Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-06-10

| this city, have been received by
members of the order in Harrisburg.
| They go fully into the controversy
that led up to the action of the
! Grand Lodge official and also correct
\ one mis-statement that crept into
the original article published with
relation to the revocation of the
charter. In justice to members of
the Brotherhood Relief and Com
pensation Fund IL should be said that
the acting president of the order
does not in any way mention the
| Compensation Fund as being party
to the letters sent out by members
of the lodge to which the Grand
| President takes exception. This mis-
understanding doubtless came about
through a brief filled by one of the
members of the lodge during the in
vestigation in which he said that
mem bership in the Compensation
Fund. Fellowship or Mutual Benefit,
was responsible doubtless for much
of the differences then existing be-
tween members of Lodge 67S. How
ever. ii is admitted in this brief that
the members of the lodge might be-
long to any of these organizations
without violating any brotherhood
pledges. unless the choice made is
" lIlG lllltIVSNS VI Nht
tablished brotherhoods. Nothing,
however. in the report of Acting
President reflects discredit upon the
Compensation Fund.
The members of the lodge, who
lose their membership through the
revocation of the charter, have ap-
pealed to the national convention
from the decision of Mr.. Shea. In
the meantime, it is announced that
a number of members have notified
the Grand Lodge that they are not
in sympathy with the movement
which caused the trouble and will
be transferred to other lodges.
The records of the case cover
many typewriter pages and have
been issued in MIN meogra phed form.
They outline every point of the con-
troversy and the correspondence be-
tween the Grand and local lodges
is included.
The article in the Telegraph in
question said:
According to statements from
Brotherhood headquarters here, an
organization known as the Brother
hood Relief and Compensation Fund
became attached to the Harrisburg
lodge. and under the Jurisdiction of
the latter, circular letters were is
sued to members of railroad broth
erhoods, urging them to join the
Compensation Fund. These letters
according to statements of officials,
contained propaganda not disSimilar
to the circular by the Industrial
Workers of the World and the Ma
tional Union or Railway Men, and
for a time it was feared would bring
about serious conditions in the
brotherhood. This Compensation
Fund also has headquarters in Har-
risburg."
This is not true. The Telegraph
was misinformed. The Brotherhood
Relief and Compensation Fund
heads say their organization was
never attached to this lodge or any
other-the only connection between
1t and the Brotherhoods being that
only Brotherhood men may join the
Compensation Fund. Neither did
the Compensation Fund, they say,
ever send out any circular letters
through William H. Morne Lodge or
any other Brotherhood lodge and,
of course, could not be guilty of a
propaganda of the kind alleged.
An error was made in mentioning
the name of w. s. Carter as presi-
dent. he having been released from
his duties about year ago in order
to take important Government work
the mistake being due to the letter
heads still carrying his name.
This foregoing statement, so far as
the Telegraph is concerned. is to
be regarded as a full retraction
gladly made of any mis-statement
inadvertently published regarding
the Brotherhood Relief and Com
pensation Fund. as well as the
erroneous use of Mr.. Carter's name
as president of the Brotherhood of
Firemen and Enginemen.