The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-08-29

content is the fact that in many OF the
subordinate and grand lodges we have men
filing salaried positions both in this order
and others. and in many cases the older
organizations pay the highest salary. As a
consequence. We find the latter organiza-
tions receive their best efforts. and. at the
same time, they are so imbued with the
laws of these rival institutions they cannot
resist the temptation to engraft their pc
culiar ideas into the management of the
affairs of the knights of Pythias. This in
cubus. unless removed. will sooner or later
drag this order we all love so much down
TO a mere existence, instead of being COM
petitor for first honor as the strongest and
most influential of all secret orders.
1.-The Knights of Pythias are big enough.
strong enough, brainy enough and infiuen-
tial enough TO work out their own saliva
ton, and 1 would strongly recommend that
any supreme officer or representative or
grand or subordinate lodge officer who is
so entangled with other organizations that
he cannot give us his best efforts and best
thoughts, should step down and out of off,
cial positions and allow them TO be elected
who believe that we have the best secret
order that floats banner in this great ma
ton to-day. When this is done then will
we indeed have within our ranks only those
who can render a loyal obedience TO its
laws and regulations.
Members In a few domains have violated
your stringent legislation relative TO the
admission of saloon keepers. bartenders
and gamblers; others have set at defiance
your laws relative to the initiation fees and
the law relative to Sunday excursions, us
ing the lodge name. but calling it pleas
ure club. loudly clamoring for permission
to have intoxicating liquors at entertain
ments, on the theory that other and Older
institutions of a similar nature permit it.
II have unbounded faith i'm the loyalty of
a very large percentage of the membership
to the laws of the order but this body
should enact legislation at this session i'm
unmistakable language that will compel the
grand chancellors to enforce the plain pro-
visions of the laws you have made: and If.
after due notification from the supreme
chancellor that laws have been violated.
the said grand chancellors fail to apply the
remedy, the authority should be given the
supreme chancellor to at once suspend such
officer, pending an investigation by the su-
preme tribunal. AS it is now, the terms OF
both the supreme and grand chancellors
expire before an opportunity i'm many
cases is presented for the offenders to be
brought before the legal tribunal of the or
der. Drastic measures of this character
would not have to be applied more than
once or twice until such troubles would dis
appear from the ranks of this order never
to return. Let us make determined ef-
fort to assist In maintaining the high
standard which will come to this fraternity
simply enforcing our own laws.
ION Dec. 81. 1898, the reports. as made
to the Supreme Lodge from the different
grand domains, showed a membership OF
470,79S. The returns received to Dec. 81
1899, show total membership OF 49l,672, a
net increase for the year 1899 of 1859
(CONTINUED ON FIFTH PAGED