Rensselaer Republican, Volume 19, Number 7, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 October 1886 — KNIGHTS OF LABOR. [ARTICLE]

KNIGHTS OF LABOR.

Proceedings of the Richmond Convention. The event in the convention of the Knight* of Labor at Richmond, on the 12th, was the defeat of the proposition to make the terms of general office* three years. Mr. Powderly earnestly advocated the measure, but by an Overwhelming vote the term was fixed at one year. The convention spent nearly the whole morning session discussing th* revised constitution submitted by the committee appointed at the Cleveland meeting. They got down a* far a* the third paragraph of the fourth section. paragraph is aS follows: “The elective officers of the General Assembly shall be Grand Master Workman, General Worthy Foreman, General Secretary, General Treasurer, General Executive Board of five members, in addition to General Master Workman and General Worthy Foreman, no three of whom shall be from the same State, and a co-operative board of six." This was adopted! Mr. Powderly received the' following telegram from Thomas B. Barry, a member of the Executive Committee, sent to Chicago to.endeavor to settle the strike of the employes of the porkpackers in that city: “The packers say they nave no organization, so I must treat with them as individual companies. We called <?n several firm* yesterday and all expressed a desire for settlement, but insist on working ten hours, while the men are firm for eight. We look for a settlement this week.” Mr. Powderly has received almost hourly telegrams commending the position he has taken in his letter on the face question. The General Assembly of the Knights of Labor re-elected Mr. Powderly to the office of General Master Workman without opposition, on the 13th inst. The nomination of Mr. Powderly was made by E. F. Gould, of Indianapolis, and seconded by Tom O’Reilly, of New York, both telegraphers. Mr. Powderly vacated the chair, the General Worthy Foreman taking his place. More than 100 delegates shouted: “Have the election made by acclamation I” When Mr. Griffiths put the question there was a storm of “Ayes." Whan the “Noes" was called for there was one solitary “No.” It came from Henry Beckmeyer, one of the delegation from New Jersey. This delegation wears a yellow badge with the motto “Solid for Harmony." There was no candidate placed in nomination in opposition to Mr. Powderly, and he received the votes of the 647 delegates present. When Mr. Griffiths was nominated for re-election as General Worthy Foreman the only candidate nominated in opposition was R. Bennett, of Illinois. Mr. Bennett received only fifty votes, and Mr. Griffiths' election was made unanimous. The office of General Secretary and Treasurer was divided, and Charles H. Litchman, of Marblehead, Mass., was placed in nomination for the office of Secretary by James Campbell, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The nomination was seconded by Tom O’Reilly, of New York. The only candidate placed in nomination in opposition was Joseph Buchanan, of Denver, Colorado. Litchman was elected by more than 233 m ijority. Frederick Turner, the present General Secretary-Treasurer, was nominated for General Treasurer by R. F. Trevellick, of Detroit, Mich., and seconded by JamesE. Quinn, of New York, The only candidate nominated in opposition was H. Beckmeyer, of New Jersey. Mr. Turner was elected by more than 200 majority. Balloting for members of the Executive Board then began. The following names were placed in nomination: John W. Hayes, New Jersey; Thomas P. Barry, Michigan;' W. H. Bailey, Ohio; T. B. McGuire, New York; Tom O’Reilly, New York; Joseph Buchanan, Colorado; Win. H. Mullen, Richmond ; Iraß. Aylsworth, Baltimore, Md.; John Howe, Massachusetts. An informal ballot was taken, in which Mr. Hayes led in the number of votes polled, with Mr. Barry second. The proposed amendment to the constitution, extending to two years the terms of all general officers, excepting those of the members of the Co-operative Board, was adopted. The Knights of Labor General Assembly at Richmond elected these members of the General Executive Board on the 14th: Thomas B. Barry, John W. Hayes, William H. Bailey, A. A. Carleton, T. B. McGuire, and Ira H. Aylesworth. There was a preliminary ballot for the election of two members of the General Co-operative Board to fill the places of the two retiring members. The General Assembly then agreed to contribute $15,000 in aid of the'Augusta (Ga.) cotton workers, the Salem ana Peabody (Mass.) tanners, and the . New York City plumbers, now on strike. Colored Knights of Labor now in attendance on the convention will probably form a bureau of their brethren