The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-02-22
TWO HARD FIGHTS
WOrkmen WrangIe Over the
Plan of Assessment.
TAKES TW0-THIRD VOTE
Hot Contest For Grand Master
Workman.

The twentieth annual session OF the
Grand Lodge of the a. 0. L. ". of the
jurisdiction Of Kansas began last night
In the Garfield hail, when the Topeka
lodge, uniformed rank, exemplined the
degree work.
There are d thousand visiting Workmen
here this morning. AS early as Saturday
night the delegates began to arrive in
anticipation Of the strong fight that is
being made for the proposition known
as the classified assessment plan and the
other lively contest for Grand Master
Workman. The assessment plan is con-
sidered by big number of the delegates
to be a radical move and at this time
dangerous to the order.
The Ancient order of United Workmen
is fra ternal insurance order. Its death
losses are paid by direct assessments up
on the members. There are thirty-four
jurisdictions in the United States. Every
jurisdiction pays the death losses Of its
own members.
The jurisdiction of Kansas has q, 634
members and assessment for death loses
are 81 each. For instance, if a member
OF any lodge in the state dies the grand
lodge officers are notified and they levy
an assessment to pay the insurance. The
insurance is $1,000 and one assessment
in Kansas pays several losses. After an
assessment is made it applies to losses
until it is exhausted after which another
assessment is made when necessary. The
number Of assessments that can be levied
In one year cannot exceed twenty. If there
are more the loss must be paid out Of
what is called the relief fund, which is
paid in from jurisdictions that have fallen
lowest under the number limit.
Every member under the existing order
must pay the 81 assessment. It is the
same for all ages. The classified assess
ment plan proposes to make the assess
ments correspond to the age of the men,
Der insured. Under such an arrangement
the young man of q would probably pay
- cents or 50 cents. while the man Of
double or three times this age would pay
two or three times this amount. The ar
guments used by the advocates of the
classification plan say that it puts the
charge for insurance where the expense
occurs. The number of assessments for
the year closed was about seventeen
have cost the young man just joining the
order for his insurance only about 80,
while the older man of 90 years would
have to pay about SO or more. The advo-
Gates of the classification plan argue that
the order cannot continue under the pre-
sent system. That its government and
economy must be readiusted and revised
or the order must finally not many years,
hence. cease to pay its obligations and go
into bankruptcy.
They say that the young men will not
go into the order because they begin the
expense of insurance at n much higher
figure than is offered by competitive or
ders and that without young men as re-
cruits a fraternal order such as the
Workmen cannot continue
on the other hand there is trOng oppo-
stion to any change. especially a change
so radical as that proposed in the CLASH
fication plan. They argue that it is I'M
fair that when man has Joined an
order in good faith and with the
express written agreement that his
assessments through life should continue
at 81 each, he should he compelled,
when he is much older to pay two or more
of many of the Workmen who have been
prominent in the lodge for years that the
classification plan viii fall heavily upon
thousands of the older members over the
state. and that this increase coming at
a time when the member is least able to
stand II will force him out of the order.
These men. the older members, on whom
the classified plan would be a misfortune.
do not attend sessions of the grand lodge.
Generally they are men who have passed
what is called the money making period
Of life from twenty to foty-flve. It would
take only few thousand Withdrawals
from the lodge to force the assessment
per member to as burdensome figure as
now.
The opponents Of the plan insist that It
Is an experiment. There are go votes in
the grand lodge and to adopt the proposed
assessment measure will take two
thirds vote.
CANDIDATES FOR GRAND MASTER
Next to the night for assessment CLASH
hcation, the election of grand master is
the liveliest contest J. II. Crider OF Fort
Scott is the present incumbent and is
candidate for reelection. He is perhaps
Il years old and OF very pleasant address.
He is making his fght upon the plea of
economy and the precedent of second
term esta blished by his predecessor, VIII
ham Wallace OF EiuEm8n. lie has a
strong delegation from Fort Scott push
hg his candidacy. among whom are all
Of his appointees and Z. {. Rainey Of the
Fort Scott Monitor, r. Altman. Knute
Try. Jim Newberry. Z. =. Emmons and
J. r. Million. all of Fort Scott. Webb
NcNau Of Topeka is also supporting Cri-
der.
William Wallace of Kingman, the first
man in the state who ever filed the Office
IF grand master two terms in succession,
and who held that place in 1896 and 1898.
Is making a hard fight, backed by NUM-
Der of his friends over the state. He is
q young man and full of enthusiasm for
the lodge work. His friends are very ef-
tectively using the argument that during
the two years of his former service the
membership Of the lodge made a net gai1
Of 400. lie is q Cood mixer. Among his
best workers are Mort Albaugh and
Frank Harrow Of Kineman. Judge Gilbert
of Atchison with strong following
throug all the western and northern part
Of the state.
Captain J. II. Shields Of Wichita IS q
candidate and IS winHiS friends fast by
sincere genial ways His friends are US
ing in his support the fact that the Cap
tain's loyalty 70 the order, his enthusiasm
and strong mental faculties peculiarly II