The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1897-02-26
THE WOODMAN TROUBLE.
Director B. d. Smith Gives an Account
of the Whole Trouble.
The Fulton People are Fighting Hard
Against Removal to Rock Island.

Mr.. Is. d. Smith, Of this city,a men,
Der of the board of directors OF the
Modern Woodmen of America, has re-
turned from meeting OF the board
held in Fulton, H., last week. When
asked as to the attempt to move the
head office from Fulton to Rock
Island, about which several articles
have appeared in the press during the
last few days, Mr.. Smith said:
"These dispatches are all sent out
by the Fulton people, and are in many
respects malicious and untrue. All
there is to the matter is simply this:
The head camp, which is the legisla-
tive body of the order, at meeting
held at Omaha, Neb., in November,
1892, voted to move the headquarters
from Fulton to Rock Island. The
Fulton people did not like this
and citizen of Fulton named
Bastian commenced an action re-
straining, during the tendency of the
suit. che officers of the order from
moving. One of the grounds alleged
was that under the laws of Illinois, in
which state the society is incorporate
ed, the head camp could not legally
hold it's session outside of that state.
The next legislature of Illinois cured
this by authorizing orders OF their
kind to hold the meetings OF its grand
lodge outside that state. The next
head camp, which was held at Madi-
son, Wis, voted to move to
Rock Island, and was very careful to
comply with the law in every respect,
so AS to leave no doubt as to the re-
movaI The orders attorneys then
amended their pleadings, setting
forth the action of the Madison head
camp, and last fall the trial court
rendered it's decision in favor of the
society, and allowing the removal
The Fulton people then appealed to
the appellate court, and on Feb 18th,
1897, this court filed it's decision, af-
firming the lower court, which had
the effect of dissolving the injunction
against moving the office. The
officers of the order then undertook to
move at once and chartered a
train for that purpose, but the Fulton
people, by throwing a stream of water
past each door of the head office, sue
ceeded in delaying matters until they
got an order from Judge Crabtree to
allow an appeal to the supreme court,
and reviving and continuing the old
injunction, until the appeal to this
highest court of the state is deter
mined. This will tdkessOver year.
The order now has 100000 members
and nearly $500, 100000 insurance in
force and is in splendid shape finan-
,cially and ia every other way. All
claims against the order are paid in
full to date and there is over 100000
surplus on hand.
"The head officers felt that it was
their duty to move if possible, they
having been ordered by the two head
camps to do so, and in the action
taken were simply obeYing the laws
of the order.
"The head clerks office at Fulton
employs on an average forty clerks
and the people there dislike losing so
important an industry; hence
their active and strenuous opposition
to the removal.
"The members of the order outside
of Fulton and its immediate vicinity
are unanimously in favor of getting
to Bird Island, where a large and
suitable building will be erected for
the head offices, as soon as the mat
ter is through the courts. All the Of
ficers of the order are of the opinion
that this litigation will terminate
in favor of the order, and that the
Office will sooner or later be moved, in
compliance with the desire of the
membership"