throughout the Southern Stites for the purpose - of procuring accurate statistics relative to the condition of the colored people and their relation to the white laborers whenever they are employed together. The general assembly of the Knights of Labor elected L. C. T. Schlieber, of Massachusetts, and J. M. Broughton, of Raleigh, N. C., members of the General Co-operate Board, at Richmond, on the 15th. David R. Gibson, of Hamilton, Canada, was elected Canadian Sup ply Agent. Mr. Powderly then installed the new officers. In addressing the assembly he expressed full confidence in all the men elected and pledged himself to the faithful performance of his duties. He urged upon the delegates to impress the importance of temperance upon the local assemblies. He called attention to the fact that not one of the general officers elected used intoxicating liquors. All of the general officers then formally pledged themselves to abstain from the use of intoxicants during their two years’ term of office. A resolution was adopted declaring that the Knights of Labor recognize in the field of labor no distinction on account of color, but have no intention to interfere with the social relations existing between races in any part of the country. The report of the Committee on the State of the Order- indorses the report of the Committeeon Legislation and the supplementary report commending the establishment of a Labor Congress, at Washington. It also indorses the General Master Workman’s address to the general assembly and recommends the indorsement of the report of Charles H. Litchman, special agent appointed by the General Master Workman to represent the order before the Congressional Committee appointed to investigate the cause and effect of the Southwestern railroad strikes. In his report Mr. Litchman ridicules the testimony given by the railroad s witnesses, who, he says, were drilled to echo like parrots the statement that the only cause that they had ever heard assigned for the strike was the discharge of a man named Hall at Marshall. Texas. The Committee on Legislation, among other bills before Congress, recommends the Poindexter bill in favor of New York pilots. It was voted to hold the next Conven-. - iion at Minneapolis in October, 1837. Considerable progress was made at the sessions of the General Assembly at Richmond, on the 16th. Mr. Powderly was not feeling well and was absent from the convention, remaining in hls room the graatar part of the day. In his. absence General Secretary Litchman presided. The new constitution was taken up and several sections were acted upon. The duties of offi- * cer.s first passed, and the important question of whether the locals should be compelled to form State Assemblies was also settled. There ■was a big fight on this matter. J. E. Quinn, of New York, opposed the provision, and A. J. Schafer, of Michigan, led the delegates who were in favor of State Assemblies! First the whole section was adopted. It provided that the locals should form State assemblies and be subject to the action of such. This was finally changed so as to allow ten locals to form a State assembly, but those who decline to go into it will not bo bound in any way by that body. Schafer declared that the whole section having been adopted it could . not be changed by a majority vote. Litchman declared that he was out of order, and Schafer exclaimed: “I know that lam right, and you can't bamboozle me, as you have others.” “Let him go on record,” said the Chairman to his clerks. The question of dis-’, tricts was settled to the satisfaction of all. Any twenty-five locals of one trade may form’a National district. Another important change was that locals which are attached to the General Assembly shall not have representation in that body. Then the question of representation was taken up and settled. There were a score of plans and twice as many amendments, but out of the whole finally came the decision that hereafter the representation shall be one from each 3,000. A lately deceased French doctor spent his life in studying distorted mankind, and made a large collection of skeletons of deformed persons. This unique museum is about to be sold in Paris, and is expected to realize the sum of SII,OOO. “Doctor,” said a patient, “I suffer a great deal with my ayes.” The old gentleman adjusted his spectacles, and,.with a Socratic air replied, “I don’t doubt it,'my friend; but then you ought not to forget that you would suffer a great deal • more without them.” Susan says the man who would have his dead wife buried without her false teeth because of their gold filling ought to wear them. The old saying is, “Throw physic to the dogs,” but where will you find the dog that will touch it?