The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-08-22
THE INDIANAPOLIS Journal. MONDAY, AUGUST p 1898

The INDIANA
number of suggestions from supreme repre-
sentatives, among which were the follow
ing:
with all superfuous expense and cumber-
some Jurisprudence. and keeping as near TO
the subordinate lodge as possible Most I'M
portant is our Endowment Rank, and ways
and means should be found whereby claims
are promptly paid. At present 1T takes
months in which to pass death claims. The
Uniform Rank is suffering from too much
gold lace and red tape. AS a result, it is on
the decrease: This rank 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 out
we can have something to offer to the gov
eminent besides play soldiers. 1t would at
tract the young element to our lodges and
to the Uniform Rank.
1T seems to me that the greatest prob
lem now confronting the order is how 10
reclaim persons who have been suspended
Tor nonpayment of dues, and how to pre-
vent such suspensions in the future. To
my mind the legislation in regard to what
ought to be wiped off our statutes. 1t is
constantly being evaded, and a great ma
lorlty OF people in large cosmopolitan cities
like New York have no respect for it and
look upon it as a piece of hypocrisy, bum
combe and humbug
"A member should not be deprived of
some insurance in case he feels called upon
to defend country that our order makes 1t
one of its principles to uphold.
There should be economic methods in all
the offices of the order supp enc and sub
ordinate. Much of the cumbersome and ex-
pensiye machinery of the order should be
abolished
After complimenting the Uniform Rank
upon its magnificent showing during peri
cd when the subordinate lodges through
out the supreme domain have bad strug-
gle to maintain their membership, the
preme chancellor said the Supreme Assem-
bly, of the Uniform Rank as at present
conducted. was in his judgment useless, and
he suggested that there be but one meet
ing of that body if the law directing it were
not repealed. There was no reason for the
sum of $1,000 to bring together an assembly
entirely void of legislative power
THE LOW FINANCES.
THE present low condition of our finances
is not due to lack of economy" he went
on, 'but is the result of the present de-
fective system of raising revenues to main
tain the Supreme Lodge. Our present
method Of collecting a supreme representa-
tive tax, in my judgment, is unjust and
ought to be changed. 1 believe there should
be radical departure from present
system. Until we shall have recovered from
our present condition, there should be prac-
ticed the most rigid economy in all depart
ments of the organization. The purchase of
all supplies required by the Supreme Lodge
should be under the immediate control of
board of which the supreme chancellor
should be chairman The supreme keeper Of
records and seal should report to this board
the supplies needed, and it should purchase
them. We are living in an age of keen
competition, and the printing of the vast
quantity of supplies required by this body
should be open to competition and the large
printing establishments throughout the
country should have an opportunity TO know
exactly what we want, and to be given an
opportunity. to file their bids with the
iuhf tn ma
that the dies used in the manufacture of
the many jewels of the order should be
owned by anyone except the Supreme Lodge
itself. Competition is practically cut off by
reason of the expense attending the man
ufacture of these dies and when once pur-
chased by a concern they have practical
monopoly of the jewel business. If the Su-
preme Lodge owned its own dies and open
competition was solicited | think it would
be q surprise to many of us at the wonder
full reduction in the cost to the Supreme
Lodge. The order is increasing in member
ship, increasing in enthusiasm-in Pythian
zeal, and while our columns are marching
forward to a magnificent triumph. your
chief executive is compelled to meet the
humiliation of a depleted exchequer in the
supreme legislative body. l believe that
there should be frequent meetings to audit
the financial accounts of the Supreme Lodge
Rank, but 1 do not believe that the present
system is calculated to produce the best re-
suits.
Much complaint has been made regard
ing the expense attending the meetings of
the Supreme Tribunal. l have no hesitation
in saying that the destruction of this branch
of our present system would be a severe
blow to the governmental departments of
our order. Our law has been framed with
the idea of supreme government consist
ing of three coordinate and independent de-
partments-the legislative, executive and
judicial-the destruction of any one of which
means the destruction of the supreme gov
eminent as 1t is at present constituted. My
observations lead me to the inevitable con-
clusion that the judicial department can
carry on its work with less members I am
satisfied that three judges could perform
the labor and thus save to the Supreme
Lodge many dollars.
THE PROPAGANDA LIMITED.
81 regret that it is impossible for me to
submit regarding the state of the order as
fiatterng a report was presented to the
Supreme Lodge at the Cleveland convention.
However, 1 believe there is no reason for
encouragement. We are forced to a real
ization of the fact that the remarkable
growth of the order, on this continent at
least, is a thing of the past. In every State
and Territory of the Union we have subor-
dinate lodges in sufficient number to sup
port grand lodges. Our extension into new
territory on the east and west has been
stopped by the confines of the continent. In
Canada our lodges are est established as far
permit. In Alaska we can only hope for
very limited growth. In the Republic of
mexico the race cOnO1IlOnS are Sucn as not
to offer very fiattering prospects. Thus it
will be seen that our progress in territorial
expansion on this continent must necessar-
ify cease, and we cannot hope that our re-
markable growth of the past, which was
largely due to the establishment of our
der in new territories, shall continue, unless
we consent to forsake our long established
customs and meet changed conditions Or
should we content ourselves with devOting
our best efforts toward a slower and more
substantial growth-to the strengthening
and upbuilding of the lodges already estab-
lished? We should make it our endeavor to
should not be slow In abandoning customs
and rules which have become obsolete by
reason of changed conditions nor should
new and untried theories be accepted with
out first giving them the most careful and
thoughtful consideration. The condition of
affairs with which we are confronted to-
day is but the result of the natural course
of events, and the statement herewith sub
mitted should be received not discourage
ingly but only as evidence of changed con-
ditions.
below is a statement of finances:
Receipts of subordinate lodges for
Receipts of subordinate lodges for
Receipts of subordinate lodges for
1870 ................. V14,0bl
Receipts of subordinate lodges for
1891 -....-..--...--. ......-.--......- 5,ooO,o4o
Total ................. ........... 81, S65, 115
Nat loss during the Las ct two wears S197 933