Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-08-28
ONE NATION AND ONE TONGUE
Supreme Chancellor Blackwell Makes an
Interesting Report.
ONLY ONE LANGUAGE FOR LODGES.
Strong Sentences on the German Question Phas Declared
to Be in RsbsIionIhs Admission Of Liquor Sellers
Other Questions Of interest -Rspns Of Supreme Officers

been furnished showing the Pvthian Sisters
10 nave strenuously e1dcavorcd to effect a
without Result. the ssterhood havin; re-
sisted and declined all advances made in
that direction. 1t Is to be hoped that tie
subject matter may receive a full and final
Investigation and conclusion at this sa,-
sion. that II may no longer rise as Ban
quo's ghost to haunt us.
An account IT, gwen OF the successful e.
tort to secure perpetual charter for the
Supreme Lodge from Congress, resulting in
the pasks2e OF thu act approved June -,
last. Incorporating. without limitation CT
-ir:ie. the Supreme Lodge. knights Of Pr
thias- This vas made necessary BIZ the DIS
esvery that the charter held un1er the loc.il
laws Of the District Of Columbia had ex-
pred In 1S:U.
'fhe Late Treasnrer'S Accounts.
Considerable space Is given in the report
to detailing the circumstances attending the
failure. in May. 1s:s,. Of S. J. Wiley. of VII
mington. Del. the late supreme master of
. excheauer. due to the wreckins Of ban;
and involving the er,;er In csns.dera Die
financial loss. The supreme chancellor re-
counts difficulties met by him AMI Ills as
sociates in endeavoring to effect a settle
men', because Wiley had transferred Sc
cu-iIie5 he hcid to his bondsJien 4 GcaI
statement was obtaincd, IN which Wfiisy
acknowledged an in iebteiness to the orner
OF $U.t2j.Ji, including yip,:sS..91 CT cash
and notes belonging; to the Hines memorial
fund After Niilry's rcsi;:na tion was ac-
cept-d, 4. settlement was affected Cut If
court by the transfer to the order OF thirty
one acres Of land adj 1iain.; Wilmington.
vaiu ID at ST .tsW, subj act a inortsase OF S.
Ooo. and stock in a dental manufa ctH IN,
company. valued at S.. I.W. The Eey So
ire'nc master OF excheaucr has been re-
quire1 to furnish hind through a Suaran-
tee company, ond in additioa he has re-
quired the banks in which the funds Of the
crier are deposited to furnish indemnity
bonds.
Daughters 90 the Founder
For the past four years 1t mas been the
ples sure OF this body to contribute the SUN
OF 80 per month to each of the two d1ugh-
tiers of our beloved founder. which amounts
have been remitted with systematic reg
ularity each month during the past two
years. While not being able personally 10
visit these two young ladies'. l have kept
myself poste1 in regard to their condition.
and have the assurance that they are
quietly and comfortably living In tra cIy
OF Alexandria. Va. and are duly anprecia-
tive OF TIE generosity. of the Supreme
Lodge. As the right to continue t1=se
monthly payments Is limited to this sae-
sion. l most cheerfully recommend tina. the
sum of So per month be continued as al
allowance to each, and that the supreme
keeper of records and seals be instructed
to continue rerpittins said amounts. as
heretofore. during the ensuing two years.
under the same conditions which nov gov
era these payments l would also recon-
mend, in view of the proximity of Alex
andria to Washington. that q committ.e be
delegated TO visit the Misses Ratabonc in
their home during this session, and by con-
ference ascertain their wishes. wants and
ne sdS, IL any. and report back to this body
with such Recommendations as in he juds-
ment of the committee the welfare or the
wishes of our wards may demand
The German Question.
Under this head" gays the supreme
chancellor, IL becomes my duty to record
a list of facts, series Of acts and an ex-
perience in the attempt to handle ele-
ment in our membership whose chief deligh.
seems to have rested in the desire to stir
up as much discori, Confusion and disioyalty
as possible. With the publication OF tn.
fact that the Supreme Lodge had, at its
Kansas City session, refused to permit the
translation OF the new ritual into any for
eign lar guage, commenced a system of op-
posi- ion, particularly on the part of our
German membership. which at first took
form in the shape OF protests. later in
pressOrs of disloyalty and secession, AMI
finally illuminated in such a diShonoraS!e
disregard Of assumed obligation as to take
shape in an organized rebellion. having for
it's main object the riding down of all law,
rule or regulation set for government and
exhibiting the spirit of determination to
rule Or ruin. As an organization We are
now brought face to face with the fact that
a mino rity element in our membership are
in open rebellion. refusing to obey the law
and defyins the power of constituted au-
thority to enforce the same. and IL becomes
our duty as sovereign body to decide
whether or not the law shall be enforced
or whether we shall surrender to lawiess-
ness Sedition and anarchy. In other words,
We are asked to treat with an clement
whose hands are reeking with treason while
they sail under the flag of loyalty, ana
shout injured innocence, vested rights and
/ thousand other claims. not one of which
cap they justly plead. The facts are these:
immediately following the close of the
Kansas City session the German lodges
sr-fx
of pre- tests against the action OF the ST.
preme Lodge in deciding not to issue the
new ritual in other than the EnS iish Ian
SuaGe, in which, among many other claims
and the free use of strong Language, threats
OF secession, ETC., they set up the claim of
having vested right in the use of the
German language. which they denied the
right OF the Supreme Lodge or any other
body to take from them. 1 found that the
Supreme Lodge had rever chartered any
lodge 4 German ledge on the contrary.
the German lodges had simply stood on the
same level with the English lodges. AMI
had been recognized simply as lodges of
knights of Pythias. each holding a charter
identical and using the same words-no
more. no le5s-and that the special priv
ilese claimed was myth, and that the al
legei vested right OF a so-called German
lodge to its ritual was identicaiiy the same
as IL at of an English lodge to its ritual.
The facts in the carly history are simply
these:
THE powers that were, eager to secure
membership-quantity rather than Quality
seeming To be the idea-isSued, without re-
quest from or premise to anybody, two rit-
tails. coeXtensiye and coequal, one in Ger
man and the other in English; they cared
Ettle who took either, simply presenting the
privilege of using either. during the will of
the Supreme Lodge good behavior of
the subordinate lodge, under the reserved
rights above quoted. The Supreme Lodge
never knew whether German applicants
took an English ritual. English appli-
cants preferred German ritual, nor did
they care. The two rituals were there and
each applicant lodge could take its choice
or change at pleasure; and a matter of
| fact many of the sO-called German lodges
were At one time using both rituals. The
Supreme Lodge kept no record of, nor
| n ade any distinction between them, simply
| registering each a subordinate lodge Of
Knights of Pythias, and granting to all the
| same simple. plain charter. that makes
them lodges OF our order without n single
| special privilege. Among the many claims
| set up to influence and intimidate, was ono
| which was advertised extensively. viz ::
| That the German membership In our order
/ numl cred $1,000 to loo. 600 and that II
! they seeded In q body. as was p.obabIe
| the Prediction was ventured that II would
| destr,y the order Ny investigation demon