The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1907-09-07
LEAV|TT FAILS
TO KEEP WORD
GREAT OWL ALLOWS CCNCLAVE
TO GO TO PORTLAND REGARD
LESS OF SACRED" PROMISE

Members of the local nest OF the
Brotherhood of Owls will be inter-
ested in the following piece of in
formation taken from the Oregonian:
There will be all sorts and sizes OF
hooting in this city next January, when
the Grand conclave of the Brother
hood of Owls meets. Portland had
hard fight to get this gathering, Butte
having wanted it the worst way, and
the business men of that city offered
$4,000 for entertaining the delegates,
plus what the members of that nest
would spend.
Jay H. Upton, secretary of the local
nest of Owls, announced this morning
that active work in getting ready for
the January gathering will begin at
the next meeting of the order to be
held next Tuesday night. Committees
will be appointed, as the members of
the local lodge wish to begin early
in order to be sure that everything
is in readiness when the delegates
arrive.
the growth of this order hassbeen
very rapid, it having been organized
in Walla Walla, Wash, about year
ago. Nest No. S3 was started just
a few days ago in Winnipeg, Canada,
and a score of others will be installed
before the January conclave. 1t is
expected that there will be at least
5000 visitors in Portland to attend the
gathering"
SACRED" Agreement.
The trouble which nearly disrupted
the order was started in Walla Walla,
which arose over the conduct of af-
fairs by the great Grand Executive
H. L. Leavitt and resulted in his
taking the headquarters of the grand
nest to Seattle, is still remembered
by local Owls and other citizens
Under prevailing conditions at the
time Of the trouble few opposed the
moving of the grand officers and the
headquarters. 1t was thought the only
~
the great. high Grang Executive pro-
claimed that the order would die if
! the grand nest remained here-tnat
was self evident providing Leavitt
continued to be ''it'-and that regard
less of consequences he would never
resign his high position.
+ 1t will also be remembered that at
! the time arrangements were being
made for the removal of the grand
est, great, high, grand Hooter Lea
witt gave his SACRED word of honor
as man and as an OWL etc, that the
Grand Colclave would be held in WaIa
Walla. In fact that was one of the
conditions provided for at the time of
the removal
| However, it appears that Butte and
other cities have offered money for
the meeting and it must be that the
grand nest needs the money They
/ needed money badly when they left
Walla Walla but it is safe to say that
this city is not going to give any more
money to get them back here.
Owes Life to Nest No. 1.
The grand executive, H. L. Leavitt,
and the grand secretary, borrowed
money from the local nest, and from
members of the local nest, to keep the
grand nest alive and had it not been
for the local nest the grand nest
would have gone entirely out of busi-
ness for the local nest has always
been in good financial circumstances
and kept the grand nest from absolute
bankruptcy. In fact the grand nest
owes everything to the local order.
Furthermore it was one of the cOndi-
tions imposed when consent was gwen
to moving the grand nest, that the
grand conclave be held in Walla Walia
and Leavitt, who proclaimed that he
controlled the order, gave his sacred
word, whatever that is as did also
Capt. Woods, Leavitt's grand secre-
tary, that the grand conclave would
be held in this city where the order
originated.
Some of the members of the local
order are of the opinion that nothing
particular is lost by the grand con-
clave not being held here but prac-
tically all are of the opinion that
Leavitt has failed to keep that "sa-