The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1913-12-04
T0TAKE CARE OF OLD MEMBERS
Elgin Men Sends Suggestions to Lead
ers of Order in Kenosha to Permit
Old Members to Remain at Old Rates,
Fix New Rates for New Members.

men of Kenosha have received an open
letter from Frank w. Joslyn, an Elgin
attorney, and one of the oldest mem
bers Of the Head Camp of the big fra
Tternal organization, suggesting a way
out of the present troubles of the order
The plan suggested is new one and it
will undoubtedly be read with inter
est by the five hundred members Of the
order in Kenosha. He says:
There are at the present time
among the members Of our order in
round numbers $4,000 old men that are
past the age of sixty. There are in
round numbers 100000 additional who
has passed the age of fifty. These So
called old men-of which [ am one
have been members Of this society any
where from fifteen to thirty years.
During the years Of our membership we
have paid into the society every dol
lar that we were askei, to pay.
If there were any mistakes made by
the actuaries that framed the table Of
rates under which we were admitted it
was through no fault of ours. We have
helped build up the order. I cannot get
| it through this hard old head of mine
that us old fellows have not got an
equity in this society that the younger
members should not consider it as hon
or to respect.
i am not in harmony with the agita-
tors who are holding up us old fellows
as objects of charity and burden to
the society. We are willing to have
Heterogeneous of rates if the old
rates are not sufficient. We have for
thirty years been carrying our reserve
in our pockets and are willing to put
it up any time we are called upon, but
we do object to taking this reserve
out of our pockets and creating a re-
serve for future generations hundreds
of years after we are dead and gone
!" If there have been any errors in
| the tables under which we have been
operating then morally and legally the
place to correct them would be where
they made them, and that is when we
entered the society. This is the I'm
dercurrent and primary thought in the
mind Of every man who believes in
REIMBURSEMENT upon age of entry; cor
rest the mistake where you made it.
We take care Of onr own genera
ton, and If the society is ably man
aged and the affairs honestly admin
istered there is no reason why future
generations should not have the same
confidence in the society as we have
heretofore had and the society be-
come stronger and frmer than it ever
has been in the past. We do not claim
that the head officers are dishonest or
object to the way they have admins
tered the business end of the society
affairs in the past.
All the members have right to
look with disfavor upon the spirit of
proprietorship which has grown up
among our officials. When the laws
were passed at Buffalo directing the
| ed statement of the general or ex-
pense account fund it carried very lit
tie weight and though at the time
the resolution was passed and the law
amended. When these same officials
afterward refused to obey that law
and give out these accounts upon de-
mand of the members there is just
ground for suspicion that the affairs of
the society are not managed as we
would wish to have them. There can
be no jurisdiction anywhere for ques-
tioning that suspicion on the part of
the members.
"Now as far as the rates are con-
eerned they give out the figures with
which / started this letter. / am OPP
posed to the last table of rates, not
only based upon the attained age, but
also on age of entry, for it would be
i a questionable assessment As we look
the cold facts in the face we must re
alize that out of 10000 so-called old
men past fifty the average life expec-
fancy Of them all would be less than
fifteen years. In other words, while
many of them will live beyond that
[period many more of them will die be-
fore fifteen years, so that the average
age, or the average term rather, that
we, who have been pronounced a bur-
den it will be not over fifteen years.
den them will be not over fifteen years
With the twelve assessments that we
are paying now fifty per cent in
crease of our present rate that we are
paying should be more than ample to
carry the burdens of this society for
fifteen years The forty per cent in
crease fixed at Indianapolis has carried
the society in good shape until the past
two years. This being true, fifty per
cent increase on all members will take