The Oklahoma Workman (Guthrie, Okla.), Vol. 17, No. 11, Ed. 1 Friday, November 1, 1912 Page: 1 of 8
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Send all Medical Examinations to Dr. S. O. Marrs,
Grand Medical Examiner, Chickas ha, Okla.
Send all Reports and Correspondence to W. R. Welch,
Grand Recorder, Guthrie, Okla.
\/
vcmTo'
Volume 17
NOVEMBER, 1912.
Number 11
THE REASON WHY
Mobile Bill Opposed Because It Is
an Unjust Measure.
The following is clipped from the
iclumns oi the West Virginia Work-
man, for October, in order to keep the
lines of comment intact, it will be seen
Hat a part of the clipping was lirst
produced in the Oklahoma Workman,
and the Editor of the West Virginia
Workman asks the question why we
oppose the Mobile Hill. The clipping
is as follows:
Discussing the Mobile Bill.
D«ar Brother Welch:
Our regular lodge meeting was last
night and was more largely attended
than for some time. There was an
attempt to discuss the Mobile Bill but
only one member seemed to know
anything about it. He was a deputy
for the Maccabees and said the bill
will become a law this time sure and
will be a benelit to the A. O. IT. W.
The membership did not seem to be-
lieve he knew what he was talking
about and his speech was not very
well received. They decided to get
more information 011 the bill before
next meeting night and sec who Is
right.
The brother seemed to be honest in
his belief but he may be mistaken.
T hope to see you Sunday and luive
a better understanding of the bill.
Fraternally Yours,
E. F. GIBBS.
(The Grand Hodge can now furnish
copii s of the Mobile Bill to all who
apply. Your candidate to the legisla-
ture should be pledged to work
against its adoption.) —Oklahoma
Workman.
Brother Welch:
Will you kindly tell us why you op-
pose the Mobile Bill?—West Virginia
Workman.
By this time the October issue of
the Oklahoma Workman is in the
hands of all our members and the
several exchanges 011 our list, and it
contains a full reprint of the Mobile
Bill and the provisions it contains. It
is our purpose to defeat this bill in
OKLAHOMA if possible, by having the
various candidates for election to our
State Legislature pledge themselves
against it and thus kill it before it
is introduced. We think that there
are sufficient members of all Fraternal
Orders in this state to make it known
to these candidates thfit it is to their
interest to oppose the Bill if presented,
or better still keep it off the journals
of the House and Senate entirely.
The Mobile Hill is a wolf in sheep's
clothing, so far as it concerns Fra-
ternal Societies. Its provisions make it
impossible for a Fraternal Insurance
Order to survive beyond a period of a
few years after it becomes a law, be-
cause no Fraternal Order can comply
with its provisions, whether it is now
operating on the X. F. C., Dawson,
Landis, or any other actuarial rates,
or adopts those rates at a later date.
A\ e cannot go into detail with the pro-
visions of the Bill, but it is claimed;
that the vital features of it are Sec-
tion 23 and 2.1a, and that they should
be eliminated. If these sections are
objectionable, then the whole bill is
objectionable, because the preceedlng
provisions lead up to these objection-
able ones. The whole measure must
be killed ,and dead too.
The Mobile Bill was born shortly
after Messers Harris Dickson and
Isadore P. Mantz, commenced their
screed in Everybody's Magaaine
1910 under the title "Will Your \V
Get Her Money?", which was a b<
ning of the later attacks 011 Frate.
ism by the Old Line Companies. Then
it was, 110 doubt at the request of the
Old Liners that the Insurance Com-
missioners got together at Mobile, Ala.,
and drafted this bill, every line of
which plays into the hands of the old
line Companies, and to 6how [that
Kraternalism is stronger than Old-
Linelsm, the Equitable Life is now
embarking into the Fraternal field:
but, if the Mobile Bill is passed in
every State there will be no need for it
to continue in that Field for it will
have no opjw>sition from 1* rfitiprrflftl
Societies—for there won't be any. 'I he
Mobile Bill is an iniquitlous measure,
the solo intention of which, though
veiled under the cloak of "adequacy,
is to drive Fraternal Orders out of
existenence in just as short a time
as possible.
