Omaha daily bee., 1908-09-22
Delegates and Visitors Are Welcomed
by Governor Buchtel.
RACE FOR DEPUTY GRAND SIRE
Seven Candidates for Office =,
Vacated by Promotion. {
FINANCES ARE IN GOOD sHA
Annual Income of the order L. FiA
teen Millions, with surplus of
Three MiIIiOns--Rebekah
Degree Meets.

DENVER, Sept. n.-Fully 5000 delega es
and visitors of the order are in the city
10 attend the elghty-fourth annual session
of the sovereign grand lodge, Independent
order OF Odd Fellows. The convention be-
gan its deliberations this morning in the
Auditorium and viii conclude Saturday
morning. Coincident with the Odd Fellows
meeting is the informal meeting Of the
Rebekahs, which is being held in El Jebsl
temple.
There is but one office to be filled by
vote, al! the other vacancies being pro-
vided for by custom and succession. Tne
one office to be filled and over which there
is likely to be some campaigning is that of
deputy grand sire.
1t has been the custom for years that
the man who serves as deputy grand sire
for year succeeds at the end Of his term
TO that of grand sire, the highest office
in the order For the office of deputy
grand sire seven candidates are already in
the lists They are w. L. Kuykendall of
wyoming. "A. c. Keller OF Texas, Robert r.
Daniel of Georgia. John B. Cochrum of
Indiana, J. S. Hoagland Of Nebraska, Mas
sena Builard of Montana and r. Hi
Meyers OF Winnipeg, Man.
One important question will come up for
consideration. 1t Is to make the age limit
for admission IS years instead of 2l as at
present This matter has been before the
grand lodge sessions before and has al
ways been voted down,
For prizes for the best drilled teams Of
the Patriarchs Militant there has b,en
appropriated $1,000. Competition for the
various prizes will be most keen and some
of the best drilled organizations in the
United States are present.
Governor Addresses Members.
The delegates to the annual session of the
Sovereign Grand Lodge Independent ordcr
of ODD Follows, which begun here today
were escorted this morning by the military
organizations of the order from the Brown
palace hotel to the Auditorium, where an
omen meeting was held. On behalf of the
state and city addresses of welcome were
made BIZ Governor II. A. Buchtel, Mayor
Robert w. speer Grand Master Joseph
hewitt and other officers of the Colorado
departtnent of Odd Fellows Grand SIG
70. S. Conway OF Illinois responded for the
order
Following the preliminary exercises the
sovereign grand lodge adjourned to FL
Jebel temple where the executive sessions
will be held
"Tbis is the strongest fraternal order on
the continent" said Grand Sire Conway
today. 1T has lSOO,WO members ana mas
not stopped growing. II has forty-four
homes for the aged and INDECENT and homes
and schools for dependent children.
Large Annual Income.
THE order has an annual income of SIS
100000 OF which S6,O0OOOO is spent in relief,
and similar sum for lodge expenses. Tins
leaves a balance each year of 100000
which is added to a reserve fund that now
amounts to s5O,oOO,OOO.
There are '2OS representatives to this
convention, the largest states having -four
and the smaller ones from two to three.
John l.. Nolan, deputy grand sire. who
will succeed e. s. Conway as grand sire
is a citizen of Nashville, Tenn. He is 81
years Of age and has been member OF the
order Stree he was q years Of age. In 1855
he was elected grand master of Tennessee
ana two years later became member OF
the sovereign lodge.