The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-06-11
WOMEN ARE
BARRED OUT
BY KNIGHTS
Grand Lodge Refuses by
a Decisive Vote.
THE DEBATE WAS
LONG AND LIVELY
Money is Telegraphed to the
Flood Stricken Brethren.
REPORT OF THE
SUPREME DICTATOR
The Work is Shown to Be in Most Ex-
ccIent Condition = Deaths ofMem-
bers Are Reported-The An
nouncement Of Commit
tees--The Election
Of Officers.
REPORT OF THE
SUPREME DICTATOR

4
sumed the greater portion OF the fore
noon. the Supreme Lodge, Knights OF
Honor. sitting in annual convention at
the Masonic Temple. In this city. yester-
day decided by substantial majority
that at the present time It will be mad :
visab.e to admit women to membership
In the order
While the question has been agttated
before, It came this year with special
Significance. At the last annual meet
ing provision was made for change in
the charter by which the phraseology
would be made to read in such a man
ner that ell white persons, mala and
female, might be included in the orgap'-
zation. This was done In order that tho
Grand Lodge might admit women when
it saw ft. But UP to this time the body
has not seen at. and the much-debated
proposition is shelved for at least one
more year. The vote yesterday was de-
cisIve, still the advocates OF the tnno-
walton claim that the movement shows
signs OF increasing popularity.
A LIVELY DEBATE.
The matter came up on the report Of
stte Executive Committee. to which the
vexed question had heen rcferlcd last
year. Only four members Of this corr
nnittee were present and they were even
~ divided. The lodge. sitting in COM
mittee OF the whole. received the report
OF these gentlemen, and then an effort
was made to have the matter referred
back to the executive. After lively
debate the Committee OF the Whole re-
fused by vote Of 4S to q to refer. aad
1t thereupon went into a considerable
I OF the report. Further discussion ra-
suited In a. decision to recommend to
the Supreme Lodge that the admission
OF women at this time was inadvisable
The question was now transferred to
the Supreme Lodge on the report OF the
Committee OF the Whole. a roll call
was taken, with the result that 81 merl-
bers were in favor OF excluding the wo-.
men and 81 In favor Of admitting them.
Over the question before 1t was finally
settled there developed long and lively
debate which consumed great por-
ton of the morning session. There were
many speeches. and some Of them were
those of the Supreme Dictator, Mr.. D.
IS. Biggs. of Baltimore, who opposed the
change. and Ex-Governor j.. G. shcp-
pard. OF South Carolina, an advocate o.
the movement. Among the others who
occupied the floor were Supreme Re-
porter Givan. Supreme Guide Hancock.
Past Supreme Dictator Gratz. and Sl-
preme Representatives Boyle, OF Penn
sylvanie: Tillman Smith, Of Texas;
George Thornburg. OF Arkansas: NJ J..
Grove. OF California;: Colonel G. 4. Bait
zell, OF Florida; John f. Donovon. OF
Illinois: j. G. Graves, Of Iowa; y, j.
Hess and f. G. Boone. OF Kentucky; c..
H. Brownlee of Louisiana: II. a. Kid
der Of Massac chusetts: 8. r. Watts and
Marx Goldstein, of Mississippi: D. T..
Sherwood, Of Rhode Island; R. W, Hudl-
son, OF Texas; NJ F. Kennedy, OF South
Carolina. and others.
The Meeting.
The lodge was called to order at 10
o'clock yesterday morning In the COM
mandery room of the Temple by the SUI
preme dictator. Mr.. d. S, Biggs, of Bos-
ton.
After the admission of several new mem
hers the lodge receive the report OF the
Committee on Laws touching the Wis
consin case It is provision of the or
der that grand jurisdiction having more
than 500 members shall he entitled to two
representatives, the others TO be repre-
scented by one delegate, When Wisconsin
selected her two representatives she had
the required number of members, but
since that time this number has fallen
to 474 The question now was whether
both the representatives should be adj
mitted, The Supreme Lodge ollshed
an interesting ana important prccenstlt
by deciding in favor of the admission of
both the gentlemen,
An appeal by telegram was received
from the afflicted Pacolet Lodge, in South
Carolina, which Is Immediately IN the
region of the flood that has swept over
a portion OF that State. There are twen-
ty-nine members in this lodge, and most
OF them are affected by the disaster. 1t
is even possible that some OF them lost
their lives in the high water, The sum
of two hundred dollars was telegraphed
TO them for immediate purposes. This
amount will probably be increased Aater
TO ar least five hundred
THE SUPREME DlCTAToR'Sf REPORT,
The reports Of the supreme offlcers
were presented and referred to the proper
committees. All OF these reports are in
teresting and important,
Among other things the supreme dlota-
tor spoke Of the special deputy. declar-
ing that he had come to stay and, fur
thermore. that. with the competition to
lie met at the present time, 1t Will be
impossible to successfully carry on the
work Of the Knighta OF Honor without
the employment of such deputies, With
reference to the order as a whole, he
showed 1t to he in most excellent condi-
tion. He appealed for care that no mis-
takes be made at this session The
Knights of Honor is not only a great fra
ternal society; 1t Is great corporation.