The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1871-01-28

Tsefese.5ter and Also Springfield, makIng,hls
chief aim the re OTganIEatiOn of those uUOn
on footing that won't be harrsssing on them
in a financial way. l hope you will take
this matter under consideration and giu4 it
your earnest consideration.
At the last convention ! was Requested
10 Tepresen Mt the national union Of brick lay
ers at the convention of the national labor
congress, to be held il Cincinnati, Aut1st,
1870. | am sorry to have to state fhat,
ewing to circumstances which | could not
control, | was forced to foregO the honsr Of
rcpresen ting you At that convention az la
Dor, out / was cOnsOled by seeing al! the
congress representatives from local u5iODs
Of our trade, who, from their known :bili-
~, I was fully Pursua1ed that the interest
Of our organization was fully representa- at
their hands / hope, therefore, you will ex-
cuse me for my non-attendance at the SEES
SION Of that congress, as by doing so a. that
particular time would greatly interfere with
my privase arrangements. i
Alter the distribution of the proceedings
Of the last convention to the different Hsiions,
| received many complaints ms to the form
in which they were gotten up, sewers pre-
fening the old pamphlet form. According
ly, | advised with the secretary as 70 the
pEOpriety Of issuing to the different nsilOns q
limited number Of The quarterly REPORT in
pamphlet form. He accorded With my sug
gestlOns on the matter, giving the saiae rea
sons for SO dOing-the copplaining:on th'
part Of several unions Of the newspaper fbl
future reference We, therefore, !Ame t.
the conclusion Of issuing percentage o
the quarterly reports in the forla Of I
phamphlet, and submit to the lccas ,uniOn
the question as to whether the future re
ports Of the secretary should be iss5ed as
pamphlet, or ID newspaper form. fsill no
dwell further on this subject as l will leav,
the matter to you to say whether Sb have
used wisdom in our action in this mARter
In conclusion, let me impress on 5ou th,
importance of your mission here. You are
delegated from your different uui9hs witt
full powers intrusted in your hands, b make
laws for the future government Of fhe ma
tlOnal union. | would, therefore, iask }
you TO study carefully each and eve3y sub
jet that will be brought forward fGf your
consideration during the session of this con
vention would also suggest to lou tb,
PrOPriety Of getting the business W hich j,
intrusted to you by your unions befJre th,
convention at the earliest possible Aage o
the session, thereby enabling the dSferen
committees to make their reports n sucI
time as to insure careful and steady debate
Through the waste Of time giheralll
taken up at the beginning Of every t.essIon
and sm sorry to say, il seems Of lat
years to grow more and more so, whereby
sndADRerinS our future welfare, by to-
much hssty legislation, and at the sa.Ac tim,
TStarding the progress ofinPortant Iusines
TO such late stage Of the session, that il
is almost impossible to have a fair ponsid
Grafton of the merits of some of tbs meas
ures brought forward for you to ps!s YOU
Judgment upon. hope, therefore, ihat al
union grievances will give way to tie bust
ness which We are all delegated hereto pr
form, namely the making of such laws a.
will conserve the interests Of the tIaIiona
union of bricklayers !:
And now before | conclude, let the herr
return my sincere and heartfelt thanks t.
my colleagues in office during the past year
TOT the kindly manner they have Supported
me ID my Ofhclai capacity. They bavtt proved
themselves gentlemen worthy Of the tbo.itior
they 50 highly honored.
~ Tue Olnc'ais OF the ditfereet local
unlons' also return my thanks for the
gentlemanly manner they have always con
Quoted their correspondence with MI during
my term Of Office, and hope they Will show
the same spirit of forbearance an@ gentle
manly feeling toward my successor IN offict
as has been awarded to me in the past