Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-03-24
WOODMEN WELCOME.
The Head Officers ct the Modern
Order HOnOred.
The Entertaining Exercises at Har.
per's Theatre Last Evening
Addresses by Prominent
Spe akers, Music, Etc.

"Oou"eh vi the city met at Inc Armory
building last evening at 2 o'clock where
they were Joined by large number from
Moline and the camps IN surrounding
towns, and from there marched to the
Harper house and escorted the
visiting directors to Harper's theatre.
There were about 200 men in line
and made very creditable appearance.
The programme at the theatre was
opened with some enlivening music by the
band, after which Mayor William McCon.
ochie was introduced and after bidding
the visiting Woodmen a hearty welcome
to the city he spoke of the inuumerable
benefits that reverted to members of the
order and paid glowing tribute to it as
an alliance that bound men together in
the bonds Of true brotherly love. After
this he went into the history of secret
organizations and outlined it to the PRES
ent day. During the course Of his re
marks he took occasion to say that these
societies had fought their way step by
step despite the harmless frowns of
some Of the churches and the mouthings
of few long haired men ana short haired
women and cranks," and followed this by
saying that they had done more to elevate
the human race than all other agencies
combined, and then gave expression to
these utterances:
ut has always been the policy of both
church aud state TO combine in an unholy
alliance as matter OF self. protection,
and during the dark ages it was the policy
OF the church to stamp out all the intelli-
gence in the world except what was in
their own narrow fold. And l sln sorry
to say, but it is fact nevertheless, and
the history of the world will prove the
truth ofmy assertion, that christianity and
tyranny have always marche hand in hand
down through all the ages in all their
efforts to suppress the spreading of uni
verssl liberty and free thought and have
always combined to crush every effort of
the people to disenthrall themselves from
the CALLING yoke of a corrupt ard licen-
tious court aided and allotted by
rotten religious hierarchy in rob-
bing and plundering the people under
the sanction of law called the
divine right of kiDgs"-the churches
always coming to their assistance, throw
ing their powerful influence into the bal
auce against the rights and liberties of
the people, and using the deceptive
weapons Of superstition and bigotry to
accomplish their purposes
Is it any wonder then und such cir
cumstsnces that the people would rise in
their might and destroy both church and
state, reversing the established customs
of centuries when demagogues, backed
by down trodden race, vaulting sud-
denly into power, frenZied with madness
at their previous wrongs, installing IL
cense for liberty, cutting the heads off
their kings aud rulers and drenching the
earth with the blood of their prelates and
spiritual advisers, sbolishing all law, de-
thronilg the Christian church and in
mockery setting up a goddess of reason
with its demOrslIzing effects, and as a
natural consequence bringing on a reign
of terror with its mad whirling gddy
dance Of death, forming the bloodiest
drama in the history in the world.
Thank God, brighter day has dawned.
Both church and state have learned the
bitter lessons of experience from the his
tory of the past. They no longer frown
on any lawful combination organized for
mutual protection and moral development
and the day is not far distant when every
church will recognize in them their
stsunchest allies in the cause of human
ity. l think the time has come for the
church and these organic atoms to unite
their forces in warfare against the
greatest m onster of the age, the enemy
of the human race. training all their guns
on the rampsrts of King Alcohol and
make it one of the fundamental princi
Piles of our creed to throw our great COM
bIned moral influence around our num-
bers, restraining them in their excuses and
make it one of the ipflexible rules of our
church in order to admit no man to men,
bership who is in any way connected
with the nefsrious and vicious trAf-
fic."
W. T. Haydecker was next introduced
and responded warmly to the address OF
Mayor McCanochie. in which he thanked
the citizens and Woodmen of Rock Island
for the cordial welcome extended. He
then spoke of The wonderful growth OF
the order throughout the great northwes,
and of the strength it is constantly gain
ing. He mentioned the benefits to
be derived from secret organic ltions, cit
ing the successes of some of the greatest
battles which history records as instances
of this, after which he spoke briefly OF
the advantages of this order over insur-
ance companies and beneficiary sssocis
tons, giving figures to substsntiate his
claims, during the course of which be
took occasion to give the "oid line" in
surance companies a gracious let dowr
on account Of the amount of money col.
lected each year and paid out to high
salsriei officers or kept in reserve funds
In closing he paid compliment tt
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