Amount of Money received by the Grand Secretary since the last Annual Communication. Lodges at Richmond, per P. G. Sire Wildey, Two reports from Jefferson Lodge, No. 4, Richmond, Va. Indiana, Alabama Lodge, No. 1, Mobile, Ala. Charter Madison Lodge, No. 6, Winchester, Va. do. Union Lodge, No. 7, Richmond, Va. do. Monroe Lodge, No. 8, Petersburgh, Va. Olive Branch Encampment, No. 2, Covington, Ky. Neilson Encampment, No. 2, Richmond, Va. Subscription to Plate, Iowa Lodge, No. 1, Mineral Point, Iowa,' Grand Lodge of Louisiana, District of Columbia, Encampment charter, Trenton, N. J. Columbia Encampment, No. 1, D. C. Washington Lodge, No. 2, Union Lodge, No. 7, Richmond, Va. Alabama Lodge, No. 1, Mobile, Ala. Grand Lodge of New Jersey, four charge books, Grand and Subordinate Encampments under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of the United States, reporting this Session. Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania reports 1 Grand and 4 subordinate Encampments-76 members, $171 67 revenue. Columbia Encampment, No. 1, D. C.-5 initiations, 15 members, $47 revenue. Wildey Encampment, No. 1, Louisiana-10 members, $197 50 revenue. Jerusalem Encampment, No. 1, Indiana-19 members, $212 44 re venue. Mt. Horeb Encampment, No. 1, Kentucky-4 initiations, 39 members, $386 55 revenue. Annual Report of the Grand and Subordinate Lodges to the R. W. Grand Lodge of the United States, I. O. O. F., commencing October, 1836, and ending October, 1837. In Maryland-No. 9, J. D. Norris; No. 17, Thomas Birmingham and Thomas Parks; No. 23, J. Swem; No. 24, Hugh B. Mackley and Isaac Naland. Improper conduct. No. 3, six; No. 9, one; No. 18, eight; No. 25, one; No. 26, two; No. 28, one. Non-payment of dues; names not given. In Pennsylvania-No. 4, seventy-two; No. 7, two; No. 8, three; No. 11, twentytwo; No. 19, sixteen; No. 26, eight; No. 28, sixteen; No. 29, one; No. 31, one; No. 34, two; No. 43, one. Improper conduct, and non-payment of dues; names not given. In Delaware-No. 2, Henry F. Askew, Wm. Simmons, Joseph S. Hedges, John Gire, George Hammer. Thos. P. Crozier and Henry C. Otto. Improper conduct. In Ohio-No. 1, F. Le Duc and Jacob Osborne; No. 5, John Nolan and William Cock. Improper conduct. No. 1, nineteen; No. 2, seventeen; No. 3, four; No. 4, ten. Non-payment of dues; names not given. In Virginia-No. 1, James Crawford. Improper conduct. Remarks. ANNUAL COMMUNICATION OF THE GRAND LODGE OF THE UNITED STATES, Held at the City of Baltimore, October, 1838. MONDAY, October 1st, 9 o'clock, A. M. The R. W. Grand Lodge convened this day, at Odd Fellows' Hall, city of Baltimore, being the regular Annual Communication, when the following were present. SAMUEL H. PERKINS, JAMES NESBITT, ANDREW E. WARNER, JOHN E. CHAMBERLAIN, P. G. Sire THOMAS WILDEY. M. W. G. Sire. R. W. D. G. Sire, p. t. W. G. Guardian. W. G. Messenger, and The Grand Secretary presented the credentials of the Representatives of the several Grand Lodges, viz: P. G. M. ROBERT NEILSON, P. G. M. HENRY S. SANDERSON, Rep. of Maryland. It appearing that a constitutional quorum was present, the D. Grand Sire was directed to examine the Representatives. The D. Grand Sire reported that the Representatives present were duly qualified; and then, by order of the Grand Sire, proclaimed the Grand Lodge opened for the transaction of business. Prayer by the Grand Chaplain. The Grand Sire appointed D. G. Sire Nesbitt and P. G. Sire Wildey, a committee to examine the credentials of the Representatives of the several Grand Lodges. P. G. Sire Wildey, from the committee to whom was referred the credentials of the Representatives from the several Grand Lodges, reported that they had examined the same, and find them correct, viz: Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, District of Columbia, Ohio, Louisiana, New Jersey, Kentucky, and Virginia. On motion, the report was accepted. The proceedings of the last Annual Communication were read, and on motion of Rep. Pearce, of Pennsylvania, adopted. The Grand Sire announced the following Standing Committees, viz: On Finance.-Rep's Pearce, of Pennsylvania; Kennedy, of New York; and McCulley, of New Jersey. On Petitions-Rep's Sanderson, of Kentucky; Ridgely, of Ohio; and Towers, of Virginia. On Reports-Rep's Pearce, of Pennsylvania; Towers, of Virginia; and Neilson, of Maryland. On Correspondence.