The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1915-11-20

@tIO NA( WIN vi III /
new Grand Master, Robert o. Smith,
were Willis N. Brent, then Grand Sec
rotary; Amos Johnson, William H.
Jones, Moses Dickson, Alexander
Clark, Alexander Chinn, William B.
Ousley, G. w. Guy, G. W. Dupee, E. R.
Overall, r. H. Cole and ]. M. Trent,
all conspicuous for past attachments
within and without the fraternity.
Grand Master Smith took hold of the
reins of government with little appar-
ent lack of self-confidence. He strict
ly observed all the time-honored rites
and ceremonies of opening and set the
Craft to work in good form.
The brilliant young Joseph H. Pei
ham was there at the head of the COM
mittee on Grand Masters address and
with his eye on the seat of the Grand
Secretary. He felt that it was his
psychological moment, no doubt, and
his friend and skillful brother, Charles
P. ~Covington, was encouraging all his
ambitions. Pelham's star had risen, a
bright orb calculated to shine brighter
and brighter during years to follow.
The annual address of the new
Grand Master was a classic in form
and diction. Except at Keokuk, in
ternal conditions were good. In the
Iowa city there was much strife and
discord occasioned by the contentious
of the so-called African Grand Lodge.
Illinois and Kentucky had hastily
acknowledged the regularity of the
African Grand Lodge and this caused
no little disappointment to the Mis-
souri, brethren, who considered the
r work irregular and could cite reasons
therefor. Missouri had always been
willing to release the Iowa lodges at
any time a majority of them wanted
to go, but in this instance the work
had been done by a minority of the
lodges, who were openly charged with
being inspired by spite and sedition.
The Grand Master entered a formal
protest against he alliance formed by
Illinois and Kentucky and the breth-
rem Joined in with full accord. A
study of the address, however, shows
that Grand Master Smith was rather
puzzled as to the best method of solv-
ing the most vexatious condition. His
recommendations along that line were
quite lacking in positiveness and di-
r~ectness.
One brother, ]. N. Gonna, w. M. of
Graham lodge No. IS, of Kansas City,
and who had been made district dep
uty, was declared to have flagrantly
betrayed his trust. The Grand Mas
ter said that Gonna was a consum-
mate scoundrel, and l Immediately re-
voked his commission and ordered
him from the lodge" which was quite
a stretch of the Grand Masters au-
thority, even in such provocative cir
c~umstances. There is nc record of the
erring brothers having had any sort
of trial, just a sort of Masonic lynch
ing which the Grand Lodge by vote
n approved.
/, The Masonic Relief was working all
right, except that a great many of the
Q brethren did not wish to carry it and
these had their representatives upor
the floor of the Grand Lodge who, lee
by Brother John w. Wheeler, always
an insurgent, succeeded in modifying
y the law SO as to make the obligation
optional, thus dealing to the fine spirii
of the Relief Department a blow from
g which it has scarcely recovered ever
to this day. II was afterwards or
dered that all brethren suspended TO,
refusing to pay relief dues should b,
r%einstated at once.
Brother e. J. Cooper, then a youni
= man and new to the ways of the OLE
- guard, was apparently much i'm
p pressed with the city of st. JOSEPH
y and was one of several to be fine
for being absent from the session
- without permission.
. Major w. Love, father of our pres
ent R. w. Grand Secretary and on
- of the most typical Masons that tn
q jurisdiction has ever produced, wa
present as the representative G
Pritchard Lodge, No. AZ.
of James H. Crews, brother of our pres
ent M. w. Grand Master. representa-
Of Graham Lodge, No. IS.
m Sonny Vaughn came up from Yves
ton and X. d. Smith from DeSoto.
In the annual election of officer
the same roster was continued excep
that w. H. Jones became Deput
Is Grand Master and Joseph H. Pelham
ir became Grand Secretary. The record
ID show that Brother Pelham was a pas
10 master Of Central Star Lodge, No. 81
10 located at P~rairieville, Mo. This lodg
has since become extinct. Sedalii
il won the next meeting Of the GRAM
Lodge.
80 ~---H -