Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1905-05-02
HIGH OFFICIALS AS MAsoNs.
President, Vice President and Most
Members of Congress Are AffiIiates.

A washington special to the New
York Evening Post says: Both Mr..
Roosevelt and Mr.. Fairbanks went in
to Masonry after they had been chos-
en- for the office of vice president. Mr..
Roosevelt was popularity elected in
November, 1900, and before the winter
was over he had become a member OF
the Matincock lodge, at Oyster Bay.
He has been elected to receive the de-
grees in the Royal Arch chapter but
has never taken them. because Of the
pressure Of public business. He
might, Of course, take these degrees
during the summer vacation at Oyster
Bay, but this would now attract 80
much attention as to embarrass him
and the chapter at that place, and so
he has decided to wait until he Is once
more a private citizen.
Mr. Fairbanks took the symbolic
blue lodge degrees at Indianapolis, un-
der a dispensation from the grand
master Of Indiana, during the recent
holiday recess, the three degrees be-
ing conferred In one day. He has
since, Immediately following the ad-
journment Of the special session OF the
senate, taken the chapter degrees, al
so under dispensation, and In one day.
It is said to be his purpose during the
present year to take the remaining
degrees Of the New York rite, ending
with that Of Knight Templar, and then
to take the Scottish Rite degrees up to
and including the thirty-second de-
gree. He will thus be shown all the
mysteries of the order far ahead OF the
man whose place in the White House
he hopes to fill after 1908.
It Is rather a noteworthy fact that
the great majority of presidents Of the
United States from Washington to
Roosevelt have been members of the
Masonic fraternity. In the later years
the best known Of these are Garfield,
Harrison and Mckinley. Garfield was
4 Knight Templar and held his MEM
bership in all the York rite bodies In
this city. He was a charter memr'r
Of a Washington blue lodge and re-
mained on its rules until his death.
Mckinley was also a Knight Templar,
but his membership was in Ohio.
John Quincy Adams, who came into
the presidency during the days of the
anti Mason excitement, talked and
wrote against the order with consider
able vigor. Andrew Jackson at one
time was grand master Of the grand
'odge Of Tennessee.
An informal poll was made Of the
two houses of congress a few years
ago by a Washington Mason, and 1t
was discovered that more than 81 per
cent of the members Of the house were
in the order, and more than 80 per
cent of the members Of the senate.
The city Of Washington Is perhaps
the strongest Masonic city of the
world. or its population Of 27S,OOO,
after deducting $4,000 negroes, $4,000
people remain from whom to draw for
Masonic purposes. The register OF
the grand lodge of this city shows that
there are awards Of 5000 affiliated
Masons here, belonging to twenty
seven blue lodges. There are four
teen Royal Arch chapters and five
communicates of knights Templer.
Washington Is also the headquarters
of the Scottish Rite of the southern
Jurisdiction, and on that account the
Scottish Rite bodies here are especial
ly strong.
Several earnest efforts have been
made by local lodges to have Presi-
dent Roosevelt visit them, but thus
far without avail. He feels that he
cannot accept one invitation Of this
character without accepting others,
and to accept all that would come
would be highly inconvenient. He has
been made an honorary member OF
two Of the local blue lodges. Mr..
Fairbanks has already visited several
Of the local lodges, and 1t Is probable
that these visits will be continued
next winter and during the rest Of his
term as vice president.