Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1898-07-16
PROSPEROUS CAREER AHEAD
For the Catholic Knights and Ladies
OF America-ActiOn Of the Con-
yentiOn Is Upheld.

this city OF the Board OF Directors Of
the Catholic Knights and Ladies Of
America, presided over by the newly
elected Supreme President, Hon.
Charles O'Donnell, of Chicago, Ill.
The business Of the meeting was to
put into effect the recommendation
adopted at the last national conven-
ton and formulate plans for increas-
ing the membership under the new
administration. That this result will
be accomplished is evidenced by the
unanimous action taken upon all ques-
tions coming before the board.
Supreme President O'Donnell is a
leading citizen of Chicago, and is
very enthusiastic over the prospects of
the Knights and Ladies. He was
here for several days, and expressed
himself as being very favorably i'm
pressed with Louisville.
This city is represented in the board
by DIR. William B. Doherty, Supreme
Medical Examiner; Mary E. Sheridan,
Supreme Treasurer, and T. F. Hen
ley, Supreme Trustee, all of whom are
SO well known as to render further
notice unnecessary.
The Catholic Knights and Ladies
of America is an organization which
was started in this city in 1890, and
has grown until now it has branches
in fourteen States. 1t has paid out
a large amount of money to benef-
Charles of deceased members, and has
thus greatly helped many widows and
orphans. 1t affords cheap insurance
to poor people and often provides
home and education for fatherless
children.
The fourth biennial convention was
held in St. Louis, and there were
about r25 delegates present. In 1892,
two years after the order was estab-
lished, a bylaw was passed which
provided that one fourth of the money
paid into the widows and orphans
fund should be diverted into reserve
fund, and that the income on this
fund should br avrulnuiatcu- for ten
years, and that after that date all
members who were in the order ten
years should be given part of the
income of the reserve fund, and at the
death of member who was in the
order ten years his beneficiaries should
get not only the insurance money but
should also be paid back all the money
such member paid into this reserve
fund.
Several years after this reserve fund
was created the State of Illinois passed
a law which forbade any fraternal
society from paying dividends to liv-
ing members unless they were dis
abled or sick, and two years ago Mis-
souri, passed the same sort of law.
A fraternal society can not do bust
ness in those States without license
from the Insurance Department, and
a license was refused in both these
States to the Catholic Knights and
Ladies of America, but they were
allowed to do business until their con-
vention should meet in St. Louis, with
the understanding that unless they
abolished this reserve fund they must
leave the State or their officers would
be fined or imprisoned. Il
AS expulsion from those States I
would have done great wrong to a S
large number of the members, who {
would have lost their insurance, the
order, for its own growth and for the
protection of its members in those S
States, was compelled to abolish that
reserve fund. Other States might
have followed the lead of Illinois and
and difficulties would have T
increased if the law had been left I'M
changed. r
The money in the reserve fund is i
very helpful to the members just now. b
During Mr.. McGof's term as Presi- il
dent, as he had promised lot of new
members that only one assessment a
would be made each month, he was a
compelled by his promise to allow n
death claims to accumulate until its Il
deficit amounted to $r4, 900. Owing F
% the difficulty Of getting license in p
Illinois and the criminal prosecution a