Daily capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1896-1899, 1897-02-13
APAISM.
Merchant at Sweet Home.
An Ex-Member Discloses a PoIit-
icaI Scheme.

public my experience with the order.
A minister first lectured on A. P.
Aism in Sweet Home the latter part
of 1895. L listened very attentlvely
and expected the Catholics to break
out in a short time and soon a or
ganizer came to Sweet Home and or
nauized lodge, and by chance (0a
majority of the members we're Repub-
licans and the president and secretary
were Republicans, elected the first
night. Everything went well until
about April, 1896, letter was sent to
this lodge warning the members
against Mckinley, who was aspiring
for the nomination for president. BY
chance a Democratic member found
out such letter had been received
and waited patiently for the letter to
be read, but in vain. The lodge was
dismissed without any mention OF the
letter. So the Democrat who knew
of the letter complained after dis
missal and few of US called for the
letter, and the president said it did
not amount to anything as Mckinley
was not nominated yet. Mutiny
almost followed. But nothing more
was said or done to shock our conf
dence until Ia few days before the
presidential election. The order met
the last Monday night in October
and no business of importance came
up but a special meeting was called
for the next Monday night which was
the night before the election. The
object for the special was not known
to the Bryan members until "bllls
and communications" came in order,
then the secretary read communica-
tion from the Grand lodge warning
the members against Bryan, as he
had favored the Catholics, but the
communication was made up of news
paper clippings and the letter against
Mckinley was sworn testimony by an
A. P. A. Some of the members said
in defense of the Mckinley side that
the reason the letter came out against
Mckinley was that the order swanted
Linton and when they failed to get
Linton they must support Mckinley.
The Portlander said: "We do not
want to contorl your votes nor in
fiuence you to vote for any certain
man, but desire you at all hazards to
vote against Bryan or in words
that express the same. Now we go
back to the letter; but when tie letter
against Bryan was read and discussed
l called for the letter the lodge had
received against Mckinley which was
in defense Of Bryan. The president
ordered the Mckinley letter read so
the secretary read a long letter against
Mckinley and when he had finished
and took his seat, asked ifany mem
Der in the house had ever heard or
saw that letter before. One Republi-
can said he had seen the letter. The
trouble was the secretary had got
hold of the wrong letter, one that the
Bryan men had never seen or heard Of
"a letter they had received but kept
concealed. The president seeing the
mistake ordered the secretary to read
the other letter which he did. So at
the next meeting of the lodge when the
president was proceeding with busi-
ness when he came to "for the
good of the order" l told him
it would probably be for the good OF
the order for my name to be stricken
from the books which was done. The
lodge here is called the Mckinley
club as the Bryan men have withdrawn
except one or two. Then tine letters
that came to the lodge were very
secret except the letters against
Bryan, they were given 10 the public.
This caused 'ruffie in the calm"
and 1 spoke Of the Mckinley letters
in public and some Of the Mckinley
ties said / did not regard the oath
had taken.
Well some may think / may not re-
gard my oath but 1 do, and l think
when the order violated their obliga-
tiOn To is members do not consider