The Omaha guide., 1935-09-07
BOTH ANNUALCONVENTION OF GRAND
LODGE OF ELKS ENDS A SUCCESSFUL
AND HARMONIOUS SESSION
j. Finley Wilson, Grand Exalted Ruler Endorses AL Officers
Reelected By Acclamation

aha Guide).
At the opening Of the 36th annual
Grand Lodge Convention which con-
vened in Washington, D. O., August
25th, looked as if this was going to
be a very turbulent session from the
fact that the members Of the local
lodge Columbia IS and Morning Star
No. 40 had taken exception to the
actions Of the Grand Exalted Ruler,
j.. Finley Wilson in setting aside the
chairman Of the local Grand Lodge
committee, and replacing him with
one Of his own. 1T seems that at the
joint meeting Of the two lodges, Mr..
Herb Jones had been elected as
chairman Of the Grand Lodge com
mittee, this over the opposition Of the
Grand Exalted Ruler. who had prior
to this informed them that he had
the man who he was going to appoint
To that position, consequently acting
within his constitutional rights, he
appointed instead, DR.. w. B. Fisher.
This seemed to have cast a shadow
over the Grand Lodge session. The
first days Of the session was preg-
rant with strife and dissentions. Re-
,tarding the progress and work Of the
convention so much so, that frequent
recesses had to be taken However,
on the third day of the convention,
Past Grand Exalted Ruler Nutter
came before the convention and in a
most eloquent plea for harmony that
the great work in which the Eks are
engaged maybe continued unhamper-
ed and unobstructed and that all diff
~ferences existing, real or imaginary,
against the Grand Exalted Ruler Viii
son or the two local lodges or any
other members Of the organization,
would be buried and forgotten and
that they come before the convention,
shake the hand Of the Exalted Ruler
and declare all differences settled,
Which was done by the Honorable
Judge A wv. Scott Of Washington, as
well as the officers and delegates Of
the lodges from which the trouble
eminated. After that the conven-
ton settled down to business. The
reports of the Grand Lodge officers,
secretary, treasurer, educational COM
mittee, civil ~liberators dept, and
ether officers reports were accepted,
and the present incumberence were
elected to serve.
The hardest fight, I may say the
only fight, that was on the floor of
the convention was the fight for the
meeting place for the 1886 conven-
ton It took about all night to de-
eide. The Grand Lodge not recessing
until 6 A N. Saturday morning. The
cities which asked for the convention
were, Brooklyn, Boston, Cleveland,
Milwaukee, and Norfolk. After it
had simmered down to Brooklyn and
Cleveland, the fun began After
balloting and re-balloting, counting
and re-counting, Directing and re-
Directing, promising and counter
promising, at last a method was de-
cided upon by which the votes e
to be cast and counted After count
ing Of which Brooklyn won by a large
majority. 1t appeared to the writer,
who sat through this convention and
heard all the reports and observed the
attitude of the men who were in
trusted with the task Of carrying out
the principles and doing the work for
this great Order, that they were i'm
bued with the spirit and policies re-
quired to do the work and BY the
program outlined and the harmonious
ending of this convention not only
presages good for the Negro peo-
Ple, but for the Great Order Of Eks
Is well.