represented in it, and branches were formed in many other cities. In 1878 a general assembly of

North America was formed, with the supreme office of general master wort* man. As now organized the order consists of an executive board, composed of a president and three members, eleced annually in October by the General Assembly. This assembly is composed of delegates from district assemblies, which in turn receive funds and delegates from the local assemblies, all being subject to the executive board. The local assemblies are each made up, generally, of workers in one trade, but there are also mixed assemblies, which unite workers in various trades. The motto of the order is—“An Injury to One Is the Concern of All. ” Its declared aim is to organize, agitate, and educate, with a view to the final solution of the labor problem: also to improve the condition of the working classes, and to prevent injustice and tyranny on the part of employers. Any person over 18 years of age, who is of good standing in his trade, is eligible to membership without regard to sex, color, creed, or nationality, unless he belongs to one of the “interdicted classes,” i.e., bankers, brokers, lawyers or liquor-dealers. The cost of membership consists of initiation fees, which are regulated by each local assembly for itself; monthly dues, regulated according to the needs of the assembly, and a small tax for the support of the General Assembly. The order has an insurance branch, organized on the mutual benefit plan.—Toledo Blade.