Rensselaer Republican, Volume 20, Number 6, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 October 1887 — KNIGHTS OF LABOR. [ARTICLE]

KNIGHTS OF LABOR.

General Assembly in Session at Minneapolis. G. M. W. Powderly Strongly Condemns the Red Flag and Says the Meu Who Threw the Bombs in Chicago Should be Hanged—The Proceedings. The General Assembly Knights of Labor convened at Minneapolis, Minn., Oct. 4th and spent three days in organizing. it requiring that length of tima for the committee of credentials to conclude their work. The convention is composed of 225 deligates. “Kicker” Buchaner, of lowa, who had recently expressed a determination to cause trouble; and Mur. Marion —Todd, tlf" Michigan, were both positively refused as delegates—Friday afternoon GM. W. Powderly read his annual address, a pamphlet of sixty-four pages of closely printed matter, which occupied four hours in its delivery. He said he was in favor of the eight-hour movement, but did not believe it could be successfully carried out now. He denied that he had ever confounded socialism with anarchy when speaking of the two, and said:

Within the order wot enough of interest has been awakened until lately regarding the matter. It was taken for granted thnt the order, being 19 large and influential, could afford to ignore the question,and could afford to put up with the presence of a few of the rankest anarchists. I have thought otherwise; and liecauae I have taken issue with these men in their efforts to make the order.of the Kn-ghta of Labor subordinate to the demands of those known as the anarchist element. I have been taken to task more tnan once. I will also ask of the general assembly to define the position of the order on the attempts that have been made to prostitute it to such base uses as the anarchists would put it. I have never publiely uttered a sentiment regarding the course of the seven men who are condemned to death in Chicago (this is written September 10,15t7) i will now give mv oi inion. If these men did not have a fair trial, such as is guaranteed every man in the United States then they should be granted a new trial. If they have not been found guilty of murder they should not be hangtd. If thev are to be hanger! lor the actions of others it is not just. The man who threw the bomb in Chicago should be hanged, and his accompli.es should receive the punishment allotted to such offenses by the laws of the state of Illinois. 1 I have not. in anv way, in : terfered in the international affairs of an v of the various societies to winch any of these men may belong, and, in doing what I did, faithfully carried out the instructions received from my prs dtcessor, and have .ived up to the obligation I took when installed as master workman. 1 place them before you bo that steps may be taken to put a stop to the interference of the, anarchists in the affairs of this order. 1 am not actuated by malice, spite, a desire for revenge, or apy iither purpose than to shield the order from t e attacks oi jneu who have grown insane on the of bringing the miiU-iiiutn of a few after hey have blown the many to atoms. The reso"tions which should pass is to demaniL.that every avowed anarchist should be obliged to withdraw from the order, or be expelled. We have nothing t<‘fear from the trades unions'; but everything to fear from the contaminating influence of the men who preach destruction risT the name of our order, and who, at the same time assert that they are soßialist-, while giving the lie to every principle of socialism when they advocate Violence of any kind. General Secretary Litchmin presented his report Friday. It was very voluminous. Following is a short synopsis: The number oi members reported in good standing at the las? session of the General Assembly was 702,924, and the nujnbers of members in arreara-26,7. r i3. the order as then reported, 729,677. The tremendotis-growth in the early part of

1886 will be remembered. People came into the - order by the hundred thousands so that a suspension' of initiations for forty days was ordered. After this forty days had expired, the rush again commenced, and the result was tn bring to Ihe, organization a mass of material that proved itself to be a weaknes# rather than a strength. For the six following the session of the General Assetobly at Richmond, the papers of the country were filled continually with assaults upon* the order, upon the general officers, and everything possible was done to disintegrate and destroy the order. Yet, in spite of all this opposition, the total number of members reported in good standing July 1 is, in round members, 485,000. Add to this the nearly 50,000 who are in the same relation to the order as were the 26,763 reported as in arrears upon the last report, and we would have the membership of the order 535,000 July 1, 1887. This would indicate an apparent decrease of about 195,000 members. The receipts for the fiscal year ending July 1 are shown to be $388,731, giving with balance on hand a grand total of $508,647. Consideration of the question of eßtanlishing a co-operative savings association was recommended; also that State rssemblies ! • made compulsory instead of permission. The letter prepared by General Master Workman Powderly upon the attitude of the Catholic church toward the Knights of Labor and which has been awaited with more than ordinary interest by the members of the order throughout the country, has been finally completed and was presented to the general assembly Monday .morning. It gives in detail the communications between Cardinal Gibbons and Mr. Powderly, and of the plea by the Ca-dinal with the Holy See against the condemnation of the order, which was so far successful that the order now stands in high favor with the Pope. The appeal of co-operative oil company jit Olean, N. Y., for aid against the Standard Oil Company, will be supported. Interviews with leading Knights of Labor who are attending the general assembly were published,Monday. They indicate a preference for Powderly for President in 1888, with Henry Georg as second choice. Allen G. Thurman and John Kwinton are also named. The labor vote of the country is put down at from 500,000 to 1,000,000. Many delegates did not think that the time for a new party had arrived.