Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1889-12-19

sissippi; Il. II. Clover, Kansas; Mann Page,
H. barton, Of Oklahoma; 4. a. Manning,
Maryland; S. NJ. Adams, Alabama: j. ID. Hat
lima; D. K. Morris. south carolina; stump
| Ashby, Texas r. T.. Peck Indiana; Il. c. Betty,
Indian Territory; w. S. Morgan and A. s..
On Printing1L- L Polk, J.. q. MeDowell
ON Monetsry sSste@ a w. M "a sseds
Polk, w. s. Morgan, L. F. Livingstone and
On Land Interests-J. F. TiIlman, Tennes-
see; S. b. Erwin, b. j. Kendrick, j. A. Pets,
| Carolina Lyland of Arkansas; Harry Tracy,
| Texas; E. z. Mitchell, J. w. Rodgers.
No night session was held, many of the
farmers wished to attend the knights of La
Dor meeting at Central Turner Hall.
| Third Day.
ST. LOUIS, Dec. 6-The Farmers and La
| borers' Union closed their third days session
| last night
President Jones occupied the chair and
called the morning session to order at nine
| O'Clock. Committees were sent out, and
quite amount of routine work accom-
plished. a special committee, with Harry
Tracey, of Texas, as chairman, was appoint
| ed to confer with Messrs Powderly, Beau
mont and Wright in regard to cooperation
with the knights of Labor. This took up the
| time on the morning session, and adjourn
/ pent was announced to hsQ =. m.
| AFTERNOON SESSION.
! The afternoon session was given over en-
| tirely to the representatives OF the knights
| of Labor, who appeared to expouna the
| principles of their order and let the farmers
hear and know what they believed and were
| striving for. General Master Workman Pow
| derby was the first to address the body, an
was accorded generous applause. He began
| by reciting in a distinct, clear and concise
manner the history of the various labor
| movements that have sprung up in this coun-
| try. He reviewed the workings of the Ma.
tonal Labor Union, founded in 1859, and the
| National Union, which started just after the
warm 1866. He then came on down to the
| Industrial brotherhood, in 1866, and the
| Knights of Labor, organized in 1878, and
| its workings up to the present time He
| gave fOrcible description of the different
phases of the labor movement, the obstacles
| they had to contend in fighting for recogni-
| ton before the public, and also recognition
| in dealing with employers. In this review
| Mr.. POwderly showed that he was thorough
| ly cOnversant with all the information relat-
| ing to labor organizations for twenty five
years past. He touched but lightly on thc
| subject of cooperation between the Knights
| of Labor and the Farmers Ind Laborers'
| Union, but his remarks in this respect were
cautious and judicious, and the sentiments
| expressed were just the kind to
| please the farmers, evil
| denced by their frequent applause. Mr.
| POwderly told them that whatever the
Farmers and Laborers' Union was working
| for, he thought there would be trouble
| in having the knights join in in part, and, in
| fact he believed the Knights would go the
| entire programme with them. He did not
| come to ask the farmers to indorse any
| thing in the Knights of Labor platform that
| they deemed inconsistent with their views,
and on the other hand he didn't think the
| farmers would ask the Knights to indorse
| any thing contrary to their principles. But
| there was unequivOcally some great prin-
| ciples identical to both bodies, upon which
| both could unite, and with their
| in cd Str 10Th md inf hrip OH
| legislation that both classes desire.
| These questions identical with both
| bodies-Or, at least, some of them-were
| land ownership and taxes, transportation of
| products and financial matters. The knights,
| he hatteringly, but sincerely declared, are
| willing to aid the farmer in obtaining laws
! that Will allow Il proper remuneration for
| his labor and produce. The cooperation of
| the two organizations could be effected on
these lines by establishing a sort of trustee
ship, commission, composed of knights
| and farmers, who would have charge of all
matters of legislation agreed upon by both
| bodies. 1t might be called National execu-
| tive committee of knights and Farmers, who
| would look after legislation.
| General j. A. Weaver, of Iowa, appeared
on the platform in the afternoon, and made
| speech at some length, the main argument
| of which was confined to the great corpora
| tions. He said that the Constitution of the
| United States declared that the Government
| should control and regulate commerce, and
| that Daniel Webster in a speech in the Senate
| interpreted that to be three prominent fact
ors: "a Currency, which was a promoter of
commerce, and the Government could regu-
| late that. (2) Transportation of the products
of the country. (3) Transmission of intelli-
gence by the postal and telegraph systems.
Mr. Weaver said the Government had
| farmed out these great prerogatives which
| belonged to the people. The National cur
| rency had been farmed out to corporations
| called National banks. The transportation
| of products had been farmed out to great
|
| intelligence in the form of the telegraph was
| owned by one man virtually. The result was
| that the Government was nothing but bull.
| The first thing the people want to do is to re-
| gain the possession of these rights farmed
| out to corporations. When they have accom-
plished that they could then consider that
| the Government had been restored to the
people-where it belongs.
Mr.. Ralph Beaumont, of New York, and
| Mr.. A. NJ. Wright, of Toronto, Ont, members
| of the Knights of Labor committee, spoke
three quarters of an hour each knights
| of Labor primo iples.
"Stump" Ashby, of Texas, in his own witty
| way, replied Tor the farmers, and assured
| the knights that cooperation could no
doubt be effected.
| During the afternoon the National ALI
ance in IA body was admitted with a cordial
| greeting. No consolidation has yet been ef-
| fected. The matter comes up for considera-
| ton to- day. The joint committee of the two
| bodies decided upon plan like this: CEN
both bodies should be established to con-
tinue for a year, but work independently,
yet in line with the National Farmers and
| LabOrers' Union, and also work some
| specific questions not noticed at present by
| the Farmers and Laborers' Union. At the
end of the year if the States had ratified the
| consolidation proposition, then the Alliance
| would die and be merged into the Farmers
| and LabOrerS' Union.
The night session heard partial report Of
the committee on constitution. The Mer-
| chants Exchange sent an invitation for the
farmers to appoint committee of confer.
ence to improve Western waterways.
Fourth Day,
! ST. LOUIS, Dec. 7.-Yesterday's session of
| the Farmers and Laborers' Union convened
| at eight O'Clock, with President Jones in the
| chair. The entire forenoon was: occupied in
routine business, more particularly relating
| to the adjustment of the representation from
| the States to the National conventions, and
| to the report of the committee on constitu-
| ton. Both male and females are allowed to
| become members of the orycr, and both