Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-08-10
KNIGHTS OF LABOR.
GENERAL SECRETARY TURNER VISIT.
ING RICHMOND.
Some Notes About the Convention Here
In October, and Sketches ofa
Few Delegates, &c.

Frederick Turner. Esq, General
Secretary and Treasurer OF the Knights
OF Labor, reached this city yesterday
morning and registered At the Exchange
Hotel. lie was accompanied by hi.
daughter, Miss Julia. His visit 70
Richmond was TO make some necesssr,
preparations for the meeting Of the Con.
yention Of the Order here 10 October.
The General Assembly, or General
Convention. as il is sometimes called,
will meet on the first week in October
Ii was believed that the First regiment
armory could be obtained for its ses-
sions, and that is really about the only
building in the city afiording the no.
cessary accommodations and con-
veniences for so large body, but IL
seems that il has been engaged for some
other purposes for part of October,
and last ishl MIR. Tarosr ana
se,nc oi tue kIchmond brethren wcrs
considering the next best hall TO be
procured. No doubt some arrange
msnt will be made that will give the
delegates agreeable quarters while they
are here, and they will be here for abou,
two weeks. There will bo present
about 900 delegates, and from three
TO four hundred other persons, in
cludipg Q large contingent Of newspaper
correspondents, will be attracted here
by the proceedings Of the body. All
Of its important sessions will be secret.
Mr.. Turner was on yesterday the re-
cipisnt of many attentions from officers
and members OF the order here. They
kept him, or he kept them, engaged oil
day and late into the night, excepting
some three or four hours in the after
noon, when he was out with some Of
them for o drive about the city.
A special telegram from Pittsburgh
says: "From leading knight Of Labor
it was learned to-day that movement
for O general revision Of the laws gov
erning the organization is on foot. The
question will be brought before the
Richmond Convention in October next.
1t is proposed to give Gene
raj Master w orkman Powderly the
additional privilege Of selecting the
members OF the General Executive
Board. 1t is also proposed to have q
Congress composed Of one member
from each State, with headquarters in
New York city, who would materially
lessen the work Of the General Execu-
tive Board"
SOME PHILADELPHIA DELEGATES.
The Philadelphis Press says: /" No
better or more interesting illustration
f the phenomenal growth Of the
Knights Of Labor IS an organlzatioh A
can be given than q comparison OF the
number of delegates sent to the Gene
raj Convention Of the order last fall
with the number that will be sent to
Richmond next October. In this city
the headquarters of the Organization
the knights of Labor have multiplied
rapidly. The delegate representation
of District Assembly No. l at
the Convention held at Ham,
iltCn, Ont, last October, was
six that of District No. 10 was three,
and that of District No. "a was one.
This year a delegation Of fifty, repre-
sentiDg 100 local assemblies, will raise
the cry Of On to Richmond in be-
half of that great army Of toilers en-
braced in District Assembly No l, esti-
mated to number 100000, while the
number of delegates from the Morocco
Workers District No. 81 will be
doubled, and two extra delegates will
be sent to represent the Philadelphia
branch Of the newly-formed National
Carpet Trade District Assembly, No.
l26.
"In the carpet and rug trade alone
there are between $4,000 and 10000
workers engaged as weavers, spinners,
spoilers, winders, sewers, twisters,
reelers, and burlers in the shoe trade
there are ten local assemblies, aggre-
eating q membership of 5000, and in the
morocco trade there are three local as
semblies, with constituency Of 5000.
These, with the toilers embraced in
District Assembly, No. l, mixed
trades, foot up q total OF l25,-
900 Knights Of Labor in this
city of 10000 inhabitants. AS
one delegate is allowed for every 1000
members in each district, these four
district assemblies are really entitled to
greater representation at the conven-
ton but vast proportion Of their
membership, and especially Of District
Assembly No. /, has been so recently
gathered in that their delegates are not
eligible to election. Among these are
the newly.formed assemblies Of tsilors,
engineers, brickmakers, German beam
workers, English beam-workers, dress
goods-trimmings workers, slate and
mantel-workers, besr-brewers and
drivers, masters, oak-coopers, and
car.driyers.
ITO what comprehensive army Of
toilers Philadelphia furnishes employ
ment a glance at the delegates shows.
Most of them, it is understood, are fa'
yorable to the reelection Of Frederick
Turner as general secretary-tressurer.
The three delegates from District AS
sembly No. 70 are said to be opposed
TO him but in favo- Of Powderly's re-
election as general master workman.
"Mr. Turner, although he is general
secretary treasurer Of the order, does
not attend the general conventions in
that capacity, but as 8 plain delegate
from District No. /. lie was formerly
by trade q gold-beater, but is now q
member of Cigsr-Mskers' Assembly
No. So, and delegate from that local.
lie is forty years old, and mas been a
member of the order half bis life. The
public are we'll acquainted with hin,
owing to bis prominence asgeneral secre'
tary-ueasurer and member Of the Gene
raj Executive Board. lie is now serv.
ing his third term in that position. Hs
presides over the general office Of the
order st 500 Locust street, and super
intends the multiplied affairs connected
with his post in q highly satisfac,ors
nsnner. lie succeeded SscrstEsy lay"
son at Cincinnati three years ago, and
appearances indicate that he will be re-
elected again at Richmond.