Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1888-11-23
ONE SECRETS LEAK OUT

INDIANAPOLIS, Nov. 22.-Soon after the
general assembly Of the Knights of La
Dor convened Mr.. LitchHfan took the
floor and denied that he had conniyed
with anybody to Illegally break up the
Saginaw 9districtss assembly, as Barry
charges. AT the time referred to there
were only four local assemblies attached
to that district; as five was the min
!mum number constituting a district as
sembly, he could not have done other
wise thar revoke the charter.
After Mr.. Litchman had about con-
cluded his statement, Delegate Crowell,
"a clerk in the general Office at Philadel-
phia, created a sensation by tatis5 the
tioor and telling q story very different
from that of Litclnan. He said that
he was told tedeniand the return of the
~assSzlpiy's charter. As they came TO
him there appeared to be but four locals
In the DISTRICT but upon investigation
he found that there were seven This
agrees with Barry's statement. Mr..
Crowell called the attention Of the chief
clerk, Mr.. Rowland, to his discovery,
but he gave 1T no heed and told him to
go. ahead and suspend the assembly.
This led to q cross-flre of questions
from LitchmaH and answers from Grow
ell, who made the delegates acquainted
with some secrets concerning the internal
| affairs of the order. There was an eff
fort to rap Crowell down, but he would
not obey, and amid great confusion it
was moved that IL committee of three be
appointed to go to Philadelphia and in
yestigate every charge that had been
made against the general officers. The
delegates became almost unmanageable,
and a dozen resolutions and amendments
were offered in half as many minutes.
Finally Delegate Lewis, master work.
man of the district assembly comprising
the miners, Organization, moved I. nj 3
committee of three besappointed, whose
duty IL should be to telegraph at once te
some reputable attorney in Philadelphia
instructing him to Immediately take
charge of all the effects. OF the order a.
the headquarters, including all book
and papers, and hold the same until the
investigating committee could reach cha
city. This resolution, in the nature d
an amendment to Crowell's, was de
feated,
The proposition to appoint an investi
eating committee was carried by almos
a two-thirds majority. The committed
was instructedlto make a thorough in
-quiry as to the business methods that
have prevailed at "Poverty's Palace a.
it is ~called-the orders headquarters.
There was long debate leading to confu
sion D fresoluti0ns and amendments al
to the manner of selecting the commit
tee. Powderly has that power, but TIL
delegates wantedfto take lit away from
him, and when the assembly adjourned
the question-was no nearer n settlement
than when at first preached.
Atthe beginning Of the afternoon ses
sionaIlewis submitted, through the com
mittee on the state of the order, a dou
b~le-headed1 resolution providing ,hatth
1chartersa of all trades assemblies be re
yekedi and that a~YscDlnmittee of five b
a~ppointedato attend the annual ssessior
of the Federation of Trades. to conven
at St. Louis Dec. s, and make overture
for the amalgamation of the Knights O
Labortwith the Federation. The CON
mittee presenting reports thereon rec
commended that the first proposition b
not concurred in, and to the great SUI
prise of the general assembly advise,
the passage of the second. The first rec
concentration WAS adopted by about
two-thirds majority. and then there was
halt to consider the other. The repor
called for q speech from Powderly. III
was surprised, he said, that the commit
tee should submit such a report. III
had for a long time been looking to fl
tura cooperation with the Federation q
Trades, but urged the inadvisabilit c
the Knights making overtures for a
amalgamati0n. Such q step would te
the world that the Knights could u
longer maintain an organization of the
own, and were DESTROYS of being take
under the protecting win OF some othe
order. When the vote was taken the al
sembly refused to adopt the report I
the committee. The Skeifington appe,
case was then considered during the res
of the afternoon.