The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-03-18
SPLIT In THE ORDER.
Dissenting Good Templars Join
Sons Of Temperance.
DISPUTE BETWEEN DISTRICTS.
Charter Of No. Being Revoked, Its
Chief Forms . New Organization
Cause Of the Trouble.

A dispute in the local organization of
the Independent Order Of Good Templars
in regard to the formation of district No.
l6 in the same territory as district No. 4,
comprising King and kitsap counties,
eliminated last night in the organization
OF division of the Sons of Temperance
among the members of district l. This ac-
ton IL expected TO result in tho defec-
ton of a large number Of Good Temp
lars.
The trouble began last summer, when
some differences in the order caused nine
lodges in King county to petition the
Grand Lodge of the state to be set out in q
separate district. This petition was
granted. The events which followed and
which led up to the movement for the or
ganization of the Sons of Temperance
were thus related to aPosT-INTELIaENcER
reporter by Charles E. Cline, the counselor
OF the Grand Lodge:
The lodges fosming the new district reported
direct up to the Grand Lodge until the end OF
November, when, under instructions from the
right worthy grand templar and tho right
worthy grand secretary Of the order, the dis
trict was divided, and No Is was organized
with eight lodges. The new district had con-
current jurisdiction with No. in the same ter
ritory. but under instructions from the grand
secretary did not try to get members from No.
1 1t simply went to places where there were
NO lodges and organised new ones, besides in
crsasing the membership of the eight old ones.
One of its FIRST actions was to conduct mission
week In December, which secured several hun
dred signatures to the total abstinence pledge
and added scores OF members to the order.
District Nc. objected to the formation of the
new district, though IL had more than double
the number of members No. 16 had. Several
lodges In No. 4 have lapsed. At . meeting OF
District No. at Sidney last December John
Bushell. the chief templar, made a speech de-
nouncing the Grand Lodge and every body con-
nected with the organization OF the new district
This and the other proceedings were printed and
circulated in the order throughout the state,
copy being cent to every lodge. The Grand
Lodge revoked the district charter in January.
and the Official decision on the matter Is now
about to be formally promulgated. This will
leave tho lodges working directly under the
Grand Lodge.
The new district was organized under the ad-
vice OF the highest authorities in the order and,
though No. took al appeal. it was dismissed.
In his letter on the Legality of the action OF the
Grand Lodge in the matter. Oronhyatekha, the
right worthy grand templar, says:
cancelled except for cause, but under the cir
cumstances which exist and for the good OF the
order In the jurisdiction j would recommend
that the district be at once divided and a new
district formed out OF the territory set OF from
No. 4, or such disposal OF IL - may appear de.
sirable."
1t is stated by the adherents of No. Is
that there are now seventeen lodges in the
defunct district. FIVE having suspended
since the new district was formed. It is
estimated that these have about 600 men,
bers, and that fully two-thirds of these
will remain in the order. The No. 16 men
say that charter Of q lodge cannot be
surrendered 40 long as ten members re-
main to hold it, and they express conf
dence that under this provision they will
keep nearly all the lodges in existence and
recruit them with new members suf-
ficiently to Offset any loss they may sus-
tain.
Mr.. Bushell was asked what he had to
say in reply to Mr.. Cline's statement of
the origin Of the dispute, but refused to go
into the merits of the controversy, simply
saying:
am Good Templar in good standing and OK
pect to be one when Mr.. Cline 10 where he ought
TO be.
Mr.. Bushels followers do not admit
that the Sons of Temperance movement is
in the nature OF secession from the Good
Templars, though it originates with the
members Of the latter order who have
been the leading spirits in district 4, who
have been busily circulating enrolment
papers during the last few days. The
division was organized by r. w. Allison,
of Vancouver. y. c.. who is deputy most
worthy patriarch Of the Sons of Temper
ance and was until recently grand secre-
tary of the Good Templars of British
Columbia, but he, too. denies that the
movement is in the nature of a secession,
saving: my instructions are to aid in
the disintegration of no other temperance
order"
Nevertheless it is a coincidence that a
meeting of district 4 has been called, to be
held at Freed's hall on Tuesday evening.
and the proceeding are expected to be in
teresting.
The lodge OF Sons of Temperance was
organized at the office of Knapp & Busheil,
in the Burke block, and was named Queen
City Division, No. /. The officers are as
follows: Worthy patriarch, John Bushell
worthy associate. Mrs. o. V. Roe; record
ing scribe, Rose Lombard; assistant record
ing scribe. u. 4. Carrie: financial scribe.
Chris Carlson: treasurer, +. Jones; worthy
chaplain. G. W. Clausen; conductor, c.
Beck assistant conductor, Mrs. J. NJ Rex:
inside guard. Laura Price; outside guard.
A. Curtis; district deputy. J. T. Fleenor.
Mr.. Bushell refused 10 state how many
members it had at its organization.
The Sons of Temperance is an order
older than the Good Teinplars. in fact the
parent order to the latter. 1t has about
-. 900 adheren.s in the United States and
Canada IL was organized in 1s42 in the
eastern part of New York state, as the re-
suit of an unorgsnized temperance crusade
or movement called the Washingtonian
movement. dating from 1880 The Good
Teinplars split off from the Sons of Tenn
perance on the question OF admitting
women 10 membership. There are at pres
ent no divisions OF the latter order in this
state. division organized in this city
about ten years ago having disrupted after
at9o years existence.
Narrow Escape From Death.
Eoram.u W DOUGLAS in Tho e-1Dlov