The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1919-10-14
ABOUT TO WRECK
A GREAT ORDER

Chas. K. Sage, head consul of the
Woodmen of the World for Florida
and a delegate to the Sovereign Camp,
has called an extra meeting OF the
head camp to meet in Jacksonville, to
try to take some steps to undo the
crooked work of the machine In
charge of the affairs of the order in
the United States, which crookedness
will certainly wreck the grand struc-
ture of fraternal insurance, as well
as helpfulness and brotherhood, built
thru many ,painstaking years.
This emergency has been brought
about, we fear, by the same old trou-
BILE that has wrecked states as well as
fraternal orders, and that is, leaving
the same old gang in power too long.
A few years ago. the legislatures of
a number of states required the
Woodmen and other fraternal orders
to increase their reserve. Florida was
not one of those states. The financial
affairs of the Woodmen have on the
surface been well managed; they have
a large reserve well invested, the head
officers have Dragged loudly on the
financial health of the order, and while
It may have been necessary to make
a raise, it was not necessary to make
such great one, nor one in such an
uneven ratio.
Last winter a big drive for new
members was put on. and tho the Of
ficers of the sovereign camp must
have known what they intended to
do, they did not publish any unreason-
able raise in rates. They have made
two raises in rates since the founda-
ton of the order, both moderate, and
no sensible member would have OBJ
jected to another small increase. A
little increase would have brought in
a great sum, for the Woodmen have
over three-quarters of a million OF
members, all of whom up to few
weeks ago had great confidence and
pride in their order.
The sovereign camp met in Chi.
cago last summer, and Immediately g
new cut and dried constitution
the camp and rushed thru, many OF
the members probably not realizing
what they were doing. It was mo-
until weeks after that the rank anC
file of the membership began to un
derstand what had been done to them
and then began an agitation which
threatens to break up the order.
The new rates would not be so un
reasonable if they were equable. Tn
wrong that IN them lies is their in
justice to the older MEMBERSHIP mel
h. fopa r.
twenty-five years and kept the ordel
alive when it was young and weak
The rates of these men are increased
two and three hundred per cent
Some of them. if they stay in, mus
reduce the amount of their policies
A man for instance who has been il
twenty-five years and has paid nearl!
$500 on a $1,000 policy, if he scale
down to $500 will pay enough in tn
next four years to put more in tn,
funds of the order than his benefic
iaries can possibly take out Now
there is no honest insurance compan.
that will insure a man for $1,000 ant
then try to take $1,000 or more from
him. The big insurance companie
insure a mans life for more thai
they expect him to pay. They MAX
W the difference by good investment
ard by the occasional member WIN
drops out after paying more or les
in dues. And they never let goo,
man drop out if they can help it. The.
give him every reasonable chance t.
stay in.
This was also at first the policy o
the Woodnfen of the World. The new
rates are going to compel many o
the older men to quit. Many men wh'
have from one to three thousand dol
lar policies. and who are paying from
$50 TO So month. will not be abb
to pay from SIS to SIS. They vii