Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1897-07-14
Will CONSIDER w.

LII OVNklU0xe IL
Judge BigeIow Takes Woodmen
Case Under Amusement.
THE HEARING COMPLETED TODAY.
Substance Of the Argument Aads b. Op.
psslDg Cosnssl YssssrAay Aftsenoea-
rhs Pisa e shs 0asszsssssnises aad the
Orders Ansvse.
The hearing of the arguments in
the Fulton Woodmen injunction case
before Judge Bigslow at Cambridge
was completed before noon today,
and the case wal taken under advise
ment BY the court. At the opening
of colrt this morning Mr.. Jackson
concluded for the Woodmen, when
Mr.. Andrews spoke for the obstruc-
tionists again, and talked until the
court interrupted him with the ad-
monision that he had heard enough
and would now take the matter under
advisement.
All the attorneys for the obstruc-
tionists are seeking to do is to delay.
With q case utterly devoid of merit,
their aim is to continue the tenn
porary Injunction until term time
and then appeal from the decision Of
the court. and thus again unjustly
prolong the proceedings through the
upper courts for a year or more, and
continue the unsettled condi-
ton of the order in this respect that
has existed for five years. II Judge
Bigelow dissolves the Injunction now
in vacation, there is no appeal and
the order will get--justice.
The main convention of the OBJ.
structionists is, - stated heretofore,
tina. the society never gave the cor
poration authority to hold its head
camp meetings outside Of Illinois.
that such action in every instance is
therefore null and void. Mr.. Andrews
in his opening argument held
that the board of directors
and not the head camp was the cor
porate authority-the only authority
that could act outside membership.
The charter, he held, is q contract
that cannot be changed without the
consent of the minority, and the
Fulton minority had never consented
to the head Office removal amend.
ment. The society, he contended.
had an existence prior to the incor-
poration and by its action in dictat.
ing the fundamental law and locat-
ing the head Office bound the corpor-
atiou for all time to come. Its plan
required the head camp delegates to
be elected by the local camps, and as
they are now elected by state con-
ventions, thereby changing the whole
manner of representation. there has
been no legal head camp OF Modern
Woodmen held since that at Spring
field in 1890. This was the sub
stance Of Attorney Andrews plea.
Fer the Woodmen.
General Attorney J. G. johnson in
behalf of the order, in opening
his remarks, said that from
his careful examination of the
bill of Injunction there were but
two questions in It: First, that the
action to remove the head Office was
unconstitutional and void because
beyond the province Of legislation
and second, that the action com.
planned of was void because q statu.
tory provision had been violated by
not giving notice Of the pur pose be-
forehand to the members hip. Me-.
johnson stated that j -dge Cart
wright in his recent decision did not
hold the action at Omaha invalid be.
cause Of its having been taken out
/! side of the state of Illinois, but on
account of the Woodmen not having
provided any rules on which to base
their action. The law passed last
spring by the legislature legalized
suy action which the head camp
might take outside Of the state with
reference to the removal of its head
q uarters, Q clause which was omitted
in the law passed in 1898, which
gave the right to fraternal comPan-
les to hold sessions outside of the
state, but did not countenance the
changing of location Of headquarters
at such meetings, and on which
omission Judge Cartwright based
his decision with reference to the
action of the Madison head camp OF
1895. Mr.. johnson met the conten.
ticn of Mr.. Andrews that the
board of directors, not the head
camp, is the supreme body Of the or
der, and ought to do such acts as the
governing or legislating body has
power to do. with quotations from q
brief of OK Gov. Hamilton aud F. d.
Ramsay. former counsel for the Full
tonites, in which they hold that the
head camp was supreme. Mr.. John
son said they were correct. Mr..
johnson produced an array of au.
thories to back his argument of the
right of fraternal organizations OF
holding sessions Of their legislative
or governing bodies in other
states or territories where they
have subordinate bodies. The long
array Of decisions which Mr.. John.
son showed to substantiate his
claims. illustrated the diligent study
ha hsa nivo0 IN tho Naso He con