The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-09-29
THE KNIGHTS OF LABOR.
Questions To Be Considered at Richmond
The Case of the Chicago Anarchists.

PITTsBURG, Sept 20. In speaking of the COM
ing General Assembly of the Knights of Labor,
which meets at Richmond Va, on Oct 4, ex-
Grand Secretary R. D. Layton, of this city, said
to-day that among the important questions to be
considered will be change in the basis of rep
resentation. The convention at Richmond will
be attended by possibly 500 delegates, who will
represent 900 members of the order Said
he: Gan effort will be made to establish basis
SO as 20 prevent the meeting of such an unwieldy
mass as will be present this year At present
the basis of representation is one to 900 mem
bers or a major fraction The districts should
be represented in the ratio of one to 5000 mem
bers. The members would then be as we'll rep
resented, and the business could be better and
more rapidly transacted than by the present
system. Another important question that will
receive more favor than at any previous
convention will be the necessity of organizing
by States At present the district and local as
semblies throughout the country throw an i'm.
mense amount of work into the office Of the gen.
eral secretary and treasurer, that could all be
done by giving the master workman of each
State enlarged powers and also making him
member of the general executive board. That
or something closely similar, will be adopted at
the conven ton. The convention must either de-
eide upon that plan, or the general executive
board must 0e enlarged and certain portions of
the work laid out for each member of the board.
he to attend to that territory directly. In regard
to strikes, the membership of the order is being
impressed with the idea that arbitration must be
their keynote, not only in theory but
in practice. Powderly will be the
general master workman as long
he wants it. and will accept the Office again. The
Home Club will plead rot guilty to the charges
that have been made against it. They have
voted against Powderly, but whether they will
continue to do so is a question. From my cor
respondence with Chicago members OF the
Knights of Labor, 1 am led to believe that the
question of the Anarchists who have been SEN
fenced to be hanged will be brought before the
convention by the delegation from that city. 1t
will be asked that the convention INQUIRE into
the business of the sentences These Anarchists
will have plenty of friends in the convention,
and their case will be advocated by men who are
not dynamiters and who do not believe in dyra-
mite. An effort will be made to secure an ex-
preston of sentiment in favor of these men,"
PHILADELPHIA, Sept 28-Messrs. William
Weihe. of Pittsburg; P j. Mcclure. of Cleve
land; Adolph Strasser, of Buffalo; Christopher
Evans, of Now Straitsville o. and p. j. Fitz-
patrick. of Cincinnati. comprising the standing
committee of the National and International
trades-unlons selected at the convention of that
body, held in this city in May last were in con-
ference here to-day with members of the gen.
eral executive board of the Knights of Labor.
The committee had presented to the General
Assembly of the nights of Labor, 1T Cleve-
land, the treaty proposed by the trades unions,
and the conference with the Knights of Labor
officials to-day was for the purpose of taking
steps towards securing some decisive action at
the hands of the forthcoming General Assembly
at Richmond. The committee received from
General Master Workman Powdery and the
other members of the executive board the most
positive assurances that they would use every
endeavor at Richmond to establish proper and
satisfactory relations with the trades-unous.
The committee this evening issued an address
TO the trades unions on the subject.