St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-10-06
A Startling and Novel Proposition Laid
Before the Knights of
Labor.
The Order to Maintain a Congress
of Its Own at Wash
ington,
Which Shall Pass On All Acts
of the National Legis-
1ature.
The knights Secure Colored
Brother a Seat in n
Theater.
KNIGHTS ofLabor.

ODOnnell, with SaV6I ulduo from TILE
wood of an orange tree that grew on the
spot where Gen. Packenham was killed al
the battle of New Orleans. The presenta-
ton was made on behalf of New Orleans
Knights. 1t was learned that the commit
tee on credentials would not be ready to
report until 2 o'clock this after
noon. The convention then adj
ourned until that hour. Before the
delegates left the hall Mr.. Powderly
strongly urged them to avoid the use OF
strong drink when in Richmond. AS indi-
vidualS he SAID he had no right to dictate as
to what they should do, but they were not
here as individuals. but as representatives
of vast constituency. The eyes of the
world were upon them, and that constitu-
ency would be judged by their conduct.
When asked if colored guests should pre-
sent themselves at the tables where whites
were seated at the banquet what would be
done, a leading delegate replied that he eX-
pected no trouble in that way, but did not
suppose they would be prohibited from
doing so. He intended speaking to Mr..
Powderly on the subject in day or so.
He repeated that he expected no trouble.
The funds for the entertainment of guests
was raised by the local assemblies of Rich
mond, colored and white. The Knights
have separate assemblies and the cOlOred
Knights have contributed something more
than the whites to the entertainment fund.
The arrangements for Monday next include
a parade of the local assemblies and visiting
Knights. Mr.. Powderly, the executive COM
mittee and invited guests in carriages.
At the special session OF the general
assembly, Messrs. Beaumont, Mccarthy
and Campbell were appointed a committee
on legislation to go to Washington to watch
legislation in the interests of labor. Beau
mont was in Washington during the session
of congress, and shortly after adjournment
PREPARED A REPORT,
which was printed and circulated through
the assemblies of the Knights and the SUBJ
stance was made public through the press,
and Ralph Beaumont, chairman OF the
committee has prepared the following sup
Elementary report, which will be presented
at the present convention, and on which
action will be taken:
To the General Executive Board of the
Knights: Your national legislative COM
mfttee forwarded TO you within three days
after the adjournment of congress their re-
port, believing that the reader should be
made acquainted with the work accomplished
by the committee at the earliest possible
moment, and this, with the constant attention
to duty during the session, prevented your
committee from expressing in their report
any views that they might have formed dur
ing the time they were engaged in perform
ing their task in regard to any action that the
general assembly might see fit to take in the
future in the line of influencing legislation.
Your committee report that the day is at
hand when all may safely rely upon the
members of our order in sufficient numbers
to WELD great power to favor our interest.
That object can only be accomplished by
A SYSTEM OF EDUCATION
that will develop the highest knowledge upon
the measures that are constantly being
brought to the front in the legislative halls of
the nation and your committee found that
the most difficult task 1t had to perform was
to get at the true inwardness of measures
pending before congress. Several members
of congress informed your committee it was
next to an impossieility to get an honest and
fair bill through, either branch of the legiSla-
ture Your committee also find that mem
bers Of the order, and other wOrkingmen
lm general, are often led to indorsing
measures that are decidedly injurious to the
best interest OF themselves. Again, there is
no possible chance of educating the people
on these frauds by anything that is said
in congress, as those who have charge of
this class of legislation are, as a rule, the
most skilled tacticians In parliamentary de-
bate in the house, who succeeded in making
inc mousse ruleS SuCn us W eHdDIS CQem TO
smother debate on every possible pretext,
and a committee of three would be more than
human that would be able to
WATCH EVERY MEASURE.
of this nature and be able to counteract the
same Now, your committee is of the opinion
that in order 10 combat the corporate interest,
aided as 1t is by a subsidized press, that some
thing more than a committee is not only
needed but must be resorted to if we would
ba 10 IN h
stanty being enacted by our lawmakers, and
in view OF the opinion held by your commit
mittee they beg leave to refer the following
suggestions to be laid before the general as
sembly at Richmond on Oct. 4:
That this body establish congress of its
OWL at Washington during the rest of the
present session of the United States con-
gress period of 100 days, commencing Dec
l, 1886; this congress to consist of one dele
gate from each of the twenty-eight states,
they to be selected from the best speakers
and debaters in the order; they to be allowed
a compensation of SIS per day and be allowed
actual travelling expenses TO and from their
homes. They shall
ORGANIZE THE BODY
by electiug a speaker from their own num-
Der, and shall appoint the same number of
committees as now are appointed by the
United States house of representatives and
they shall be designated by the same titles.
This body shall be in session daily eight
hours per day, from 9 a. n. to p. m, with
one hour for dinner. This body shall as soon
as it is organized procure a copy of every bill
that is introduced into either branch
of the national legislature, and it
shall at once be referred to the
appropriate committee, and such committee
shall at once report the bill to the BODY with
such recommendations as it in its Judgment
may deem best, when it shall debate the
same, and if amended oy the body commit
tee shall at once be appointed to take the
bill in its amended form and present the same
to the committee of either branch that has it
under consideration, and request that
THE AMENDMENTS BE INSERTED.
in the bill. This body shall have clerk, as
sistant clerk and stenographer, also sar-
geant-at-arms and an assistant sergeant-at-
arms, one doorkeeper and an assistant door
keeper, all of which shall be members of the
order. The general executive board shall
levy an assessment pro rata on each member
OF the order to defray the expenses of this
body. There shall also be published by this
body daily record of its proceedings including
the debates and copy of the same furnished
to each labor assembly, and 1t shall be sold to
each member of the order and others at cost
This, in brief, is submitted to you as a sup
Elementary report of the committee. Your
committee is of the opinion that the cost of
maintaining such body for leo days would
nOC exceed 20 Genus per member, and that its
effect as an educator of the people would far
exceed that of the national legislature, as it
would be untrammeled by any partisan bias
1t would, in fact, be a
CONGRESS OF THE COMMON PEofLE,
what this nation has never seen before. and
the criticisms of the members of this body
upon the utterances of the members of the
other two houses be looked for by the wage
workers from one end of land to other. AS it
is now we are unrepresented in the halls of
legislation, as we are unable to compete with
the willy politician and thwart the unscrupu-
lous dealings of these men. The will
of the honest and well-meaning portion
of the people is thwarted. By this means we
would be able to show them and their WAYS
bare 20 the people. Your committee is of the
opinion that three months session of such a
congress would be the means of awakening
to new life the now sluggard apathy that ex-
lists among the people, threatening their lib
critics. All of which is most respectfully sub
mitted. RALPH BEAUMONT, Chairman.
J. ]. MCCARTNEY, Secretary.
This evening the delegates from District
No. 40, New York, sixty in number, with