Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1889-01-18
OLYMPIA. WASHINGTON TER.
OLYMPIA. FRIDAY EVENING, JAN. IS. 1882.
RObbing Peter to Paw Paul.

RObbing Peter to Paw Paul.
Nearly twenty years ago, Capt. ID.
b. Finch bought what was then
known as Olympic and now Tacoma
hall. and the lot on which it stands, in
this city, of Mr.. Chas Z. Williams, for
the sum of $500 and conveyed it to
Tacoma Lodge No 4, /. o. G. T., an
organization incorporated under the
laws OF Washington Territory. The
deed recites that it shall remain the
property OF said Lodge as Il means OF
promoting such objects as are consist
ent with the laws and principles OF
the Order OF Good Templars, and des-
ignates public reading room as one
OF the objects to be specially fostered
by said organization. The donor stip-
ulated that if the Lodge should ever
forfeit its charter, if it should dissolve
its organization or appropriate the
property to other uses than those that
were consistent with the original de-
signs OF the Order OF Good Templars,
that the title should revert to the
grantor. A proviso was likewise in
serted that the Lodge should not con-
vey, mortgage, or cucumber said prop
erty in any manner.
1t seems that on April Goth, 1887,
Capt. Finch conveyed his reversary
interest in said property to the Colleg-
late Institute, corporation formed by,
and acting under the control of, the
General Conference of the NJ. E..
Church. On the 18th instant this
corporation, through its Board Of
Trustees, served notice on the Trus-
tees of Tacoma Lodge, in which they
claim that the reversary rights of Capt.
Finch have vested in them, by fail
ure to comply with the stipulations on
which the grant was made. The
Lodge secured a temporary restraining
order and petitioned the District Court
for perpetual injunction against the
latter corporation assuming control of
said property. The hearing of the ap-
plication for injunction is set'for the
2Sth instant, when the matter will be
considered in its legal bearings, based
upon the question as to whether Ia
coma Lodge has complied with the
stipulations upon which the grant
was made. The members of that or
ganization stoutly maintain that they
have; that the Lodge is and has been
in a healthy condition, with present
membership of As; that it is and has
been regarded as the banner Lodge Of
the jurisdiction; that the Trustees
have maintained a reading room, open
to the public at all reasonable hours
that they have not appropriated the
property in any way that had not fol
its object the advancement OF the be-
nevolent design OF the grantor.
The order is not sectarian, and they
have not therefore hesitated to rent
the hall for all recognized Legitimate
objects, such rs exhibitions, enter
tainments, religious services, parties
and political gatherings, whereby a
revenue might be derived to keep uI
current expenses and repairs. Theil
library has been collected mainly by
voluntary contributions OF books, and
this, too, has not been restricted to
works of any sect or creed, and it has
been the object to make the reading
room pleasant resort for all who
chose to avail themselves of its priv.
leges. That Capt. Finch approved Of
this means Of obtaining q revenue and
of the judgment exercised by the
trustees in the acceptance OF books oil
varied information and all shades oil
theological belief, is shown by his
acquiescence in the management Of
the hall property many years, while a
resident of this city and the matter
was under his immediate personal OBJ
ervatiOn.
The membership Of this Lodge feel
that great injustice will be done
them of the effort now made is success
full in depriviug them of the means
for advancing the cause of temperance,
of reclaiming the fallen and saving
others from falling, of uniting all
moral and social elements Of society in
an increasing warfare against the great
evil [intemperance], of lifting up those
who are sunk low in the scale of hu-
man degradation, of restoring them te
family, friends and society, as well as
Of saving the young, pure and virtuous
They hold that the objects of the
order are such as should receive the
hearty commentator and support o
all true Christians, and that no church
can afford to wrest from the faithful
few who chose to work in an unap
propriated corner of the moral vine
yard, the result of their hard and per
sistent labors, while it is evident tina
the ground cannot be titled with prof
except by themselves. This likewise
seems to be the view of the commun
ity, 80 far a. it has been ascertained
and hence the result is awaited will
considerable interest.
A dispatch from Tacoma to the Oregonia
n q,
pondent, by enlightening US as to what re
quirements are necessary to "a rump legisls
fure," will incur Z debt of gratitude on on
part The expression may be Indigenous 3
Warrington Territory .-Portland Telegram
On the contrary, it must have beef
imported from some benighted dis
trict where the association of ideas
exceedingly low. Washington Terri
tory is cosmopolitan, you know, an
we have people here from north, cas-
and south-Oregon furnishing he
quota. Dollars against doughnut
that the Smart Alec who figures a
correspondent, halls from Webfoot.
T1x1e lx&:aan 0sunIe 10 Alo Latest or