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Show (THE KNIGHTS ' p SESSION, C ; ; ; An -Able Address hy Their Great Leader, Powderly. DISCUSSION OF SOME VERY IM, PORTA NT MATTERS. ' He Thinks No One Should Vote-Who Cannot Read. OUR IMMIGRATION LAWS SHOULD BE RECONSTRUCTED. - He Gives the Railroads and Telegraph Tele-graph a Slap and Touchet Briefly on Strikes and lockouts An Appeal Ap-peal for United Action Among' Alt' Iabr Societies He Says a Good . Word for the Farmers' Alliance Membership Increasing. St. Louis, Not. 16. At today's session or the Knights of Labor, General Master Work-. man Powderly delivered his annual address. Among the matter dealt with . wa the' recommendation that all local assemblies should be made up of mixed- membership, mem-bership, including men and women of. all trades aiid occupations. , Many, of tha ' failures from attempts at the betterment of conditions in the past have resulted from the fact that member in other trades were not acquainted with the conditions and particulars par-ticulars .of the trade seeking betterment, hence they were not in a position to sympa- thize and help in the struggle. Powderly declared ' there wero too many1 labor' organizations 6truggliag for 'the en- premaey. The tendency of the -labor movement move-ment teems to -be i to divide up, " while that of the opposing force (capital) was to Consolidate and thereby gain strength in the fight against industry. The resuit was that labor was- beaten in detachments Something must be done to remedy this. . He said there existed noreasQn. why very i s branch cf toil shou d not be enrolled under the shield of the Knights of Labor. SUCCESS OF BALLOT REFORM. , The . speaker congratulated the organization organiza-tion on the gratifying result of the agitation for ballot reform inaugurated by the general assembly only a few year ago.- Then no state had a reform ballot system; now the secret ballot law is in force in thirty states. " In this connection Powderly recom-mended recom-mended that no person be allowed to vote who could - not read - his ballot, ; for the reason that such a person was at the , mercy of the man admitted to the booth with him to assist him in making up his vote. His suggestion was that a future date, . say five years, be fixed-' on for such a law to go into force, in order to give all the oppor- ' ' tunity to learn to read. ' THE IMMIGRATION QUESTION. Powderiy devoted much space to the question ques-tion 'of immigration, saying in part: Your general master'workman has no hesitation in saying he favors the total exclusion of all immigrants not self -sustained on landing in ' this country. He would fix a term of years ten would be long enough during which time no immigrant should be per.' mitted to land with a view of remaining un." less he could prove that he had sufficient means to sustain himself and thos depend-' rng on him for one year. He declared that ho saw a great danger not alone to labor but . to the whole country if the immigration ' question was not carefully and heroically' handled in the near future. A SLAP AT CORPORATIONS. I "The tariff question has been widely dis- cussed in the late campaign," said he, "but more revenue is illegally drawn from tha pockets of merchants, . manufacturers and workmen in one month of the year by . railroads and the telegraph than we . pay in tariffs for twelve months. The industrial organizations must consider -these things and the strike of the future must be a strike for the rule of the people. They might decry politics; but they must be ; politicians or slaves to politicians. They . must go to the fountain head and make laws. The speaker advocated affiliation with the farmers' alliances and other similar organi. zations. FINANCE AND MEMBERSHIP. The financial statement shows, including- r balance from last year, receipts, $00,614, 1 expenditures, $0'J,7-19. The membership shows a slight increase during the year. It is now over 26,000 in good standing. The order is practically free of debt and owns property worth $100,000. |