The Wisconsin weekly blade. [volume] (Madison, Wis.) 1916-1925, 1919-03-15
THE SUBCOMMITTEE VERSUS
THE TRUTH


Of this country, is entitled to the
truth. 1t is entitled to know the
inside of the fight going on within
the Order between Grand Master
John S. Noel and ex-Grand Master
Ed Fl. Morris.
Be it remembered that in Janu-
airy, 1918 the Subcommittee with
out warrant or authority, postponed
the meeting of the Nineteenth B. II.
c. for two years. This, large ma
iority of the Odd Fellows in this
country resented as unwarranted,
without authority and an effort on
the part Of the Morris people to per-
petuate themselves in Office. And
in the due exercise of their rights
as Odd Fellows, more than three
hundred delegates, representing
three hundred bona five lodges as
sembled in New York in Manhattan
Casino, the place selected by the To-
cal committee of which w. David
Brown was chairman, for the hold
ing Of tn Nineteenth B. NJ. C.
When the Morris people saw that
the Odd Fellows of the country
would not accept their dictum and
were going to hold the B. NJ. c. in
spite of their arbitrary ruling, the
Subcommittee itself slipped into
New York and claimed TO have held
a meeting somewhere without notice
to the brotherhood, and reelected
themselves to Office. This they did
in the teeth Of their own act post
poning the B. NJ. e. for two years.
They took this arbitrary action in
the teeth of the fact that none of
them, except the secretary, were
eligible to ucceed themselves.
The Odd Fellows representatives
met and elected corps of officers,
headed by John S. Noel, of West
Virginia. The second Monday in
January, 1919, in accordance with
the rules and regulations of the Or
der, the Noel people appeared at the
headquarters in Philadelphia for in
stallation and to take charge of the
business they had been elected to
administer. They found the Morris
gang barricaded in the building
with a dozen police and other bench
men for protection. TIE Noel peo-
pie, finding that they could not get
in the building, were regularly in
stalled into lice by former Grand
Master w. L. Houston, in the CORR
dor of the building. Former Grand
Secretary Needham, brutal as he
usually is came out and undertook
to drive the legally elected officers
from the building as though they
were dogs, heaping all kinds of cpl
thets upon them, calling them
Southerners, towards and igno-
ramuses. and commanding them to
go back South and live among the
lynchers, etc.
Under advice of attorneys, the
Noel people proceeded to bring quo
warranto proceedings to test the
title of the Office and ask the court
at the same time to enjoin the Nor
ris gang from using the money of
the Order to defend themselves, and
to appoint receiver to operate the
business until such a time as it
might be ascertained who were the
legally elected officers. Upon the
temporary hearing, the court de-
cllned to appoint receiver or en-
join the Morris people from the use
of the funds, with the admonition
that if it was found that the Nor
ris people We're not legally in, they
would be liable for all the money
they had wasted, and that the Noel
people would be entitled to the sal
aries for the term the usurpers had
filled. And to keep from being en-
joined, the Morris pee ole made the
stipulation that everything would
be held intact; that the money of
the Order would be spent only for
legitimate expenses, and that no
body would be turned out of the
Order on account of attending the
Nineteenth B. NJ. c., until the court
had decided the title. The stipula-
tons were accepted by the Noel peo-
pie but in spite of this agreement,
the Morris people, true to their
character Of misrepresentation and
falsehood, broke the stipulations by
expelling one-haif dozen New York
brethren from the Order and pub
fishing them as expelled members
The New York brethren were
hauled up before the Executive
Committee of the District Grand
lodge of the State of New York
The committee had no jurisdiction
over them, but this mattered not
with the Morris gang, for it is
their policy to n al-administer. NAL
treat and prosecute and usurp the
authority of the members of the
Order. They tried these brethren
and found them guilty, denied them
the right to appeal, knowing. too
that the law allowed the brethren
to appeal from the decision of the
District Executive Committee to the
Sub Committee.
Before these brethren could filt
their appeal. the Sub Committee, il
less than ten days after the actor
Of the New York Committee, pub.
lished these brethren to the worlc
as expelled. Another such outrage
SIS was perpetrated in Georgia wher
the Georgia jurisdiction and its of
ficers were expelled without a hear
ing or without charges. In tht
last issue of the Odd Fellows Jour.
nal, the alleged official organ of the
Order. the Sub Committees repre-
sentatives proceeded to heap abuse
and vituperation against the Noe
! Dponie Tbpv AFRO nrocendipu =,