Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-10-03
ONCE FLOURISHED HERE
BROTHERHOOD OF THE UNION TO
MEET AGAIN IN THIS CITY.
Search of the Records Shows Promi-
nence Attained by Washing
tonians in the Past.

The holding of the national convention
of the Supreme Circle of the Brotherhood
of the Union in this city on October II, IS,
10 and 90 recalls the once fourishng con-
dition of the order here. 1t was along in
the eos when there were seven circles and
two branches of the home communion, the
latter the ladies' branch firmly establish
ed here. Unforeseen circumstances inter-
vened and proved the disruption of the
order in the District of Columbia and
neighboring states.
At least two Neutrality-suspicious. filled the
highest positions in the order. ]. Martin
Mcfarland sat in the Supreme Washing
ton chair when the national convention
was held in this city in 1868. In 1876 when
the national convention was held in Phila-
delphia, Richard Emmons of this city pre-
sided Emmons was also supreme scroll
keeper (secretary) when the Supreme Circle
met in Washington in 1873. Washington
has had the national convention on two
former occasions-1S6S and 1875.
The early records of the order, 1t Is said
were somewhat meagerly kept, and some
lost. thorough research on the part of
interested persons however, has brought TO
light some interesting data to Washington
folk When the Supreme Circle met here
in 1863 the following circles were in en-
istence: Capitol No. /, Washington No. .,
Potomac No. 3, Franklin No. 4, Jefferson
CsO. D, MI vernon No U anu independence
No. Z. at Georgetown. The last four
named had been just organized that year.
The Local Representation.
Representation to the Supreme Circle in
those days seemed to be direct from the cir
ces. The following were the representa-
tives from the Washington circles: Capitol
Circle, No. l, was represented by John w.
Cross and Thomas Richardson; Washington
Circle, No. g. by Richard Emmons and Jo-
seph Hartley; Potomac Circle, by Thomas
Rich and James Dement,. Franklin Circle,
No. 4, by Joseph Whitmore and w. r. Hail.
and Jefferson, No o. by William r. Hail
and William Scott. The membership of the
order, as divided among the several cir
cles, was as follows: Capitol, 131; Wash
ington, l22; Potomac, Ia; Franklin, 54
Jefferson. SO; Mt. Vernon r. and-Inde-
pendence Of Georgetown no report.
times in knights of Pythias Hall. No loca-
ton Is given in the minutes of the 1868 con-
vention, but in the 1875 convention the To-
cation given is It'll and 3D. streets.
In the minutes of the 1870 convention the
Supreme Washington, in his address. re-
fers to the strenuous times the stagnation
In business, due to the financial panic then
sweeping over the country The convention
was the twenty fifth anniversary of the es-
ta.blishment Of the order of the Supreme
Washington Francis P. Gibbs of Philadel-
phia lamented the condition of affairs. It
was largely due to this financial panic and
the final seeding of the south and west
at a later convention, because of an effort
to strike out the word 'nnion" for sec
tional feeling manifest, that the order went
to the wall in the District of Columbia.
1t is a source of delight to the Supreme
Circle that this lost territory is rapidly
being reclaimed and several new circles in
the national capital are promised.