The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1905-11-09
First Annual Meeting to be Held in Bos-
ton June 7, 1906.

SulS6tSO, lloo lOlulANNl lloIlO. liz lC-
ports this first session OF the National
harmonious one. Over twenty States
we're represented. Mr.. Dow alone
represented his State as delegate and
! was honored with d position on some
important committees and was elected
one of the three trustees Of the Ma
tional Grand Lodge. The next session
will be held III Boston in June, 1906.
An invitation was extended from Port
land, Maine, and received 20 votes out
of a total of 80.
The officers and their duties in the
national grand lodge are much the
same as in the grand and district lodges.
1t was voted that grand lodges send
ing appeals shall forward the same to
the national grand chief templar and if
an appeal is taken from his decision
the question on appeal shall be sub
mitted to the national grand lodge eX-
ecutive committee and their decision
shall be final 1t was voted that re-
galias for subordinate lodges should be
white but that grand lodges can decide
as to whether or not they shall have
white or blue, but that the grand lodge
must decide and have a uniform color,
either white, as provided in the consti-
tuition of the national grand lodge, or
blue if the grand lodge shall so vote.
A member out on clearance card shall
have the full rights Of membership
After long discussion it was voted to
adopt Thomas B. Reeds rules for the
government of the national and grand
lodges and all allied bodies. The un-
written work of the order has been
changed considerably and the changes
are to be forwarded to the grand and
subordinate lodges as rapidly as posi-
BILE.
According to the vote of the interna-
tional supreme lodge at its session held
in Belfast, Ireland, last August the
name of the order was changed from
the Independent to the International
Order of Good Templars and this
change will become operative at once.
1t was voted that when grand
lodge falls below the 1000 mark in point
of membership that the grand lodge
shall pay its per capita tax to the ma
tional executive committee and shall
continue to do so until the number
again reaches the 1000 mark.
This change was made to stimulate
the grand lodges to keep up its men,
bership. 1t was shown that there are
"a grand lodges with membership of
over 1000, 13 with less than 500 men,
beers, seven with less than 300, four with
less than 200 and one grand lodge with
only 176 members.
II was also voted that children while
in the charge OF their parents can at
tend the subordinate lodge sessions
until they become of eligible age to
join the order.
The 18th of March i'll each year was
designated as Good Templars day and
every lodge is required to have some
public recognition of the day.
1t was also voted that any member
who goes out of the order and returns
after any length of time shall have all
past honors restored providing such an
one has not broken his obligation.
1t was also voted that the national
chief templar, the grand chief templar
of each State, the district chief templar
and the subordinate lodge chief tenn
plars shall at the commencement of
their term appoint a press reporter
whose duty it shall be to furnish the
press with official news relative to the
order and what it is doing.