Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-05-31
MORE LIGHT ON
TRIBUNE DEAL
Robert Rexdale, Former Su-
preme Secretary, Makes
a Statement.
HAD FAITH IN THE OTHERS
Money Paid to Him Put Up as Guar
antee of Salary, to Be Given
In New Position.

Robert Rexdale, former supreme sec
rotary of the Fraternal Tribunes, when
seen today regarding the statement
given out by Harold A. Weld with
reference to the affairs of the Frater-
nal Tribunes, had the following to say:
III. A Weld called me to his office
Sunday evening and said that he was
giving a statement to the Chicago Tri-
bune | told him that as had testified
before the grand jury, l had expected
to have my statement come out when
that body, or the authorities, we're
ready to release it. l found that he
had the statement prepared, and 1 sug
gested that it was only fair TO call the
local papers in and that was done.
said 1 was perfectly willing to have
all this matter published, but had not
felt free to do so.
Can COrroborate Part.
THE only part of Yields statement
can corroborate is that which relates
TO myself l was assured by DR.. A. L.
Craig of Chicago and K. NJ. Whitman
of Aledo that no part of the money
was in any sense from the funds of
the Fraternal Tribunes or from the
funds of any other society, but was
the individual funds of Thomas w
Wilson and the other four constituting
the management of the American
Home Circle.
When l was called by Dr. Craig to
Chicago, 1 met DR. Craig and X. NJ.
Whitman in my room in the Kaiserhof
1t took them some time to talk over
the condition of the Tribunes. They
pointed out that it was going down
and that we would make a net loss
during the year in spite of the money
spent and the work done in the field.
They laid great stress upon the fact
that they didn't want the order to go
down; that they had other matters
in the way of business and that they
couldn't give any more time to II;
that they were sorry for me because
of all the hard work l had given to the
order for all these years and that I
had nothing else to go to and no
means, and that the only way to save
the order was to haze some other fra
ternaI society come with us and build
It up by uniting the two.
Home Circle Named.
They sprung the American Home
Circle as a strong and well managed
society and said that it wanted 10 come
in with us. l told them l knew moth
ing about the American Home Circle
or the men at its head. and asked them
about the character of the men and
the standing of the society. They as
sured me that they were of the highest
standing, both socially and financially,
and that their motives were clean and
that the movement was for the good
of both societies They said that these
men were willing that | should be
given a cash guarantee that my posi-
ton would be secure to work with the
order; that l could do the best work
in the field, handling the deputies and
in editing the official paper The
amount of cash was not named.
Merely 'Taking in New Members"
Il raised the point that 1 thought
We could not take over the society
without consulting the entire memoer-
ship of the Tribunes in accordance
with certain bylaw of the order. They
replied that it had nothing to do with
a matter of this kind as it was simply
taking in new members. l also under
stood them to say that they had con
suited General James Mccartney of