The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-06-08
MODERN WOODMEN.
The Reserve Fund Proposition Leads to
Long Discussion.

Kansas City, June 1.-The action of
last nights session, which took pre-
llmlnary steps towards creating a re-
serve fund, was the chief topic of dis
cusslon among Modern Woodmen to-
day The report was made a special
business of the day and it proved
fruitful of debate. Long before the
session was called to order the great
convention hall fairly swarmed with
Woodmen bedecked in bright badges
ana animated to an unusual degree by
the work before them
Early in the session T. S. Simpson of
Peoria ILL.,, offered an amendment to
the bylaws and in attempt to secure
reconsideration of the action of the
convention yesterday in excluding dis
tillery and brewery employees from the
order. Several speeches We're made.
The convention finally refused to alter
the old law and the decision was re-
ceived with deafening applause. The
convention decided to exclude from the
benefits of insurance any members who
should in the future become brakemen
or conductors of freight trains, loco
motive engineers or firemen, switch
men, yardmasters, yard foremen,
miners, mine inspectors, mine track
layers, pit bosses, jockeys, employees in
factories making explosives glass
blowers, oil well Shooters sailors
| plow grinders, professional baseball
| players, professional firemen, subma-
rine workers. soldiers in time of war
or workers in smelters. An amend
ment excluding steel workers was Of
fered by member from Pennsylvania.
After q debate of 20 minutes. the words
| were changed to steel blasters and the
amendment was carried. Nearly 10000
members of the order, it was asserted.
would have been debarred had the first
amendment carried.
The following committee on reserve
| fund was annoupced: e. f. Murphy,
Kansas City; John Sullivan, Missoula ;
| George Jenkins. Nebraska: Harry
| Franklin, Minnesota. The head camp.
by a resolution last night, appointed
| w. A. Northcott chairman.
The committee reported at the after
noon session. The assessments are now
made only as the money is needed in
paying the faces of beneficiary claims.
The committee suggested that all the
surplus from the assessments be placed
in the reserve fund. The fund is to be
drawn upon only when more than the
| u assessments are necessary in the
year or in case of epidemics of dis
eases The report was taken up fol-
| debate at once.
Head Consul Northcott was the f1rs1
| to speak on the report He estimated
that the surplus from the assessments
by the plan adopted by the committee
| would make funds OF Sl,ZUo,uuV III
| year and suggested that when this sun
| had been reached it be invested in gov
ernment bonds.
Against the proposal to order assess
ments for the creation Of reserve func
it was argued that the head canr
would not be justified in taking sucl
radical action without first having
given the 100000 members of the ordel
an opportunity to discuss the proposi
ton and instruct their delegates to the
head camp.
A. R. Talbot of Nebraska offered Il:
substitute for the committee rec om
mendation resolution providing fo
the submission of the question to th'
membership of the society, with in
structions to the head clerk to repor
the result of the ballot to the .seat
camp at its next meeing in 1901.
The substitute resolution was adopt
ed by large majority.