People's Pilot, Volume 3, Number 27, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 December 1893 — JAMFS R. SOVEREIGN. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

JAMFS R. SOVEREIGN.

The New Cmaa Master Workman of tile Knights of Labor. The new grand master workman of the Knights of Labor, after a brief return to Des Moines, has gone east again and is now in Philadelphia making arrangements to sell the K. of L. property there in accordance with the instructions of the general assembly of the knights preparatory to removing the headquarters of the order either to Washington or Baltimore. 1 propose, ” said Mr. Sovereign, when asked about his plans with reference to his work in the responsible position to which he has just been elected, “to go over the coun-

try organizing and building up the order in accordance with the peeamble of the constitution. Having never been in antagonism to the trades unions, and belonging to no factions in the labor movement, I expect the hearty cooperation of my fellow knights and the workers generally. Anytliing that I caii do to bring about a closer affiliation and more harmony between the different labor organizations will certainly be done, and when the general assembly meets in New Orleans next year I believe we will have twice the number of members we have now.” Mr. Sovereign is a native of Wisconsin and is in his fortieth year. He is a marble cutter by trade, but has also conducted several newspapers at various times, devoted to the labor interests. He believes in the theories of the greenback party, but gave valuable aid to Gov. Boies during his first candidacy in 1889 and was appointed labor commissioner. lie prepared the statistics which formed the basis of Gov. Boies’ famous speech at the democratic banquet in Madison square in 1890, in which the governor said that corn had been raised t at a loss in lowa during the five preceding years. When Gov. Boies was reelected he reappointed Sovereign as labor commissioner. His term expires next April.

JAMES R. SOVEREIGN.