St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-11-15
LABOR KNIGHTS GROWING.
ANNUAL CONVENTION or the GREAT
ORDER ~ FIJI La0ELPHiA.
PowDERLY,s YEARLY REPORT
He Denies That the Knights Are
Consp iring With the Catholic
Church to Subvert the Govern
ment-The National Guard a
Standing Army That Should
Be Abolished.

PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 1.-THE sew
enteenth annual convention of the
knights of Labor met at Industrial
hail, this city, at 1880 o'clock this
morning. Nothing but routine business
was transacted during the morning
session. DR.. A. FL. P. Leuf, master
workman of Kansas Assembly No. l,
Phila delphia, delivered an address of
welcome. To this Mr.. Powderly re-
sponded briefly, maifesting his pleas
ure at being received by the local head
OF the order, referring pleasantly to
Philadelphia as the city that gave birth
10 independence and to the organization
OF the knights. The committee on Gre
dentIais tneD reported, and discussion
ON the matters brought up by them con-
sumed the entire morning. There was
some difference of opinion about the
acceptance of the credentials of half
dozen from isolated districts made up of
local unattached unions, but all were
finally favorably passed upon. When
the credentials were disposed of the as
sembly got ready for business.
The entire afternoon session was de
voted to hearing the report OF General
Master Workman Powderly. Two and
one-half hours were consumed in read
in the document. and at its conclusion
Mr.. Powderly received applause. The
report denied that the order was retro
grading, and asserted that the reader
was in possession of statistics to show
that the organization was prosperous.
1t denied emphatically that the Knights
OF Labor, or its chief, is cOnSpiring
with the heads of the Catholic church in
this country to Subvert the national gov
ernment. lteXtoss Pope Leo XIII. aud
says that even those who belong to no
church will say that no better friend to
humanity ever occupied the papal
chair. 1t characteriZes the state ma
tionai guard as a standing army, and
says that the militia Is drain upon the
workingmen and friend to the cap
italiSt i'll time of trouble. 1t also urges
that the movement to establish colo
MES in the South be pushed forward.
MIR. Powderly says very little upon
the subject of immigration except
to deplOre their settlement in the large
cities of the East. The report fayors a
trinity of money, gold, silver and paper,
and is in favor of silver coinage in the
ratio of Ii TO l. 1t concludes with a
statement that there is no doubt but
that the action of the Kni ghts of Labor
in demanding the repeal of the Sherman
act had great influence. There was
nothing in the proceedings to indicate
that tine convention will be marked by
any of the bitter personalities anticl-
pated.
Prior to the opening of the general
assembly Knights of Labor at Indus
trial hail this morning. Mr.. PowderIy
took occasion to emphatically deny that
this would be the last convention of the
order, and that there was a scheme 10
disrupt it. The article alleged that
Powderly and two or three other MEM
bers of the general executive board
were IN conspiracy to break up the
order and gain control OF its property,
including the 500 of the headquar-
tiers, S130,000 worth of coal lands in In
diana and Sl50,000 worth of real estate
in New York.
1.-The story is absolutely false" said
Mr.. Powderly; ''there Will Gel tainiy be
motion to adjourn without Il day for
future meeting, but not with view to
the disruption of the order.
'Other orders, otablY the i merican
Federation Of Labor, which meets Dec.
70, will take similar action. 1t will
then confer with the leaders of these
orders and agree upon common day
and place for meeting of all these Or
derS. Each order will have its individ-
ual meetings and retain its autonomy.
But, meeting at common place and
date, the delegates Of these various Or
ders will run against each other, and,
learning that their aims and ends are
similar, the result will be unanimous
action in many things where we now
disagree