Omaha daily bee., 1889-07-14

ton county as separate jurisdiction.
The facts in the matter are as follows: For
several years the lodges in Cincinnati, or
Hamilton county, have been admitting to
membership in their bodies, class of people
who are addicted to the use of Intoxicating
liquors, which is directly contrary to he
laws of the supreme and sub Innate lodges
and against the repeated WARNINGS OF the
supreme lodge. AS a consequence, the de tth
rate has been abnOrmally high Tne maxi
mum limit of assessment in u Q Ono j. is
diction is thirty per year. hut i'll the Ham
ton county district, the death rate was W
ty-four in 1883, and naJ e. "a Z
number for four or five " ar prev o : y.
The result has bee that the Ohio jur.-Gic-
tion has been calling upon the suprene lodge
relief board for assistance under the law
which provides thai all assess nants over the
limit fixed by the snprem ode shall be
paid by an assessment upon all 1m s1ictit ms
of the order.
A resolution was finally referred to the
relief board instructlpg 1t to consider the
propriety of applying the principles upon
which the maximum rates is computed, to
different sections of the same jurisdiction"
After due consideration, the board recon-
mended that the laws be amended so as to
protect different sections of the same juris-
diction "from the injurious results of an eX-
cessive cost ewing TO a continuous excessive
mortality in one or more sections" " and to
guard IL from loss of membership in healthy
sections in consequence Of such excessive
cost, and providing that any jurisdiction may
be subdlvided into not more than four dis
tricts by the supreme lodge at any stated
meeting.
The report of the relief board was adopted
and the laws were so amended by vote OF
PSI ayes and 81 nays.
A resolution was then introduced, declar-
ing it to pe for the good of the order that the
jurisdiction of Ohio be subdivided into two
districts, one to consist of the lodges and
1ka,,c and hn n hnI
to comprise the remainder of the jurisdc-
ton. The rate of assessment in the two
districts was fxod rs follows: In the Ham,
iltoE county district, So; in the other dis
trict, 2S.
This resolution was adopted by the follow
ing vote: Ayes 224, nays 65.
1t was stated in the supreme lodge that
| this action would have a tendency to
strengthen tho order outside OF Hamilton
| county, and the hope was expressed that 1t
| would result in wedding out the undesirable
| material in Hamilton county.
The rate of assessment in this district is
| now liked at 30 per annnm, and even this is
| not in any way extortlOnate, as 1t represents
| an assessment on u policy of 5000. The
| assessment rate IN the balance OF the juris-
| diGtun is lowered to % per annum, which
! viii undoubtedly result IN healthy growth
in that section.
| In this connection, the following communi
| cation ON the subject will bear reading:
| OMAHA, July l2.--TO the Editor of THr
! BEE: An article appeared on Thursday In
| the Omaha World, purporting to be q
! Especial" from Cincinnati, to the effect tina,
! the a. o. u. w. was in danger of disruption
! or account of Hamilton county, Ohio Gin
| which Cincinnati is situated), having been
! cut of and made a jurisdiction by itself.
| Now let us have the truth of this matter.
| The supreme lodge A. o. u. w. at its last
session, after long and serious dis
cussion, came to the conclusion
persisted in by the Cincinnati lodges Of tax
ing in undesirable material, ana they haven
| neglected several warnings on the subj 5ct
| Hamilton county should be made pay tor IL,
own inaiscretion1and its own losses. This
instead OF being an injury to the order, II
really tho strongest point that can be nrgeG
in it's favor. The laws Of the order are dis
tinct and specific as TO who shall be admitted
TO membership. and II any one city or dis
trict persists in willfully disobeying and dis
regarding such laws, surely it Is but just tina
they should pay the penalty. The fact i
that the whisky element unfortunately in tn
past obtained control in Hamilton county
and IL is now one of the strong points OF tn
A. o. u. w. that anyone engaged In tn
liquor business is ineligible to membership
in the order II IS, however, almost impossi
BILE TO get rid Of member as long as he CON
tinues TO keep himself In good standing an,
| the saloon element in that couhty is MAXIM
| tho most Of this condition Of affairs.
HENRY CREIGHTOa.
The A. o. U. w. in Iowa.
| To the Editor of THH BEE: The low