The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-08-31

ing this convention for aid. They
wanted this gathering to eradicate, IL
possible, the power Of injunction. TAX
ing fling at Miner Pat O'Neill, he
said Americans who advocated the use
or W1nchesters had no place in the
convention. Down our way" said Mr..
Ratchford, miners don't know how to
handle guns
James Hogan, formerly of the Amer
lean Railway union, and now repre-
senting the Social Democracy Of Chi
cago; General Brady, of Common
veal fame, and General Heineman,
Texas Populist, kept up the flow of
words until o'clock, when the con-
vention adjourned until tomorrow
morning at 8 o'clock, when the res
olutionS committee is expected to re-
port.
Less than 1000 people, among whom
were a large number of ladies, assem-
bled in Masonic hall tonight to listen
to the addresses by prominent labor
leaders brought to the city by the con-
ference. When it became known that
Eugene V. Debs, president of the So
cial Democracy, would not speak, there
were signs of indignant disapproval,
and loud cries for that noted leader
On the stage were a number OF the
most notable of the delegates to the
conference. among them being James
r. Sovereign, grand master workman
of the Knights of Labor; M. D. Ratch-
ford, president of the National Mine
Workers union; G. c. Clemens, the
PopuliSt leader, of Topeka, Kan; d.
Mahon, president of the Street Rail-
Waymen's association; John V. Lloyd
of Chicago, a representative of Debs
Social Democracy, and Frank Stephens,
of the Delaware Single Tax league.
Grand Master Workman Sovereign,
who presided. made an impassioned
address, in which he said that the Ia
boring men of this country are now
face to face with the last great prob
lem of civilization-their rights and
liberty of free speech. He predicted
that the conference would result in the:
issuance of an edict that would lead
to a new era of liberty to the laboring
classes of America. The presiding Of
ficer then called for Eugene V. Debs
and John F. Kelly announced that the
Social Democracy leader was busy
with the committee on resolutions and
could not attend the meeting. He
sent word, however, that, after the
presentation of the report OF the COM
mittee tomorrow morning, he would
make an expression Of his views on the
question before the conference. John
V. Lloyd of Chicago, spoke in his
stead. He said the injunction was the
last nail in the coffin Of freedom and
justice, and predicted that there would
never be an effective strike until every
wheel of industry in the country was
stopped. Among other speakers were
Frank Stevens, who said that the only
solution to the question was single tax;
NJ. D. Mahon, G.. G. Clemens, Owen
Miller and M. D. Ratchford, who was
the last on the programme.
The statement of Mr.. Sovereign that
the committee on resolutions had for
mulated a plan of action, was con-
troverted late by the assertion of an
other member of the committee that
no decision had been reached. The
committee was in truth just getting
ready to assemble at midnight to make
another attempt at settlement. '"The
committee is running away from the
ISSUE" said this member of the COM
mittee "And 1 am afraid the whole
thing will result in a f1asco. At any
rate there will be a minority report
represented with the majority. There
is some talk of government ownership
of mineral lands, but nothing has posi-
lively been determined upon"
At midnight the committee went into
session at the Laclede in an endeavor
to prepare something tangible to re-
port at tomorroW's meeting.