The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-08-23
STARTS WITH
A BIG ROW.
Supreme Lodge of the knights
of Pythias
Meets in Biennial Session at
Indianapolis.
MONEY RUNNING Low
Charges Against Officials Get
Into Newspapers.
The ChancellOr's Report Makes
Strong Recommendations.

indianapolis, Aug. 23.-The supreme
lodge, Knights of Pythias, began its
biennial session at the hall of the house
of representatives at the state capitol
this morning The supreme officers
were escorted from headquarters at the
Denison to the state house by the SUI
preme representatives and a special
guard of honor from the uniform rank
The rooms were beautifully decorated
with the Pythian colors and emblems
of the order and the galleries which
were thrown open at an early hour
We're soon crowded with the wealth and
fashion of the city.
Caleb S. Denny, eX-mayOr of Indian
apOlis who is chairman of the citizens
executive committee, called the meeting
to order Mayor Taggart in a brief
address welcomed the supreme lodge
and hoped that its session would be of
great value to the order throughout the
world On behalf of the state of In
diana, Governor James A. Mount wei
coined the lodge and on behalf of the
grand lodge of Indiana, Grand ChanceI-
lOr Union B. Hunt made an address of
welcome. Supreme Chancellor COlgroVe
replied for the supreme lodge in
speech of about ten minutes. One or
two other prominent members of the
order made remarks, and at II O'Clock
the supreme lodge settled down to
business after the galleries had been
cleared
The supreme lodge is in poor fnan-
Cial condition, having less than $1OOUU
on hand, and this fact has caused some
of the members to severely crlticise the
present supreme officers and some OF
these charges found their way into the
public press causing a great sensation
The supreme lodge later appointed an
Investigating committee to ascertain
who furnished the charges to the pa
fr7Fa lion To ne
the offending member not only from the
supreme lodge, but from the order and
there is talk of suits against the papers
that printed the charges It is this con-
ditiOn of affairs that has caused de-
termination on the part of the supreme
lodge to change the manner of raising
revenues for the supreme lodge 1t IS
the intention to have passed at the
beginning of each supreme lodge meet
ing, an appropriation bill similar to the
bills passed by congress and at the
state legislatures and to raise this
money a tax will be levied on eacn
member of the order. There is cOnsid-
cradle opposition to this plan and a
hot fight is anticipated. The officers of
the supreme lodge will be elected Thurs
day morning and a hard fight is being
made against the present 1ncumbentS
but it is thought they will be reelected
except that Charles E. Shivley of Rich
mOnd, Ind, is leading for the position
of vice chancellor.
There are about $4,000 strangers in
the city, of whom $4,000 are in uniform,
More than s, 900 members of subordinate
lodges are in attendance. The great
Pythian parade was witnessed by To-
600 people. About $1,000 mem berS of the
uniform rank and 5000 members of the
subordinate lodges participating The
parade was reviewed by the supreme and
grand officers and the officers of the
state and city. It was the largest Sc
cret society parade ever held in this
city. There is a strong fight between
Louisville. Ky, and Detroit, Mich. for
the next session of the supreme lodge
and both delegations from both places
have opened headquarters and are max
ing things exceedingly lively.
The annual reports of the supreme Of
ficers were read, after which the lodge
adjourned to witness the parade.
Supreme ChanCeIlOr's Report.
The annual report of the supreme
chancellor, Philip t ColgrOve, of Mich
igan, contained the following:
''PythianiSm has found an abiding
place in every part of this great North
American continent. While in our up
ward career we have not reached the
zenith, yet we have come to a place
where our growth numerically must
necessarily be less.
The sO-called improved order has
practically ceased to exist, having paid
the penalty of traitors to a sacred OBJ
legation. An order founded by men re-
creant to their trust and based upon
such principles is bound to die of its
own accord. and needs but time to work
4lS QGSIIuCIlOn- Inc majority OF the
members we have lost by this seces-
sion are such as we could i'll afford to
retain, and the order has been mater
tally benefited by their Withdrawals
large number of whom under our pres
ent laws, could not hope to gain admit
tance. They have accomplished for us
what We failed to accomplish in the
courts-their own destruction
The greatest economy must be prac-
tced in all departments of the admin
lstratlon owing to the falling off of rev.
enues."
The supreme chancellor submitted
large number of suggestions from su-
preme representatives among which
were the following:
Simplicity of government. doing
away with all SuperfiuOus expense and
cumbersome Jurisprudence. and keeDiDe-
as near to the subordinate lodge as pos
sible.
Too Much Gold Lace.
The uniform rank is suffering from
too much lace and red tape. As a re-
suit it is on the decrease This ranl-
needs Overhauling, and that badly. The
supreme council should be abolished
and the tin swords discarded Instead
OF togS the members should have guns
so that when another war breaks ont
we can have something to offer to tba
government besides play-sOldiers IT
would attract the young element to our
lodges and to the uniform rank
To my mind the legislation in regard
TO what Is commonly known as the Ii
Quor question ought to be wiped off our
statutes. It is constantly being eva
ded, and great majority of people in
large cosmopolitan cities like New
4 Ork nave no respect for If and Iool~