Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-09-21
TIE TRIENNI.L C0NCLAyE.
Great Gathering in st. Louis-Matters to
Come Before It.

Great Gathering in st. Louis-Matters to
Come Before 1t.
lBy Telegraph
ST. LOUIS, September 20th.-At moor the
rush of visitors was still undated, and, if
anything, is increasing. Fully 10000
Knights had arrived by y NJ, and more than
an equal number are expected this after
noon and tonight. All trains are more or
less delayed by the immense traffic, and a
train from Kansas City is many hours late,
owing to freight wrecks. An incident of
the morning, causing much amusement
and some temporary annoyance, was a
strike by the walters at several hotels and
restaurants. They demanded $25 per week
during the Conclave, and in nearly every
instance gained their point and remained
at work. There will be but one short ses-
sion on Change Tomorrow, and Wednes-
day none
A NIGHT.
The crowds on the street, at the various
headquarters and at the Union depot this
morning, were but insignificant when
brought into comparison with those of the
afternoon at the depot. Not a quarter of
an hour elapsed without the arrival of dele
cations of Knights. This evening the
throng was SO great that movement was
difficult, and marching by Communicates
was next to impossible. Scores of bands
were playing in various parts of the city,
and frequently squads of Knights and their
ladies RECALLED the crowd with popular bal
lads. Hotel landlords presented pictures of
wonderful activity. and while all who ap-
piled were furnished with some sort of
sleeping accommodations, the cfowding
was something remarkable.
Tonight the streets are brilliantly illumi
mated for the first time, the work of prepa-
ration having been brought to a practical
completion before shutdown. Eight miles
of streets were brilliantly lighted with
hundreds CT thousands of gas Jets inclosed in
many-colored globes, while from the fronts
of prominent public and private buildings
blazed forth in electric lights and gas sym
bolic designs, appropriate to the occasion.
There were no set parties, but small bodies
of Knights, accompanied by bands of
music, were moving in ali directions, and
the streets were thronged with spectators.
MOVEMENTS OF PROMINENT KNIGHTS.
ST. LOUIS, September 2Oth.-Grand Mas
ter Withers, who arrived yesterday with
the California delegation, is quite i'll.
When he left China, six weeks ago, he was
in bad health, and nothing could be done
on shipboard to relieve him. He has been
| dliilOSL COLlSldiltlN ddFGlliiS y olA NCEhS,
and is very much exhausted. He was re-
fused TO all visitors to-day. His meals
were served to him in bed. He did not
rise until a late hour, harboring his strength
for to-morrow's parade, in which he is very
anxious TO take part. Deputy Grand Mas
ter Roome, of New York, arrived this
morning, accompanied by Grand Treasurer
| Simons. The latter is also unwell, but will
no doubt be able to attend to business.
THE FOLLOWING COMMANDMENTS
Are among these which arrived: Grand
! Commandery of Colorado; No. l, of Denver;
Pontiac, No. ,; Charlotte, No, I, of Michi-
| gan Coruna, No. /, of South Bend, Ind:
Peninsula, No. 8, of Kalamazoo, Mich;
Jackson, ~unmounted, of Jackson. Mich;
California, No. l, Of San Francisco De-
troit, No. 1, of Detroit, Mich; st. Louis
| Club, of Philadelphia Maysville, No. l, of
Maysville, KY; San Jose. No. l, of San
Jose, Cal; No. 10, of Chicago; Oakland,
No. 1, of Oakland, Cal; Mount of the Holy
Cross. Leadville, Col; Golden Gate, of San
Francisco, CAL; Terre Haute, No. 1, of
Terre Haute, Ind; Nebraska Grand Com
mandery; Mount Nebraska, No. II, of
Hastings, Neb.; Mount Olive, No. 3, of Ne
braska City Mount Calvary, No. /, of
Omaha; Mount Hebron, No. II, of Kear-
ney, Neb.; Mount Tabor, No. 8, of Fremont,
Neb. On the Eastern specials arrived the
escort of Grand Master Robert +. WitherS.
These were the Richmond Commandcrv,
No. 3, and Columbia No. l, of Richmond,
Va. Under the Richmond banner was
gathered the Grand Commandery, swelling
the number to sixty.
WORK BEFoRE H ENCAMPMENT.
One of the chief subjects, if not the
main one, for discussion and determination
at the meeting of the Grand Encampment
is the question of amending the organic
law of the order with regard to the powers
and privileges of the Grand Encampment.
A meeting of members of the Grand En-
campment has been called for tomorrow
afternoon at the Nebraska headquarters, to
decide what course the opponents of the
proposed changes shall pursue. The call is
addressed to all members of the Grand
~Encampment who oppose its em~asculation
and the object set forth is "to devise ways
and 1neans to give effective expression
to the desire for reform (if reform is
needed) within cur order as now consti-
tuted, and to defeat the existing effort 10
weaken our general governing body, there
by destroying its efficiency" A circular
letter accompanied the call and sets forth
the matter in controversy. 1t quotes from
the proceedings of the Grand C~ommandery
of Nebraska, which appointed a special de-
tail of five in May of this year to prepare a
report on the proposition for changes to be
made by the Grand Commandery of Penn
sylvania, and, being adopted as the views
of the Iowa Grand Commandery, were
formulated by the latter body in five reso-
lutions as follows:
Resoircd, That the Grand Encampmert OF
knights Templar of the United States abandon
the system of centralized and exclusive power,
which it now maintains, and return to the gen
eral system devised by its founders.
ReS0Iued, That its constitution and code be re-
vised and so simplified as to include the general
principles, only leaving to Grand Commander
les the p~ower-whieh of right belongs to them
to Iegisiate upon all matters of detail.
ReSOiued, That the sovereign power be recOg-
nized as vested in the Grand Communicates,
and such general powers only in the Grand En-
campmant as may be expressly delegated to it.
Res0lUed, That under the general legislation of
the Grand Encampment Jurisdiction be vested
in Grand Communicates over subjects of uni
form, ritual and membership.
R'SO!tcf, That in order that the Grand En-
campmelt may in peace and quietness provide
! legislation necessary to carry out the foregoing
changes, it is in duty bound 10 positively pro-
hibit all parades and entertainments at the
time and place and when and where its con
claves shall be held.
Nebraska Commandery, assisted by one
OF its members, took up the fight against
the proposed change, simply because no
other C~ommandery saw fit to take the in
i~tietive. The question involved seems to
be what is known in politics as the Estate
rights problem, and according to one of
the Nebraska opponents of the proposed
changes, Knights-speaking in general
terms-are divided on about the same
| geographical lines as those which have
heretofore marked the dominance of politi-
cal parties, upholding State rights and
Capitalization respectively. The circular
issued by the Nebraska Commandery takes
very strong ground against the proposed
changes, claiming that their adoption would
accomplish the eventual d~isintegration of
the Grand Encampment.