St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-05-29
TREATY OF THE TRADES
The Unionists Present Their Address and
Articles Of Agreement to the
Knights Convention.
4 General Expression Of Good Will to the
Larger Assemblage Contained in
the Document.
F ears That Capitalists VIII Endeavor
to Pit the Two Organizations
Against Each Other.
SIX Assistants to Be Added to the
K. of l.. Executive Board.
The Candidates.

Six Assistants to Be Added to the
K. of l.. Executive Boards
The Candidates.
The Nnig hts Convention.
CLEVELAND, May 2S.-The chief SUBJ
ject discussed by the Knights of Labor and
by the members of the trades unions in the
hotel lobbies and on the streets during the
past few days has been the treaty that was
prepared at the Philadelphia conference of
trades union officers last week for presenta-
ton to the general assembly of the Knights
OF Labor. The address and the terms of
the treaty have never before been made
pubic. At the convention to-day the eX-
ecutve board of the Knights of Labor pre-
sented its report. embodying the address of
the trades unions and the terms on which
| they wished to settle existing troubles. The
address is as follows:
The officers of the national and interna-
tional trades unions desire to make the state
ment that they have no antagoniSm towards
the knights of Labor and believe that MS an
order 1t has legitimate standing in the labor
movement Of America. Through the deve-
| opment OF industry and the aggregation of
capital the tendency is to monopolize the
business OF the country. hence the various
trades have been affected by the introduction
or machinery, the subdivision of labor the
use OF woman's and chld's labor, and the
lack or an apprentice system, so that the
Skilled trades were rapidly sinking to the
level OF pauper labor. To protect the skilled
labor of America from being reduced to beg
gary, and to sustain the standard OF Ameri-
can workmanship and skill the trades unions
Oh America have been established They are
social necessity, and their past history
proves not only that they have been abenefit
in raising the
WAGES OF woRKMEN
and reducing the burdens of toll, but they
! have fulfilled the fraternal duty OF assisting
their members when unemployed and in sick
ness, when disabled by accident and old age
and provided for the widows and orphans of
| their deceased brothers. Consequently the
trades unions have become fixed and per-
| manent institution in America, not antagon-
istic to the welfare of the country, but calcu-
| lated to bring all branches of labor to higher
| degree OF citizenship and larger share of
social comfort. For this principle the
thoughtful and far-seeing men of various
| crafts have founded unions of their respect
| i've trades, and to maintain their trades
| unions the members have sacrificed countless
| time and money and where at first many pre-
dicted their complete failure, time has proven
not only their usefulness, but has
demonstrated that they are destined
to fulfill a higher mission, and their
|
lectual development OF their members. When
they are founded on such grounds there need
be no fears of their destruction, nor need
there be any antagonism between them and
the Knights of Labor. Of late our greatest
| fears have not been that the knights of Labor
would destroy the trades unions, but that the
capitalists of the country, would use every
opportunity to pit one form of organization
| against the other and in the conflict destroy
both. Within the past year the national and
international trades unions have
GROWN WITH GREAT STRIDES.
For example we will cite few instances.
The international typographical union has
gained 9,642 members; the cigarmakers inter-
national union I, 101; brotherhood of carpen-
tiers and ioiners. Is. 4sl: national bakers un-
ion, 1854; International bricklayers ana
masons, 9,57S; furniture workers, g. 633; ANAL
gamated iron and steel workers, $3.50; iron
molders. IL, 400; granite cutters, 3,622; Gus
tom tailors, 2.541; coal miners $4,000. Out of
| the twenty-five national aud international I'M
ions represented in the Philadelphia confer
ence, and the fourteen additional national
and international unions that Endorsed its
work, only Lime of the chief officers are saaried
and their salaries range from Sl2 to $40 per
| week, the balance OF the officers deyotinp
themselves to their duties without salaries
| The trades unions are economically managed
| and the most rigid accountability is
eXacted from their officers in all financial and
|
| the most sacred obligations to promote the
interests of their respective unions, the chief
! officers felt it was their duty to attend the
Philadelphia conference, and the results of
| that conference are such that for the future
| there are no doubts that the trade unions of
America will not only grow but become
fixed institution. The treaty itself of course
| is the most important part of the work, aud is
the bone of contention, for if its terms are
agreed to by the Knights of Labor it will
work radical changes in the management and
organization of local assemblies
THE TREATY is AS FOLLOWS:
First---That in any branch of labor having
a national or international organization, the
Knights of Labor shall not initiate any per-
son or form any assembly of persons follow
ing said organized craft or calling without
the consent of the nearest national or inter-
national union affected.
Secondhand no person shall be admitted
TO the Knights of Labor who works for less
| than the regular scale of wages fixed by the
union of his craft, and none shall be ad-
mtted to membership in the Knights of
Labor who have ever been convicted of
scabbing, rafting, embezzlement or any other
offense against the union of his trade or call
ing until eXonerated by the same
Third-That the charter of any < of l..
| assembly of any trade having q national or
international union shall be revoked and the
members OF the same be requested to join
mixed assembly or form a local union under
the jurisdiction of their respective nation al
or international trades unions.
Fourth-That any organizer of the Knight
of Labor who endeavors to induce trades un :
ions to disband Or hampers with their privi-
legcS shall have his commission forthwith
revoked.
Fifth-That whenever a strike or lockout of
any trades union is in progress no assembly
or district assembly of the Knights Of Labor
shall interfere until settled to the satisfaction
of the
| TRADES UNION AFFECTED.
SiXth-That the Knights of Labor sh all
not establish nor issue any trade mark or
label now issued or that may hereafter be is
| sued by any national or international trad eS
| union.
| The general assembly of the Knights of
Labor settled down to hard work this
morning and held two sessions to-day,
business being transacted on the eight hour
| plan, from to 10 o'clock in the morning
and 2 to o'clock i'll the afternoon. After
the opening of preliminaries the committee
on laws presented their report, the first
| proposition of which was substantially that
the executive board of the knights of Labor
be increased from five to eleven members,
or that six assistants be appointed to help
the present board. Under the constitution
no more than five members are permitted
and the scheme Of having assistants is for
| lllo purpose iHciciy VI oNdCllS Cle cOllSIitu-
| ton. After an hours discussion the propo-
sition was adopted without change. The
| six new members, or assistants, will be
elected by ballot similarly to the other
| officers, and those elected at the present
convention will serve during the unexpired
year that ends in October. A resolution
was carried that gave the grand master
workman the authority to
RECALL THE CONFESSIONS
of every organizer in the order The sub
| iect of appointing competent organizers
and the means to be taken for their seec-
ton, was being discussed when the noon
recess occurred. The convention reas-
sembled at o'clock and continued the
discussion on the report of the committee
on laws. A dispatch was read from Joseph
l.. Riel. dated Washington, saying that
man had appeared in that city. announc-