West Virginia probably has nothing
now to fear, as her funds are in splen-
did shape*, probably will have nothing
to fear, we hope so, but the unforseen
cannot always be apprehended, and
if there ever should come a time when
it would be necessary to apply the
provisions of the Mobile Bill, its fate
would be the same as tnat of other
societies, no matter what kind of a
rate it would be operating under. The
only salvation for Fraternal Societies
in the United States is to "Kill the
Bill ' before it become* a law. Copies
of the Mobile Bill and comments there,
on can he had by addressing the
Grand Recorder of the Oklahoma Juris-
diction.
in Mocks captured the prize for the
.you want to know
USTOH1CAL SOCIETT «'
drop him a line.
WOODMEN LOSE
A free will om-ring was had and
enough was secured to pay for the
refreshments and $1.28 remained,
which was placed in a "Flower" fund
to be used in purchasing flowers for
the sick or for deceased members.
After the program of music, songs and
recitations had been rendered the
company were Invited to the dining
room where an elaborate luncheon of
sandwiches, coffee, cake, pickles, and
other good things to eat had been [ire-
pared. We find these entertainments
to be of much benefit to the lodge and
as a result of this one we will have a
class of new members to initiate the
latter part of the month. We have
meetings and always a good
and that is what makes a
CORA MEEKER.
Lodge Reporter.
Lodge No. 59.
good lodge
attendance
good lodge
Sapulpa,
GRAND LODGE MEETING.
The next meeting of the Grand
Lodge will be held in the city of Still-
water on the second Tuesday in Feb-
ruary. It is still several months off.
but it is time to think of what you
want to see done and elect your rep-
resentative at the time you elect your
regular officers. The Grand Lodge
meeting, next year will be one of inter-
est and of a sreat deal of importance to
the Order, so in sending a representa-
tive, send some one who will be more
interested in the general welfare of the
Order than in the advancement of any
one person to an official position. There
is not much need for additional legisla-
tion, but a few rough points may be*
dressed down. State laws may need
to be looked after, for we do not want
to see any law enacted in the State
that will be detrimental to our Order,
or to any other society. Elect your
representative along with your regular
election of officers, any Past Master
Workman is eligible, but select your
best man.
A
One of
1 ver given b\
r.f a "Tackey
TACKEY SOCIAL.
the most enjoyable affairs
Sapulpa Lodge was that
Social", on Monday even-
ure
giv
gram
the
All
march
around
and
rived
that
the
It certainly was a
every one present
, October 21st.
at success and
enioyed themselves and felt that this
fntertainment was the best one ever
n by the lodge. A splendid pro-
was rendered and refreshments
served after the meeting was over.
Bros. Munn, Nye and Van Dolali, were
appointed judges to decide who were
"tackiest" persons in attendance,
took their places and the grand
was played and all marched
the hall, amid great laughter
merriment. When the judges ar-
at their decision it was found
Sister Teaters was found to be
"tackiest" woman and Brother
ELECTION OF OFFICERS.
The regular election of officers will
take place in each lodge the first reg-
ular meeting in December. For the
general welfare of the Order and of
each lodge it is very important that
officers will be elected who will de-
vote a portion of their time to lodge
work. Any person, in any kind of an
organization, who is honored with an
official position, should take personal
pride in performing the duties of the
oifice in such a way that it will be a
credit to the officer elect and the wel-
fare of the lodge. The Office of Master
Workman in your lodge is the highest
office that can be bestowed upon any
member and the one selected is en-
trusted with the guidance of the lodge
work and has many responsibilities
resting upon him. It is the next step
toward admission to the Grand Longe.
