The Washington times., 1895-06-23
nISTRICT ASSEMBLY,

The attendance Of delegates at the weekly
meetings of the District Assembly of the
Knights of Labor. like that of tie Fedora
tion OF Labor, continues to be good and
shows no falling off on account of the hot
weather.
The meeting of last Thursday evening
was no exception to the rule, for the at
tendance was even larger than usual. The
cause for this, however, was that mat
ter Of great interest TO the local assem-
blies was to be decided. The case at issue
was that OF u proposition to reduce the
per capita tax to the assistance fund OF
the District Assembly. This fund was
created for the purpose OF rendering aid
to members of the order when unjust iID-
positions were imposed upon them, but
to be used more especially i'll the event
of strikes or lockouts.
The harmonious relations at present ex-
listing, together with sInicable adjust
ment OF differences between the organi-
cations and employees for several years,
and the safeguards thrown around the
fund 10 prevent il from being used for
other than its legitimate purposes, has
had the effect of building it up till it
has now reached upward OF $50, 600.
as a neat little sum is also accumulating
from the interest, the proposition met
with considerable opposition at Thursday
nights meeting. The debate lasted sew
eral hours. The opposers TO the PROPOSE
tion viewed with alarm any reduction of
the tax, which, they stated, was but five
cents per month per capita and hardly
felt by the organizations. Those that
favored the reduction were of the opin-
ion that with the present standing OF the
fund the tax could be safely lowered TO
cents per month The heavy taxation
borne by the locals was, they claimed,
a bar which prevented many from join
ing the order and drove them into organi-
cations that We're not encountered with
this tax.
Again, it was argued that IL the tax
We're lowered and the emergency arose,
il could easily be put back to the present
rate On the other hand, the difference
between the present rate and the one
proposed was but 3 cents per month. which
was so small that as an inducement 1t
could have but little effect.
The opinion expressed that cheap or
EaniZations with 10 funds at their COM
mand stood helpless against oppression
and could easily lie starved into submis-
sion, as the experiences OF the past fur
nished many instances. But oppressors
would move very cautiously against an
organization known to be well flnan-
cialIy fortified AS 10 raising the rate
Of taxation when emergencies arose, 1t
would then be too late, and would be
dangerous experiment.
the Assistance Fund" was the very back
bone of the order in this District, and that
if the existence of the fund and the pur-
pose for which il was intended was more
widely known that il would be q far
greater inducement for those outside the
order TO join, than the lowering OF tise dues
three cents per month could possibly have
The proposition was then put to the
meeting for action and resulted in
ma jority for the negative.
District Master Workman SSimmons read
| a letter containing a requestfor the District
Organizer TO confer with number ofclerks,
who Were DESTROYS of organizing Clerks
Assembly. The request was referred TO the
| organizer.
Letter was also read from the superin-
tendeut of the public schools. extending
an invitation to visit the exhibition of the
manual training work OF the schools, at
the Manual Training School, 623 Q street
! northwest, on Saturday, June %. TIE
| invitation was accepted and the District
VIII be represented.
The master workman then called atten-
tionto theinterest sbeiug manifested by
leading citizens in the proposed Labor
| Bureau TO be established By the labor
| organizations of thiscity. Themasterw work
man further stated that in an interview
/ with Hon. C. G. Conn, of the Washington
/ Times, he had been asked to explain the
plan OF the proposed bureau, which he had
! done; he had then been aSkct. If the bureau
was only for the knights OF Labor; he had
| replied that the Knights of Labor was
not founded on seIfishness, and though
the plan had originated in the Knights
| il was intended for all organizations alike.
"If that's the case" said Mr.. Conn, If
Won viii accept of il, you can put my name
| down for one hundred dollars and you shall
have my earnest cooperation in assistance
| in establishing such worthy institution.
This announcement was received with
applause by the delegates and the offer
accepted.
The secretary was then on motion in
structed to convey to MIR. Conn, under
seal of the District, the appreciation OF
/ his offer.
All of the organizations that had held
| meetings during the past week reported
| that the recommendation Of the central
committee on Labor Day celebration to
have a parade had been indorsed and that
committees had been appointed TO meet the
! central committee in conference to ar
| range details.
| The Bakers Assembly reported that the
| election OF officers of that assembly had
| taken place at their last meeting, with
the result that a competent set of officers
| had been elected.
Carpenters reported that Eisman Bros,
| clothiers, on Seventh street were going to
| have extensive improvements made on
| their store, and that the firm had ex-
! pressed a desire to have the work done by
| union labor
Plate Printers reported several initia-
! tions at their last meeting, also that a
| conference would be held during next
week with the printers in the bureau not
| connected with the assembly.
| The executive committee reported that
the Evening News Company had signed an
| agreement with the joint committee of
| the District and the Federation to employ
| strictly union labor. The agreement was
| accepted and the recommendation OF the
| Federation to take that journal off the
unfair list was concurred in, aud the
| agreement ordered to be recorded on the
! minutes.
The violation of the eight hour law by
| n contractor at Fortress Monroe was
| reported and referred to the violation COM
mittee.
The attention of the delegates was called
to the prize fights at Kernan's Theater
! and the other variety performances of
| that theater and severely commented upon.
| The opinion of the delegates was that the
| exhibitions were clearly a violation of
police regulations, and that their contn-
uance did not reflect much credit to the
police department of this city. The au-
| diences coming out of that establishment
had been closely watched of late, and it
| had been noticed that they were COM
posed principally OF young boys in the
teens, and in some cases even younger than
that.
Mcuh surprise was expressed that Mr
| Howard in his work, ''If Christ came to
| Congress" should have left unmentioDed
! Kernau's Theat in his category of the city
for the hedelegatesth thought that the institution
| could hold its own with anything pictured
in that book.
The District Assembly will take hold of
this affair and endeavor to get the matter
| investigated by the courts. During the
debate much praise was given to The Times
/ L..