Evening star., 1901-08-29
Knights Templar Visit Places Of In
terest at Kentucky Capital.
GRAND BALL TO BE GIVEN TONIGHT
Denver Commandery Captures
First Prize in the Drills.
ELECTION OF OFFICERS

campment OF hnlSntS 1eHlpldrS loudy
elected Henry Bates Stoddard of Bryan,
Texas, grand commander, to succeed Reu-
ben H. Lloyd of California.
Col. George Fl. Moulton of Chicago was
elected to succeed Mr.. Stoddard as deputy
grand master
Rev. H. w. Rugg of Rhode Island was
advanced one rank, to the office of grand
generalissimo. made vacant by the election
of Col. Moulton.
Wm B. Melish of Cincinnati was elected
to succeed Rugg as captain general, while
Junior Grand Warden Joseph A. Locke OF
Portland, Me, was made senior grand
warden.
These officers were elected without oppo-
sition The only contest came in the cleo
tion of junior grand warden. There We're
fifteen candidates. Frank II. Thomas of
Washington, d. c., was elected on the sec
Ond ballot.
knights Go Sightseeing.
Today for the first time since the con-
clave of the Knights Templar began here,
the visitors were able to take full advan-
tage of the sightseeing excursions which
have been on the program every day.
With no all-absorbing feature to occupy
their time, the Knights and their ladies
went for rides the Ohio river and took
excursions into the country, while many
set out on visits to the battlefelds of Ten
nessee and to Mammoth Cave and Cum
berland Gap.
Festivities of the conclave will reach
their climax tonight when the Knights
grand ball is given in the horse show
building thousand couples will dance
and it is believed there Will be l000G spec
tators.
Many knights left the city during the
day The concave will end tomorrow.
That the conclave already had begun to
hrea Ghn q RI tIlr Of
the Pittsburg communicates early in the
day by a special train for Buffalo. The
exodus, however, will not begin in earnest
until after the grand ball tonight
The business meeting of the grand en-
campment was called to order at $50 am
After the completion of routine reports,
election of officers was taken up, with the
above result.
Colorado Takes First Prize.
Colorado Commandery, No. 1, of Denver,
before a throng of $1,000 people, and under
the critical eyes of a board of judges, COM
posed of three regular army officers and
representative of the Knights Templar,
captured first prize yesterday in the compe-
tition of drill teams for Communicates Of
the knights. ST. Bernard, No. 35, the ia
vorite with the majority of the spectators,
took second place, while Golden Gate, No.
IT, of San Francisco, and Hanselman, No.
10, of Cincinnati, came In for third and
fourth prizes, respectively. California
Commandery, No. / being the only mount
ed command, had no difficulty In captur
ing the trophy for the best appearance
and drill on horse back. The other con-
testants were Columbia Commandery, No.
2, of Washington. D. c., and Allegheny.
No. 80, of Pittsburg. Cavalry, No. 3, of
Parkersburg, w. Va, failed to appear at
the appointed hour, and did not compete.
Columbia Made a Fine Effort.
Columbia Commandery drill corps was
the last to present itself for the compe-
tition. The team was warmly received.
The men wore black fatigue hats and
blouses and white duck trousers.
In the movements generally great pre-
cision and accuracy were shown. All the
foot movements were excellent and were
much better than the movements with
the sword. The platoon movements were
exceptionally good, save in line of platoons
in columns of threeS
When the warning recall was sounded
by the official trumpeter, thirty-five min
utes after the judges announced ready
five minutes remained for the Washington
Templars to finish their program. Each
movement had been executed without de-
lay, however, and the final recall was
blown three minutes after the drill sched-
ule had been completed. One man spoiled
the rear movement by turning the wrong
way. The cadence during the entire drill
was fine. The chief Of platoons showed
cept that to the rear were executed with
splendid precision.
The crowd was lavish with applause
and considerable ovation was given the
commandery when 1t was marched off the
field and drawn up in line before the spon-
sors' tent in the field Immediately in front
Of the grand stand and ordered to present
arms to the bevy of pretty girls who had
formed line In single rank. The captain of
the Columbia Commandery is Charles Do
mer, who was captain of the National Fen
ciibleS.
Grand Encampment PrOceedinSs
What is known as the Independent men,
bership question precipitated a hot fight
at the meeting of the grand encampment
today. 1t ended by the encampment sus-
tanning the ruling of Grand Master Lloyd.
Briefly, Grand Master Lloyd holds that
to be in good standing a Knight Templar
must maintain his standing in both chap
ter and lodge The grand master read an
argument defining his position. The mat
ter went to the committee on Jurisprudence.
The committee brought in a majority re-
port accepting the grand masters stand in
the matter, but a minority report was also
submitted and strongly advocated on the
floor The two reports We're finally submit
ted to the members of the encampment
2oo of whom were present, and the vote
sustained the majority report by over 200
ballots. Grand Recorder Mayo, in speaking
Oh the matter, SdlU tonight tnat II was the
most important one to come before the
encampment.
The Jurisprudence committee also brought
In report sustaining the grand master in
his position that grand master cannot
create a Knight Templar at sight, after
the ancient fashion of kings, who knighted
soldiers on the field of battle. This ques-
tion has been mooted one. as there had
been an element favoring the granting Of
this privilege to the grand master, who
would thus be able to honor prominent men
In the way universities and colleges confer
degrees upon distinguished persons.
The encampment decided to put the as
sessment OF sir knights back to cents
per capita a year. At the Pittsburg con-
clave the rate was reduced to 3 cents, as
the encampment had more money than 1t
knew what to do with. Grand Recorder
Mayo said that there Is still plenty Of
money on hand, and the adoption of the
old rate has no particular significance.
Ex-Secretary Morton Buys a Paper.