The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1903-08-25
ALL NOT HARMONY IN PROM
iNENT FRATERNAL ORDER.
CALL IT A SQUEEZE GAME
Proposition to Advance Rates on Old
Men Brings Forth Some visor-
GUS Protests.

/ Today the grand lodge Of the Mon.
tana jurisdiction of the A. o. U. W.
began it's session at Helena and will
continue until tomorrow.
1 What is probably the most import
ant question that the grand lodge has
ever been called upon to consider will
form a part of the proceedings Of this
session. It has to do with the assess
ment Of members to pay death bene-
fits or insurance.
4 This evening w. Warne Wilson,
chairman Of the finance committee,
will make his report and will make it
the occasion for delivering an address
on the matter of the rates it is pro-
posed to make. Mr.. Wilson is the
originator of the proposed change and
will endeavor to fully explain his idea,
after which it will be discussed by the
lodge and finally passed upon.
1t is regarded as quite likely that
some decidedly earnest discussion will
follow introduction Of the proposal, as
/ it contemplates marked increase Of
the rates that have to be paid by the
older members of the order. The pro-
posed plan contemplates that mem
i bers over SIS years of age will be re-
quired to pay at the rate Of $40 q
month for a straight life insurance Of
| $500. Under the rates now in force
/ a man of that age must pay only
/, $3.50 month.
/ Undoubtedly the innovation will be
/ fought bitterly by the members who
f, are getting well along in years. The
! matter has been discussed informally
and some of the newspapers of the
state have taken part in the discus
sion. Charges of graft" have not
been lacking, the older members
claiming that the entire proposition is
simply a move to assess them out Of
the order and compel them to lose al.
/ the money they have paid in during
Il
, ship in the order. They warn the
younger members not to be taken in
| by any pleas that the proposed change
is for their benefit, for they, too, will
eventually grow old and then they will
have to "go' At least one editor
! gave it as his opinion that the change
if made, will destroy the usefulness
of the order by deterring men from
| joining through the knowledge that
as they grow older the burden Of
assessments will grow too heavy for
them to bear, and that just at the
time when they naturally need insur-
ance the most, they will find them
selves without a cent to be left to
their families, after all the years they
have paid toward little fund to be
used by those dependent upon them
In some quarters the fear is ex-
pressed that split will occur If the
Wilson idea prevails and that the Or
der will lose greatly in membership.
At present there are 1854 members
of the order in Montania as against
4,59O at the same time last year, show
ing that at the best it is not growing.
OF these those who are 55 years and
over number 553.
Present Officers.
The present officers of the grand
lodge are:
Past grand master workman, F. z.
Grandy, Butte; grand master work
man.. c. R. A. scobey, Poplar; grand
foreman, j. B. Trevarthan, Walker
Vile; grand overseer, E. G. Worden.
Lewiston; grand recorder, Robert II.
Howey, Helena; grand receiver. Z. g,
Shelton, Boulder; grand medical ex-
anliner, R. W. Getty, Phillipsburg;
grand guide, F. S. Putnam, Neihart
grand inner guard, H. w. Flanagan,
Stevensville; grand outer guard, Geo.
S. Miller, Deer Lodge; grand trustees, =
Moss Morris, Henela; Jere Sullivan
Fort Benton; Chris Hoffman, Butte; u
committee on laws. Masena Bullard,
Helena; Harry S. Wales. Butte; +. M- 81
Cosier, Poplar: committee on finance,
J. w. Chivers, Fred Schulten and
Louis Israel, Helena; COMMITTEES on
arbitration, J. M Rhoades, Miles City;
p Carney. Waterloo; = y: Ayerill
Townsend.
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