Next in importance, in a business way,
are the offices of Recorder and Finan-
cier. The later one comes in direct
contact with each member in collect-
ing dues and assessments and at ail
times has his finger upon the pulse of
the lodge. If there are any dissatis-
fied ones the Financier is the first one
to know it and such disafection should
be reported by him to the lodge and
in turn handled by the grievance Com-
mittee, if there be one; if not the
Master Workman should take the mat-
ter up and adjust the difficulty in a
way that will bring satisfaction.
The most important duty of any of-
ficer is that of regular attendance of
lodge meetings. If the officers fail to
attend meetings the ordinary members
will be a drag and the next step will
be no meetings at all. Whoever is
elected an officer in your lodge should
ttink well enough of the honor to
make it a point to be on hand at every
meeting and thus encourage those
who do not attend regularly. One
night each week or two nights each
month attending the meetings and
■transacting the business of your lodge
should not be considered a sacrifice,
when performing a work so great and
good as ours. The membership, gen-
erally, should choose well the officers
to guide the lodge for the next term
and the officers elected should each
remember the obligation fthey make that
they will "faithfully attend lodge meet-
ings and perform the duties of their
office."
Head Camp Modern Woodmen Lose
Suit in Minnesota.
Another obstacle has been thrown
i■: the pathway of the Modern Wood-
nun Head Camp, in their attempt to
raise their rates of assessment January
1st, 19111. Tho Supreme Court of
Minnesota has ruled that no advance
can be made without first referring
the question to the membership of the
Order. This decision only prolongs
the struggle and puts the Woodmen
into a further bad plight, for so long
as the advancing of rates is enjoined
by the courts the mortuary deficit is
increasing. Nebraska Woodmen are
also going to bring action in their
Courts to prevent the advance in rates,
and it is probably certain that they
Will win. The membership do not
stop to consider that it is detrimental
to their own good to oppose the new
rates adopted at the special Hejad
Ci.mp Session, for if the Woodmen
travel the same road for a few years
more they will be in such a plight that
they will be forced to entirely suspend
operations. In this opposition, how-
ever, they are only reaping what they
have sown. Their campaigns have
been conducted upon a false represen-
tation that their old rates were suf-
ficient to meet any demand that might
J;o made upon them and that other
orders were charging too high a rate
for their protection, and when they
did wake up to the fact that dire
distress was staring them in the face,
it was a hard matter to make those to
whom these base promises had been
made, to believe that it was necessary
to make an increase in rates that was
from two to three times higher than
they had heretofore paid. There has
been more proselyting by Woodmen
members among members of other
Orders, on account of their cheapness
and bigness, than has been conducted
by all the other orders combined. It
is an old adage that there is alwayts
honor among thieves and robbers, but
when it came down to getting mem-
bi rs the Woodmen lost trace of honor
and resorted to any method of mis-
representation to undermine and sap
the life out of other societies. There
Is no pity or panacea of relief for those
who allow themselves to be led astray
other than to succumb to the inevit-
able and pay the new rates of the Head
Camp, or see their Order go to des-i
truction more rapidly than any other
Order has done. Many a member of
the A. O. U. W. has been caught by
the lure of the Woodmen cheapness,
only to now wish that they hail re-
mained true to the "old reliable,' but
is too late for many of them to even
try to repent their error. The Moral
should be, "Do not allow yourself to
be deceived by glowing promises, or to
be carried away on the waves of a
'big noise'. "
Every man, however obscure, how-
ever far removevl from the general rec-
ognition, is one of a group of men im-
pressible for good, and impressible for
evil, and it is in the nature of things
that he can not «really improve him-
self without in some degree improving
other men. —Charles iJickens.
Protection is a synonym for frater-
nalistn It is the foundation upon
which the activities of the lodge and
its social features rest.
What is the use in paying later for
protection which has passed? If you
pay promptly each month you are eon-
st&ntly protected in case of an unfore-
seen happening.
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Leatherman, W. J. The Oklahoma Workman (Guthrie, Okla.), Vol. 17, No. 11, Ed. 1 Friday, November 1, 1912, newspaper, November 1, 1912; Guthrie, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc272303/m1/1/: accessed March 29, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.