Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-07-01
! N L Dor CIRCLE S
A Mass Meeting to Discuss Debs' Impris-
sonment.
General Master Workman Sovereign
Hard at WOrIx-Mr. Martin Re-
turns From the West.

A mass meeting under the auspices of
the Federation of Labor is to be held to-
morrow night at Plasterers' Hall for the
purpose of giving expression to the views
Of members of organized labor in reference
to the Imprisonment of Eugene v. Debs.
An effort will be made to have this consti-
tute the initial of an agitation which shall
result in securing the passage by the next
Congress of law defining the rights of
workingmen and abolishing government by
Injunction. Prominent members of the
federation here say they think that organ
lied labor located at the national capital
should sound the keynote of the legislation
which it is proposed to ask for by giving
expression to its honest convictions.
General Master Workman James r. Sow
ereign of the Knights of Labor, who, as
stated in Saturdays Star, reached this city
that morning, again at the X. of L.
headquarters today, where he was seen by
representative Of The Star. Mr.. Sover-
eign said he had received an invitation 10
attend the Debs meeting to be held in
Washington tomorrow night, and If he is
in the city he will probably attend it, but
it is more than likely he will find it neces-
sary to leave for New York in the mean
time.
Mr. Sovereign still seems very much
fatigued, but he was today up to his eyes
in business. and when a Star reporter saw
him was engaged in debating replies to
accumulated and awaited disposition.
Mr.. Martin Returns.
Mr.. Henry B. Martin. member of the
executive board of the K. of L., and who
has general charge of the publication Of
the official journal of the order, reached
Washington today from brief visit to his
family in Minneapolis, MINI. While en-
route to his home Mr.. Martin went to
Evansville, IND, where he assisted in re-
organizing National Trades Assembly, No.
135, Knights of Labor, assemblies of coal
miners, in pursuance of a call issued by
the general executive board on the order
of the general assembly of New Orleans,
1894
Mr.. Martin said today that there were
present at the Evansville meeting a thor
oughly representative body of delegates,
who came from the principal coal mining
centers, and the sentiment was unanimous
land enthusiastic for standing by the
Knights of Labor, plain and straight, with
out any side shows attached. such as had
virtually ruined the United Mine Workers
organization, and made it a mere cats-paw
for few designing men.
The feeling of all the delegates" said
Mr.. Martin, "aEd of the eighty local as
semblies represented, was that the United
Mine Workers of America was a thing of
the past so far as any usefulness or pro-
lection to the working miners of the
United States was concerned, and that the
only hope of the rank and file of the 4OO,-
600 coal miners for the defense of their in
dustrial freedom and the securing of a
decent return for their work lay in or
ganizing under the banner of the Knights
of Labor"
In the West.
Speaking Of another phase of his trip,
Mr.. Martin said: II found that between
New York and the Mississippi river times
have improved recently. but that west of
the river the laboring people are still hav-
ing very tough time to get along. In
Minneapolis, for instance, where there is a
great lumber trade. the lumbermen have
put down the wages of their workmen but
have put up the price of lumber. In Min
Eesota, Wisconsin, Nebraska and the two
Dakotas, in all of which the X. of l.. is
very strong, the members are taking a
great interest in politics, and are really
talking more about parties than they are
about the industrial trades. The great
majority of our members are in sympathy
with the populist party. and would vote for
the candidate of that party if there was to
be an election held this fall but as this is
an off year in politics in most of the states
named the influence of the K of l.. there
Will not be felt so perceptibly as it would
be were 1t otherwise the ease.
In reference to the money question 1t
should be remembered" said Mr. Martin,
that the X of l.. in the west not only
want more silver, but they also want an
additional issue of United States treasury
notes which is the best money in the
world"