kers during the depression of1873-78 and the failure of a nationwide railroad strike, which wasbroken when President Hayes sent federal troops to suppressdisorders in Pittsburgh and St. Louis, caused much discontent in theranks of the Knights. In 1879 Terence V. Powderly, a railroadworker and mayor of Scranton, Pa., was elected grand masterworkman of the national organization. He favoured cooperationover a program of aggressive action, but the effective control of theKnights shifted to regional leaders who were willing to initiate strikesor other forms of economic pressure to gain their objectives. TheKnights reached the peak of their influence in 1884-85, whenmuch-publicized strikes against the Union Pacific, SouthwestSystem, and Wabash railroads attracted substantial public sympathyand succeeded in preventing a reduction in wages. At that time theyclaimed a national membership of nearly 700,000. In 1885Congress, taking note of the apparently increasing power of labour,acceded to union demands to prohibit the entry into the UnitedStates of immigrants who had signed contracts to work for specificemployers. The year 1886 was a troubled one in labour relations. There werenearly 1,600 strikes, involving about 600,000 workers, with theeight-hour day the most prominent item in the demands of labour.About half of these strikes were called for May Day; some of themwere successful, but the failure of others and internal conflictsbetween skilled and unskilled members led to a decline in theKnights' popularity and influence.The Haymarket RiotThe most serious blow to the unions came from a tragic occurrencewith which they were only indirectly associated. One of the strikescalled for May Day in 1886 was against the McCormick HarvestingMachine Company in Chicago. Fighting broke out along the picketlines on May 3, and, when police intervened to restore order,several strikers were injured or killed. Union leaders called a protestmeeting at Haymarket S...
