The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1906-01-27

The report of the committee on juris-
prudence which was unanimously
| adopted by the grand lodge, sums up
the case as follows:
Report of Committee on Jurisprudence
Which was Adopted by the
Grand Lodge.
1t is only when a grand lodge at
tempts to establish a lodge within the
territorial jurisdiction of another grand
lodge, that the establishment of such
lodge constitutes an invasion of the
jurisdiction of any grand lodge.
We have no grand lodge of the Unit
ed States of Americana body exeTcis-
ing Masonic control over all territory
of the United States. Each state and
each territory, with the exception of
one or two, has its own grand lodge,
exercising supreme control and having
exclusive territorial jurisdiction within
the limits of of said state or territory.
The Hawaiian islands are not within
the territorial jurisdiction of any Grand
Lodge of any of our States or Terri
tories, and no such grand lodge claims
exclusive territorial jurisdiction over
them. How, then, can it be contended
that the establishment of a lodge there
| in by any foreign Grand Lodge is an
invasion of the jurisdiction of any
American grand lodge?
1t is suggested that such an act
would be an invasion of the jurisdic-
ton of each of the American Grand
Lodges, which alone should have power
to charter lodges on American soil. We
| have power to charter lodges on Anne
rican soil. We have not been able to
ascertain that such doctrine has ever
been asserted by any American Grand
Lodge, and so long as we maintain our
system of separate and Independent
state and territorial grand lodges, such
a doctrine would not appear to be in
consonance with well established ma
! sonic principles. Our American Grand
Lodges have no. collective territorial
! jurisdiction.
The American doctrine goes no fur
Their than this, viz: Only one grand
lodge shall be established in any State
or territory. Whenever one is es-
tablished it has the absolute control
J and government of all masons and of
| all lodges of the first three degrees, and
no other Grand Lodge or grand body
can in any way interfere with its
Jurisdiction by establishing new lodges
therein, or even by maintaining those
already established. The territory is
absolutely, exclusively and perpetually
the territory of the grand lodge es-
tablished over it. From the moment
of the organization of the new grand
lodge it's jurisdiction becomes absolute
over the entire territiry, and all lodges
and all masons there must acknowledge
it and yield obedience to it, and their
allegiance elsewhere ceases. CVol. x
Proc. pp. 547, 558, $40. Vol. XII, Proc
p. 112)
This is the American doctrine, de.
clared by Mackay, and many, if not
all, of our grand lodges, and is the only
American doctrine, as we understand
and it has no application to the case
at hand, for the reason that no grand
lodge has ever been organized in Ha-
waiian territory.
We are, therefore, of the opinion that
the action of the Grand Lodge of Scot
land i'm chartering Maui lodge in the
| Hawaiian islandt cannot be regarded
by us as such an invasion of the juris-
diction of any American Grand Lodge
as would warrant us in holding the
lodge to be an illegal body.