Omaha daily bee., 1889-08-04

manner or from issuing any eUlct circular,
letter. communication, publication, or making
any oral declaration or taking any action
seeking in any form or degree TO enforce the
action Of the grand lodge so far as the same
affects the grand consistory above men
toned, or any of its subordinate bodies, or
its or their members, or any person seeking
or desiring to become q member thereof,
until the further order OF the court in the
premises.
A Circular From Judge German.
Judge John J. German, Of New York, SOW
ereign grand commander of the Ancient and
Accepted Scottish Rite for the United
States, their territories and dependencies,
has issued a circular bearing upon the action
of the Iowa grand lodge of masons at its last
session relative to the Scottish Rite bodies
in that state. The following is a brief syn
opsis:
l have had placed in my hands copy of
pamphlet which Is an extract of the pro-
ceedings of the grand lodge.
A committee of the grand lodge, to whom
the matter was referred, reported as follows;
1--WE are not called upon, neither do we as
sumo to determine, the legitimacy of either
of the Ancient and Accepted Rite bodies now
occupying the territorial jurisdiction OF the
state of Iowa"
The grand lodge in the face of this re-
port passed a series of resolutions, the first
of which recognizes the southern jurisdiction
supreme council as legitimate and says it is
now entitled to exclusive jurisdiction in the
state of Iowa. BY their second resolution
they refuse to recognize the supreme council
of the United states their territories, etc, as
legitimate and it's consistories or other SUBJ
ordinate bodies the right to occupy the 1ur-
isdicton of the state of Iowa.
The grand lodge has no right or power to
grant, or refuse to grant, permission to any
Scottish Rite body to confer Scottish Rite
degrees from the fourth to the thirty-third
inclusive AS well might they take upon
themselves the right TO permit, or refuse to
permit, Master Masons of Iowa joining or
organizing bodies Of the Mystic Shrine,
knights of Pythias or Odd Fellows, etc.
Therefore, the third and fourth resolutions
adopted by them is usurping a power over
which they have no control.
The committee report that the grand lodge
of Iowa adopted resolution in 1852 and re-
affirmed it in 1866, and further report that in
1888 it was the unwritten law of the grand
lodge, aud as such is still in full force and
effect as follows:
Resolution of 1852: "The grand lodge Of
Iowa recognizes the superior bodies in the
United States and foreign countries, having
in charge Masonic degrees, as the supreme
councils of the ancient and accepted rite and
the consistories, the general grand chapter
and the grand encampment and their con-
stituent bodies, grand and subordinate, etc"
While it is preposterOus and ridiculous for
sons of Iowa to recognize any body Of Ma
sons as superior to it, i'll its territorial juris-
diction, or any degrees superior to the de-
grees over which it has lawful control, they
do, by the terms of this resolution and by
their unwritten law, fully recognize our sub
ordinate bodies, we being superior council
''having in charge Masonic degrees of the
ancient and accepted rite IN this state from
1885 to 1889.
There are in Iowa about $4,000 affiliated
The supreme couucil United States Of
America have over 800 Scottish rite Masons
of their obedience in Iowa.
The Southern jurisdiction ancient ard ac-
cepted have 267 members Of their obedience
in Iowa.
The representatives of the 267 Scottish
rite Masons, Southern Jurisdiction, have
caused the representatives Of $4,000 master
Masons In Iowa to make most egregious
mistake, placing them in very upenviable
position before the Masonic world in conse-
quence thereof.
The grand lodge of Iowa py its first resolu-
ton recognizes the supreme council southern
jurisdiction, and say that it Is now entitled
TO exclusive jurisdiction in Iowa. In doing
so they must, of course, recognize all the
rights the southern jurisdiction claim under
their constitution and statutes.
Do they recognize the right of the south
ern jurisdiction, or any person, Mason or
profane, to print, publish or sell the secret
ritual of the dress of Entered Apprentice,
Fellow Craft or Master Mason, in Iowa or
elsewherel The supreme council, southern
Jurisdiction does print, publish and sell the
secret ritual of Entered Apprentice, Fellow
Craft and Master Mason degrees in Iowa
and elsewhere
Article 13, section Q, statutes southern
jurisdiction, Is as follows: "Each inspector.
general, active member, and each deputy OF
the supreme council, or of any inspector,
general, shall have issued TO him one copy OF
each ritual of the degrees from one to thirty
two"
Article 13, section 4, statutes OF southern
jurisdiction: every lodge of perfection
must have one of the rituals of the Blue de-
grees with the secret work and may have
four copies of that ritual"
Does any grand lodge of Master Masons in
the world except Iowa, sanction this, or rec
ognize any body as Masonic who would dc
tblsl What says the grand lodge OF Ken
lucky, Utah, South Carolina, Pennsylvania
and Ohio TO thisi
The grand lodge Of Iowa recognizes the
Southern Supreme Council and gives IT ex'
elusive jurisdiction in Iowa.
Exclusive jurisdiction to do WHAT To or
ganize Scottish Rite bodies, and disseminate
printed copies of the secret ritual of the Blue
lodge degrees in that jurisdiction.
DO they recognize their right, as Supreme
Council Ancient and Accepted Rite Southern
jurisdiction TO establish Blue lodges and 10
confer the degrees of the Blue Iodgel
''Transactlons, 1860, p 40, speaking Of the
Latin constitution Of l7SG Brother Pike
states 1.-The assertion of our illustrlous
| brother that these constitutions disclaim all
control over the first three degrees, wherever
organizations of those degrees exist that
| the trainers OF these constitutions prohibit
their successors from meddling with the
| symbolic degrees and that that their action
was 10 be confined to the lodges OF Perfec
| tion and TO the degrees above and including
the fourth or secret MASTER. are strangely
incorrect.
Does the grand lodge of Iowa, in unqualI
| fiedly recognizing aud giving exclusive iuris-
! uiction 10 the southern jurisdiction, subscrlbs
| TO this monstrous doctrine as Masonici
The recognition by the grand lodge Of
| Iowa OF the supreme council ancient and ac-
cepted rite of the southern jurisdiction
means that they recognize the full power
claimed by said supreme council, l. g., u
| make Masons print aud sell secret rituals OF
the degrees Of entered apprentice. fellow