Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1899-12-08
Untrue That 1t Will be
Discontinued.
Has Membership of Over 600
In This County.
Story Started by People Not Conver'
SAINT With Facts.

SAM WIN fdctS.
Columbus newspapers contained
recently a number of articles stating
that the Beneficial association of
the I.O.O.F. lodges of the state was
to be discontinued on account of SO
many aged men being in the sssoci-
alton, their membership keeping a
number of young men from joining
by reason of their fear of heavy as
sessments.
"These assertions are incorrect
and misleading" said Asa G. Keck,
foreman of the stove pattern depart
ment at Taplin, Rice & Company's
plant, and a prominent Odd Fellow.
"While the Odd Fellows lodges do,
in some parts of the country conduct
a Beneficial association, it is option
al with members whether or not
they shall join the order. No young
men are kept from joining the order
of Odd Fellows by reason of dis
like to the Beneficial association.
Such dislike would be absurd. No
members of the lodge, who are not
members of the Beneficial associa-
tion, are asked to help pays the as
sessments of the association.
Beneficial associations, with an
aggregate membership of 6O0,are con-
Quoted in Summit county, and are
eminently satisfactory in every de-
tail, being regarded as among the
best of life insurance societies.
"The talk that Columbus Odd
Fellows lodges will discontinue the
association is Misrepresentation of
facts. I was at Columbus Sunday
and in conversation with the general
secretary of the I. o. o. F. lodges OF
that city, he told me there was no
foundation for the rumors now
afoat.
"It seems as though these rumors
were circulated by persons not con-
versant with facts
Circular Issued.
The trustees of the Columbus Odd
Fellows Beneficial assos siation
Thursday issued a circular to the
association membership as an offset
to the action of a number of the
members, who met to consider plans
for reorganizing part of the manage
ment by scaling down the proxy
system Of voting at the annual meet
ing. The circular is also intended
to counteract some of the telegrams
sent to newspapers in other cities.
It says the dispatches announcing
that the association was about to
wind up it's business were untrue;
that none of the officers of the asso-
citation were at the proxy meeting,
and declares that the few members
who held the meeting in question did
so by precnncerted movement and
without the knowledge of the. Off
GERS. Next the circulars recite the
history of the association, which is
the oldest organized on the ASSESS
ment plan in this state. It speaks of
changes which became necessary in
The system of assessments and saws
the changes were made with the
assent of the entire membership.
After these reorganizations it was
difficult to secure new membership
and more than the average number
If deaths occurred as compared with |
,he early days of the association.
The circular states that it has been
;he intention of the trustees to SUBJ
nit at the annual meeting of the as
which occurs next month,
! full statement of the association,
ts condition, liabilities and resourc-
q, SO that its affairs may be admin
stored with the greatest possible
wisdom and safety. The circular
peaks of the recent conference of a
ew members as having banded
together wantonly to
AXE action without authority. It
ays the trustees were obliged
o make the last heavy assess
nent, because it was their duty.