The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-09-08
In The afternoon,
A r THE opening Of

II opening OF tfe afternoon
~ session the report of the COM
mittee on revision of the con-
stltution was submitted and taken up
Tor consideration section by section.
chairman Keller read the report and
also spoke frequently i'm defense Of
clauses that We're attacked
An attempt to make the conventions
Dl-ennial instead of annual was lost
by an overwhelming vote. The noes"
shook the chandeliers.
Delegate Klefner, of Omaha, wanted
to insert in the second section tho
words advisory board" for "execu-
tive board" in anticipation of the
adoption of a provision reorganizing
the list of officers and cutting off a
number of committeeman for the pur-
pose of saving expenses. on Mr., Fitz-
gerald's point of order the chair ruled
the motion premature.
Mr.. McFadden, of st. Louis, opposed
the provision allowing state and dis
trlct organizations a representative in
the convention. NIessrs. Curtin. of
Lynn, Mass; Maher and Lougheed, Of
Detroit, spoke for the retention of this
provision, arguing that through state
and district organizations the distant
cities and small towns had their only
means of securing representation.
Chairman Keller made a lengthy and
telling speech along the. same lines. He
also argued that it was a matter OF
protection for the national associ-
alton to bring the state and district
associations under it's jurisdiction. The
McFadden amendment was lost
Delegate O'Brien, of Cleveland, want.
ed forty instead of twenty made the
basis of representation. but the big
cities killed it. Secretary Cantwell
spoke in favor of the proposition argu-
ing that the conventions were becom-
ing too unwieldy. Sixteen to one is
the proper ratio" he remarked face
| tiOuSly. Kisses followed. Chairman
Keller of the committee on constitu-
tional revision. argued against cutting
down the basis of representation, as
| did also Messrs. Duffy, of Youngstown;
| Finnen, of Bloomington, and a number
of others. The vote in favor of re-
| tanning twenty as the basis OF repre-
| sentation was carried by another over
whelming majority.
When the article on "Ohicers and
| Elections" came up for adoption, Mr..
| Klefner. of Omaha, and his colleague,
Mr.. Mackey, made a fight to throw out
! the executive committee of five and
substitute for il an advisory board
composed of the president, secretary,
| treasurer and committee of three on
| legislation. Their purpose in this was
to save the expenses incurred by the
attendance of a large body at the meet
ings held between conventions and also
| at conventions.
Messrs. Fitzgerald and Kelly, of New
| York, and Graham, of Chicago, spoke
against this. characterizing it as false
| economy and a dangerous proceeding,
concentrating too much power, as was
claimed, in a few men and taking
away the only check the body at large
has on the salaried officers.
The Klefner proposition received only
! three votes. The clause as finally
adopted provides for president vice
tive board of five, legislative commit
tee of three, constitution and bylaws
committee of three, one vice president
from each state, and a civil service
committee of three The last named
committee was inserted on motion OF
Mr. Raedel, of Scranton.
The proposition to place all the money
in the general fund instead of puttinl
aside a third for the work Of the legis
lative committee was productive o.
lengthy debate. The committees idef
was To have the different department.
present an estimate of their expenses