Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-01-04
A PRETTY MESS INDEED.
The Root and McKinnie Factions of
the WOOdman.
Shy Members Courted by Both Ele-
Order---strange Inconsistencies.

marks upon the existing trouble in the
head camp of the Modern Woodmen OF
America:
| Those who are not Woodmen are puz>
| zled to know what to be ieve and what
not to believe of that which they hear of
the squsbble between Head Consul Root
aud Head Physician Mcllinnie, of the
Modern Woodmen of America, for the
affair is largely personal matter between
those two men-men whom the order
trusted, and who trusted each other
once, but who now are tell ng each other
that You're a nuther, there nowl'
Woodmen-well. they don't know what
to believe, either. yet many of think that
the order should get rid o. both of these
men.
| And now Secretary of Safe Pavey, of
Illinois. after a careful ir vestigstion of
the books Of the order, has turned the
matter over to the attorney general of Hi.
nois. who is going to bring suit "probab-
| ly At the February term Of the circuit
court in Morrison" Against whom suit
will be brought is not stated.
The secretary of state is said to have
found, besides the $1,000 Bernum frsu>
dulent death claim. quite number of ir
regularities.'
After reading the article from which
the above is taken, the Fulton Journal
saws:
''Hon. j G. Root, head consul of the
Modern Woodmen of America. was seen
Monday in regard to the above matter,
and treated the affair very lightly. He
seemed to have no fear hin self or for the
order so far as a suit by the attorney gen.
eral was concerned"
By the way the Maui and Wedge is out
again with more fac simile letters of the
head consul, and many more 'proefs" of
irregularities" in the mananement of the
order. And the Ech0-it has also been
received for December, and it contains
many refutations" OF mar IRREGULAR
ties" and still no man KIN oweth, or does
not telleth, who Amanda Bernum is or
1 who struck Billy Peterson" The Nesos
has seen one of the Lyons gentlemen who
was in the head consul's office when
Amanda Bernum came after the money,
and he says: ''She was tall, quite heavy,
good looking, dark hair and eyes, and
was not dressed in mourning or in a
marked manner other than To have Grape
on her bonnet"
Amanda Amanda Where are youf
Come back and all will be forgiven.
Another evidence of inconsistency to
say the least in the management of the
affairs of the order was the taking of the
printing of the Echo from the office OF
the Lyons Ad0ertiser to Oh icago in order
that it could be printed more rapidly
aud issued earlier each month" tut in
the course Of events the Echo has worked
itself back to the Fulton journal office to
be printed. A new engine is put in, new
type is bought. and Clinton subscribers
across the river get their papers eleven
days after they are dated
The Clinton Neaos concludes an extend.
ed review of these, and other facts as
follows:
One thing the Ne,os does not believe is
policy. and that is exaggeration. In the
l
consul has recently addressed large meet
ipgs at Lyons, Clinton, Davenport" etc.
OF the Others the Ne,cs does not know,
but the Clinton meeting was anything
but large meeting" There were not
over thirty Clinton Woodmen present
and some ten or twelve from Fulton and
Lyons who came down TO see the Neans
get done up" They saw it. They saw
every one of the Clinton camp act the
gentleman. when entertaining visitors. at
home. As to the big meeting" there
was not more than one>seventh of the
membership of the camp present, and
then the presiding officer was not present
and but two or three of tie prominent
members OF the order. and they all were
notified that the head consul was to be
present at the meeting. The NeacS makes
this statement not to reflect on the popu
larity of the head consul. but to show
how the present editor Of the Echo
writes. If all the Echo is as accurate.
what must we believer Laws sakes. il
is not unusual to have a larger attend
ance just to adopt q stranger.
And still the order booms, and MANY
new members are greeted, and it prom
ises to spread till it mum bers 100 600
members, if it can eliminate some of these
NAL contents and get officers against
whom no charge OF iobbery can be made.
Again, the Ne1os would like to see Mr.
Root get out from under the cloud; yes,
and prove himself innocent" whether it
| be a principle of law to do so or mot ="