The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-02-24
RIVAL FACTIONS OF THE REFORM
PRESS UNABLE TO GET TO-
GETIIER.
FOR A PEACE
BUT REJECTED BY THE MEN,
PHIS CROWD.
ORGANIZATION IN EXISTENCE.
Made President OF the Union
Reform Association.

KANSAS CITY, Mo-, Feb. 23.-The
Union Reform Press association was
brought into existence today. and
Grand Master Workman J. R. Sover-
eign, of the Knights of Labor, was
made it's president. This is the out
come of two days work by the halt
hundred Populist editors who refused
to recognize the right of President Paul
VanderVOort to call a meeting Of the
National Reform Press association at
Memphis, and who came here in re-
sponse to a call of National Secretary
Treasurer A. Roselle. Probably the
most interesting event of the day came
at the very close of the gathering
when the national secretary of the ex-
ecutive committee, j. A. Edgerton,
whose work in the meeting had been
most active, refused to subscribe to the
constitution of the new order. The
next annual meeting of the new asso-
citation will be held in Omaha a year
hence.
When the editors met this morning
the pending question was a motion to
name a committee Of five to treat with
the faction in session at Memphis.
The motion was withdrawn and a CON-
mittee of three named, who prepared
and forwarded a telegram proposing
terms Of peace which would make
possible a cooperation of silver forces
and at the same time prevent a split
in the Populist ranks. The meeting
adjourned to await a; reply.
At the afternoon session the reply
Of the Memphis convention was read
by j. A. Edgerton. It met with dis
aVor, and several speeches, the tenor
or which was regret that the Mem
ph1s people had chosen to evade the
question propounded, were made. A
reply asking for a more definite an
swer to the ~interrogatory p~ropounded
was sent, but no satisfactory answer
WaS received. Be-
At the evening session the work Of
the gathering was quickly brought to
a close by the adoption of the resolu-
tlons and the election by reclamation
of the following named officers: Pres
ident, j. R. Sovereign, grand master
workman Of the knights Of Labor, and
editor of the journal of hat order;
vice president, j. M. Gass. Des MOines.
iowa Farmers Tribune; secretary
treasurer, Warwick Sanders, Columbus
Neb., Argus.
One of the resolutions adopted was
as follows:
We hold ourselves in readiness to affiliate
and consolidate with the National Reform
CAl0 tldl dSSOCAdllOH
shows a disposition to indulge IN that spirit
OF federation and liberality which we accord
to them, and to this end we that
the executive committee of this body pace
itself IN communication with the constituted
authorities OF the National Reform associa-
uon and to take such other steps from time
to time as may be necessary to- accompIis
the desired end, subject to written approval
OF the majority Of the member of this as
ISOLATION.
The event of the two days meeting
came just before the final adoption Of
the resolutions, when Edgerton arose
and said he could not subscribe to the
constitution adopted earlier in the day.
Even at this time, he hoped, he said.
that 1t might be possible to reconsider
h action to organize a new associ-
ation Such action at this time seemed
to him unwise. He could not be a
party to any action which would tend
to disrupt the National Peoples party,
and he felt that the new organization
could not help but have such an effect.