Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-09-22
ODD FELLOWS
ANNUAL GRAND
LODGE OPENS
FULLY 5000 ATTEND DENVER
CONVENTION
SEVEN CANDIDATES IN FIELD
FOR DEPUTY SIRE
Age Limit for Admission May Be Re-
duced to 1a-Governor 6uchtel
and Others Welcome
Delegates
[By Associated Press. ]

N ENVER, Colo, sept q. uiiy
5000 delegates and visiting mem
~ bers of the order are In the city
to attend the eighty-fourth annual ses-
sion of the sovereign grand LODGE
Independent Order of odd Fellows
The convention began its delibera-
tions this morning in the Auditorium
and will conclude Saturday morning.
Coincident with the Odd Fellows
meeting are the informal meetings OF
the Rebekahs, which are being held In
Ell Jebel temple.
Politics will engage the attention Oh
the Sovereign Grand lodge delegates 10
some little extent, although there is
but one office to be filled by votes all
the other vacancies being provided for
by custom and succession. The one
Office to be filed, and over when there
is likely to be some campaigning, is
that of deputy grand sire.
The Office of grand sire Is the hlgnest
In the gift of the order. 1t has been
the custom for years that the men
who served as deputy grand sire for a
year succeeds at the end of his term to
that of grand sire. The contest Tor
the sovereign grand lodge delegates to
keen by reason of the fact that 1t Is
the only prize in the way of an office
to be sought at the. grand lodge
meeting.
Seven In Field
There are seven candidates already
in the lists. They are w. l.. kuyken-
deputy grand sire is made all the more
Texas, Robert L. Daniel of Georgia,
John B. Cochrum of Indiana, J. s.
Hoagland of Nebraska, Massena Bull
lard of Montana and r. Hill Meyers or
Winnipeg, Manitoba. One amendment
to the constitution will come up for
consideration.
1t is to make the age limit for ad-
mission 1S years, instead of Il, as at
present. This matter has been before
the grand lodge sessions before, and
has always been voted down.
For prizes to best drilled teams or
the Patriarchs Militant there has been
appropriated $4,000. Competition for the
various prizes is most keen and some
of the best drilled organizations in
the United States are present to COM
pete.
The delegates to the annual session
or the sovereign grand lodge were es-
corted this morning by the military
organizations of the order from the
Brown Palace hotel to the. Auditorium,
where an open meeting was held.
On behalf of the state and the city,
addresses Of welcome weer made by
Governor H. A. Buchtel Mayor Rob-
ert Speer, Grand Master Joseph hewitt
and other officers of the Colorado de-
partment of Odd Fellows. Grand Sire
E. S. Conway of Illinois responded for
the order.
Adjourn to Temple
Following the preliminaries, the SOW
ereign grand lodge adjourned to El
Jebel temple, where the executive ses-
sions will be held.
d.. fra he ctr 0T-
der on the continent" said Grand Sire
Conway today. ut has 100000 MEM
bers and has not stopped growing. 1t
has forty-four homes for the aged and
INDECENT and homes and schools for
INDECENT children.
"The order has an annual income Of
$4,000, 600, of which $6,000,000 Is spent
in relief, and a similar sum for lodge
EXPENSES. This leaves a balance each
year of $3,000,000 which is added to a
reserve fund that now amounts to $780,
900 ,000."
John L. Nolan, deputy grand sire,
who will succeed Mr.. Conway as grand
sire, is citizen of Nashville. Tenn.
He is Sc years old, and has been a
member of the order since he was FL:
In 1888 he was elected grand master or
Tennessee and two years later became
a member of the sovereign lodge.
Reports Submitted
Past Grand Sire George B. Clarke of
Australasia was In attendance, at the
session of the sovereign grand lodge
today.
Grand Secretary Goodwin's report
showed 1,S65,136 members, and net
increase last year of 104,3S4: Total re-
ceipts for the order for 1907 We're $l5,-
70I12s. disbursements S7121,266, leav-
ing a surplus balance of ss,6s2.sG2. The
order paid for relief distress in 1907
$5,079, 49s.
Seattle and Chicago are bidding for
next years convention, and the chances
are said to favor the Washington city.