Daily Kennebec journal., 1899-07-15
MILWAUKEE NEXT.
Convention Of Labor Commits
sioners Selects That City.
The Closing Day in Augusta. Friday
Has a Long Session.
Reports by Every Commissioner and Three
Addresses Compose the Programme.

Another session of the national con-
and the greater number of the mem
bers have gone TO their homes or at
least are headed that way from Au-
gusta. 1t was a grand good meeting
and the largest in the history of the
institution, even though this was the
18th annual. The commissioners all
came loaded with ideas and with room
in their heads to carry away others
that might be flying about the room
they started that part of the vacuum
in their heads was filled, and that is
enough good to compensate for some of
the trouble to which they went in COM
ing to the Pine Tree State.
AS Commissioner Pixey. the man who
so resembles in action and appearance
Hon. a. l. Brown of Maine, said be
fore parting, it was mighty good
looking set of men and he wished their
pictures to be published in the report
of the proceedings. He said they
would not come to st. Louis to see him,
pictures where he could look at them.
His remarks about St. Louis were
of the commission on nominations.
which nominated Milwaukee as the
accepted, Milwaukee being the place
selected for 1900. Mr.. Pixey remarked
that Milwaukee might have its advan-
tages. though. as he understood all
conventions liked to sit there on ac
count of the large breweres that they
felt it their duty to visit.
Probably the second day was filled
with greater results for the commits
sioners than the first The session was
certainly long enough to suit them.
President Wrght's gavel fell promptly
at O'Clock and it did not fall. when
the convention adjourned sine die un
til l15 in the afternoon. 1t was made
one session so that the members could
have a time for rest after lunch before
taking the. 3.52 train for Portland
where some remained to see the war
ships, and others had To go toward
home with all speed
The first work of Friday was the re-
ports of the various department heads
on the work that their departments are
doing in the way of preparing interest
ing and valuable matter for the people
of their states and for the Union to use.
as they not only showed the wide scope
| of the work but they showed the esti-
nation of the state in which they live,
Of the value Of the work. Probably the
leading state in this respect is Michi-
| gan where the genial Commissioner
| Cox, he of the inventive frame of mind
who built the printing press that is in
use in many of the great newspaper
| offices in the country, has succeeded in
securing an aggregate appropriation OF
about $25, 900 for the department work.
Virginia provides the sum total OF $2ooo
pays the salary of the commissioners
and for all the expenses of the depart
ment. including the printing 1t may be
remarked however that Virginia is the
baby of the convention having but last
year decided to know something Oh
what is going on within her borders.
The other interesting features of the
day were the addresses by Cen j. w
Latta of Pennsylvania, Hon. l.. q
Powers of Minnesota, and Hon. Carol
c. Wright.
one amusing little incident occurred
in connection with Gen. Latta ;
scholarly address. He quoted the pas
sage in the Scripture relating to the
command to earn thy bread by the
sweat Of thy brow" The irrepressiblt
commissioner from Missouri said h'
could not allow this to go. He said tina
in the West it was the custom to mod
ernize the Scriptures somewhat. and III
would like Gen. Latta to consent L
have the Scripture read, Thou shall
} earn thy bread by the sweat or IN!
d. face" The latter day meaning
> earning a living, he said, was more ID.
) the face than by the brow. Gen. Latt'
would not accept the amendment, s.
the Missouri gentleman allowed IT I
mass after censuring the Pennsylvania
somewhat.
At Thursdays session, Presiden
Wright had reported for the Unite
States bureau of statistics that it wa
y at work on the gas and electric lgh
nlants. that the strike record was be
ing traced to date. labor arbitratio
; and statistics regarding municipalitie
IL were also being gathered. At the sam
y time. Commissioner Clark said fo
Pennsylvania he was compiling stats