The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-04-13
sEC'Y BRACKET DEpOsED.
Grant Rogers Elected General
Secretary Good Templars.
There was No Choice for Chief Templsr
Reports show Lodge Has Fallen
on in Membership.

session of the Grand Lodge Of Maine Good
Templars. opened in Journal hall this
forenoon with the largest attendance In
years Grant Rogers, Esq, OF Rich-
moned, Grand Chief .Templar. Is in the
chair.
The large attendance is accounted for
in part by the lively contest for the offices
Of Chief Templar and secretary.
The forenoon session was devoted chiefly
to the reading OF reports and the address
of Chief Templar Rogers.
REPORT OF GENERAL SECRETARY
BRACKETT.
The report of General Secretary George
K. Brackett of Belfast showed a decrease
in the number of lodges, the present
figures being 22s, against s30 last year;
also a decrease in the number of men,
bers. 9,049, against 10000 at the annual
session In 1895. The figures are; Num-
Der of lodges at April session, '9S, 1856;
instituted since, 70; reorganized, 8; total,
264. Number surrendered and for feited
charter, ETC., AZ; present number Of
| lodges. 222; Number Of members at last
session, 10000; since initiated, 2,479;
admitted by card, 81; reinstated, 435 /;
total addition, SO01; total, l3,00i. Mum.
Der withdrawn by card, 205; withdrawn
| from the order, 3ls; died, IS; lost by
surrender and forfeited charters. 1890;
suspended, .. COZ; total loss, 5,S57; ta1
paying membership, 2, 1874. Number of
lodges not reported, estimated. l,925,
making a total of 9.049 paying supreme
lodge tax.
The grand secretary gives list of the
new lodges organized and reorganized.
| the lodges surrendering and FORGETTING
charters, and other Information of inter-
est to members of the order.
TREASURER's REPORT.
The report of Grand Treasurer +. G.
Holt of Norridgewock showed that the
total receipts for the year amounted to
s., 909.24 The expenditures amounted to
81, ss7. 40 Cash on hand, SCI 70. The
largest appropriation is the salary of the
grand secretary, 5000 year. The super
intsudent of Juvenile Temples depart
ment appropriation is $500. and out of
this comes all her expenses and the money
for organization work in the Temple.
The state organization work is another
heavy appropriation. 1t has gone to the
Grand Chief lie mplar and his deputies,
j. NJ. Buffum o! Norridgewock, K. v.
Stevens of Oakland, L. j. Prescott of Vas
salboro and Media Henmingway, Mrs. +.
n. Maines, T. ]. Prescott, David Boyd,
NJ Gaira nd ofh
The receipts come from the initiation to
the Grand Lodge, so cents q member;
and the per capita tax and sale of station
cry from the grand secretary's office.
The Grand Lodge is in debt $500, or about
twice the Indebtedness of last year. Mr..
Holt closes his third term and has served
in perfectly satisfactory manner to all
of the members.
Chief Tenplar Rogers in his report,
said: II recommend that committee
of three be chosen from this Grand Lodge
10 formulate plan to be submitted to
the next session of the International Su-
preme Lodge for second degree in the
subordinate work--to which only adult
mem Ders, who pass a strict test as to 10y
HlJy VIII D5 tllRlUle. LII tuIb QckIct,Sch-
posed of members of years of disore ton,
can be handled the important phases of
temperance work which cannot now be
successfully done by our order. AL
though not as successful rs we had hoped,
YET our efforts for temperance legislation
created more comment and attracted
more attention to Good Templsry in
Maine than anything we had undertaken
in years. Your q. &. II. was three times
at the State Capitol, being repulsed by the
temperance committee, some of the MEM
bers of which had neither the disposition
nor capacity to investigate the merits of
our proposition. / succeeded late in the
hands of the legal affairs committee, who
referred it to the next legislature.
The criminal docket of most every
county in our state furnishes evidence
of the most fragrant disregard OF duty
and the oath of office of county attorney
and other Off Gals, and before fair and
i'm partial tribunal, many of our officials
could be impeached. We should expose
the disgraoeful practices of dishonest
officials. If papers will not print the
facts we should send them broadcast in
pamphlet form.
"Our order is greatly hampered by the
lack of money to do much needed and
important work. While no Grand Lodge
office receives adequate returns for the
labor and sacrifice required by the duties
of the office, yet the grand secretary is
better paid than any other. The same
salary is paid the grand secretary today
as was paid when the work was great
er, and our revenue In membership twice
as large. Consequently l advise cutting
his salary down 800.
The Temperance Record is also an un-
neoe ssnry expense to our order. IL has
been subsidized by the Grand Lodge for
years. and still it is published at loss
TO Its owner. While it is somewhat con-
venient for the limited few members of
our order who read 1t, 1t is rarely read
or seen by anyone outside our lodges.
In eleotipg officers this evening the
Grand Lodge had great difficulty. There
wara two facfions ahnut puuaIiv ii iy idad