The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-05-17
MOOSE lodge
II. ORGANIZATION
1T HAD AT FIRST A HARD sTRuG-
GLE FOR EXISTENCE, BUT IN
THE PAST FEW YEARS HAS
GROWN TO A GREAT EXTENT
HAS OVER 100000 MEMBERS.

fed was OF such a crude stripe, and so
ar below his ideal, that he did not
hesitate to express his displeasure.
Inc members approached him after
the meeting to accept the dictatorship
OF the organization, but he emphatic-
ally refused. Finally he was persuad-
ed to take up the work Of the new
lodge on the condition that he be al
lowed to reWrlte its ritual. He became
SO absorbed with his task, inspired by
the grandeur of the work, that he gave
to it far greater sublimity In aim and
purpose than he had at first conceived.
A few weeks later it vas presented in
tull rltuallstlc form at a meeting of
the Louisville lodge. The purified rit-
ual was received with cheers, and this
meeting marks the real beginning of
the Loyal Order of Moose, Shortly
after writing the ritual in 1883, DR..
wilson organized the Supreme lodge
and at the first convention in Louis
vile, Ky, he was elected supreme die
tator. His first move was to go to
Cincinnati and build a lodge there
Later he went to st. Louis, then back
to Louisville for a second lodge in that
city. linen to Lafayette, Ind; Colum-
BUS, o.; and Buffalo, N. Y. At the
second annual convention Of the
brotherhood, he was again elected SUI
preme dictator, and before the close
or hat term of office he had fifteen
lodges scattared over a number Of cit
les from Buffalo to Kansas City, and
from Lafayette to Louisville. In this
work, he exhausted his personal
means. He received practically no re-
enumeration for his labors.
The order experienced a short period
OF great prosperity in the early nine
ties when it reached a total enrolment
of approximately 5000 members. The
financial panic of 1898, combined with
poor business management and utter
lack or proper organization system,
may be given as reasons for the de-
cline which started at that time and
continued steadily for fourteen years.
One by one, the old lodges lost inter-
est, ceased paying their semi annual
tax, and, finally, going out of existence,
surrendered their seals, their charters,
and their paraphernalia, until the SUI
preme secretary's office, which had
been removed to Charlottesville. Ind.
looked like a museum of antiquities.
Few people ever realized how near
the entire fraternity came to going
out of existence in 1904. 1t was along
in this year that Montgomery lodge,
No. 6, of Charlottesville, which had for
ten years been the leading lodge of the
order, was In a most distressed condi-
ton. 1t had but thirty-two members.
0%AN "a 1AASIiSJ al liiG lSdSUIS. IL was
practically settled in the minds of the
officers that 1t would be best to dis
band. Word was passed around thai
a meeting would be held on a certain
evening for the purpose of discussing
the affairs of the lodge. That evening
Edward Barr, who was then supreme
secretary, and several others came to
the meeting place, and saw standing
In the corner the prosecuting attorney
Of the town who said: Il came up to-
night to get my sick benefits" Being
too proud to admit the lodge had no
funds, the supreme secretary advised
him that before a warrant could be
drawn the matter must be voted on at
the meeting. Inasmuch as there was
not a quorum present, the claimant for
benefits was told his case must lay
over until the next meeting.
Two or three Of the leaders then
hurriedly held a private conference
and debated what should be done. 1t
was evident that the lodge must either
admit it's inability to pay it's obligation
and go out of business without further
ceremony, or drastic measures. must be
taken at once to raise some money.
They finally decided that during the
following week each would put forth
a special effort to secure a new mem
Der for the organization, which If sue
cessful would temporarily replenish
the treasury. At the next regular
meeting the applications from four
new candidates were presented with
$40 initiation fees. This was a suf1-
cient sum to cover the claim of the
prosecuting attorney for sick benefits.
No one outside of two or three men,
bers knew the dilemma through which
the lodge a just passed.
From this time on, those few who
had the interests of the order at heart
decided to put forth renewed efforts,
and Montgomery lodge, which only re-
Gently had been on the verge of disso-
luton, soon took on new life. Had
this lodge at this time gone out Of ex-
istence, 1t would have sounded the
death knell Of the Loyal Order Of
Moose for all time to come.
In the summer of 1906, the leaders
in Montgomery lodge met inc eau
cused as to what If anything could be
done to further the fraternity III
general. They also interested JEFF
ferson Irwin, of Frankfort, Ind, who
was then supreme dictator. Upon
looking about over the field they found
that there was not in their member
ship anyone qualified to compete with
the organizers Of other orders, to
make the Moose a success. A few
weeks prior to the convention of 1906,
which was held at Charlottesville,
these leaders headed by Capt. John
Drury, of Montgomery lodge No. s,
called into consultation James J.
Davis, who had gained a most enViable
reputation in fra~ternalism.
The conference finally, ended with
a proposition from Mr.. Davis to the
| supreme lodge to the effect that if
the supreme lodge would elect for d
term of even years, a supreme board
of organization, to be composed IF
! five members of the order, that he
would enter into a contract with the
board whereby he would assume all
duties and responsibilities of supreme
organizer for a period of seven years;
that he would advance funds to equip
the order with necessary printed mat
ter and supplies and take his chance
on future results.
BY the first of December, 1906. ac-
tual work was begun in a number of
territories. The first lodge Installed by
the board was at Anderson. Ind.
which vas put in on December 1S,
1906, with a strong membership. FOL
lowing this, an endeavor was begun
to complete by the first Of the year,
1908, a chain of lodges from coast to
coast. Early in 1907, the first prac-
tical Results We're obtained along this
lire, ait which time a. charter list was
gotten up at Pueblo, Col. and a little
later a vigorous lodge was installed
at that place. In March, 1907, several
lodges We're instituted in Canada as
well as many of the large cities in the
United States.
At the convention at Uniontown,
Pa, Rodney H. Brandon. who had