-Rep's Ridgely, of Ohio; Neilson, of Maryland; and Borrows, of District of Columbia. P. G. Warner, Proxy Representative of District of Columbia, (1837) from the Special Commitee to whom was referred the subject of re-organizing the Order in the state of New York, presented the following report. To the R. W. Grand Lodge of the United States: The committee appointed by the Grand Lodge of the United States, at its regular Session held in the city of Baltimore, October, 1837, whose duty it was made to repair to Newburgh, to meet the Past Grands of the state of New York, to install the officers, and deliver them a charter, provided a constitutional application be made for the same, beg leave to report the following proceedings. All which is respectfully submitted. ANDREW E. WARNER, NEWBURGH, N. Y., November 21, 1837. The committee of the Grand Lodge of the United States, I. O. O. F., appointed by a resolution of October 3d, 1837, convened for the purposes of their appointment, in this town, at ten o'clock, A. M., pursuant to notice from the Chairman; when were present, Andrew E. Warner, Proxy Rep. of District of Columbia, and P. G. Sire Thomas Wildey, in place of the Representative of Virginia. Brother John A. Kennedy was appointed Secretary to the committee. The committee immediately proceeded to business, by announcing their readiness to receive applications from the lodges; when the following lodges made formal and regular application for a Grand Charter for the Grand Lodge of New York, and requesting its location in the city of New York, viz: Columbia Lodge, No. 1; New York Lodge, No. 10; Gettys Lodge, No. 11; Germania Lodge, No. 13; Teutonia Lodge, No. 14; and Perseverance Lodge, No. 17. There being no other application before the committee, it was "Ordered, That a Charter for the Grand Lodge of New York be granted to the peti tioning lodges."* • Be granted to the petitioning lodges.-We have heretofore designedly abstained from noticing the character of the controversy which had apparently well nigh overturned the Order in the state of New York. But having now reached the virtual determination of the contention, through the wise and conciliatory process provided for under the action of the Grand Lodge of the United States, at the Session of October, 1837, reference to its leading features may not be deemed inappropriate. The records of this Grand Lodge furnish indubitable evidence of the prostrate condition in which the Order within that jurisdiction had remained for several years, whilst it was making the most rapid advances in other quarters. Indeed, it had at no time acquired a position commensurate with its local capabilities to assume; and after the Grand Lodge was in being some three or four years, instead of becoming by experience better qualified and more efficient, it had gradually lost the little activity i possessed, and sank into a state approaching to passive indolence. It was during this condition of inertness, that its location was changed from the city of New York by the mere act of the Grand Previous to proceeding to ballot for the necessary Grand Officers, the committee required that the credentials properly authenticated, must be presented in order to entitle the Past Grands to their votes. Certificates were then presented from Columbia Lodge, No. 1, for twenty-four Past Grands; from New York Lodge, No. 10, for fourteen Past Grands; from Gettys Lodge, No. 11, for thirteen Past Grands; from Germania Lodge, No. 13, for eight Past Grands; from Teutonia Lodge, No. 14, for eight Past Grands; from Perseverance Lodge, No. 17, for eight Past Grands. And on calling over the names, the following were present, viz: Of Columbia Lodge, P. G.'s C. McGowan, J. Booth, Jr., W. H. Colyer, W. A. Tyler J. D. Stewart, Wm. Y. Clark, Joseph Patterson, M. Kielly, S. McDonald, E. Seaborne, W. Charlock, and J. Cole. Of New York Lodge, P. G.'s W. Small, C. W. Riddle, J. R. Young, J. Bale, E. Wainright, S. D. Alexander, C. P. Van Norden, C. Ashmead, P. H. Green, T. Frost, and Wm. Thomson. Of Gettys Lodge, P. G's J. Alcock, J. A. Kennedy, F. H. Macy, J. Marrenner, S. J. Fooley, M. Nutting, J. C. Pooley, and J. B. Vandusen. Of Germania Lodge, P. G.'s J. Bayer, J. M. Eisenmann, G. Chatillon, F. Hartig, C. Kinkele, and H. Boshert. Of Teutonia Lodge, P. G.'s C. Nordmeyer, and F. Mulmaster. And of Perseverance Lodge, P. G.'s W. H. Youngs, J. Naylor, P. Glover, William Carew, and J. Wilkinson. The Past Grands being all qualified, proceeded to ballot for Grand Officers, and the committee announced the following as the result, viz: JAMES ALCOCK, of Lodge, No. 11, M. W. G. Master. WILLET CHARLOCK, No. 1, R W. D. G. Master. The committee submitted the question of location to the assembled Past Grands, when forty-three voted for the "city of New York," and one voted for the "town of Poughkeepsie," whereupon the committee Ordered, That the blank of location be filled with the words "City of New York." The committee then Master, which exploit has heretofore been erroneously attributed to the Grand Lodge-a body devoid of a sufficiency of vitality to either approve of the aggression or to resist it, as has been shown in the note on page 114. The removal produced no beneficial influence on the efficiency of its action, but would seem to have perfected its abasement, if its intercourse with the Grand Lodge of the United States may be relied on as evidence of condition; no payments of proportion of expenses having been made from 1829 to 1834, nor any reports submitted, in that time, except of the change of Grand Officers. A slight impulse resembling prosperity in the body of the Order, at the new location, succeeded the removal there, but it speedily subsided, when the three lodges which had been established were consolidated into one. The remote lodges founded their complaint especially on neglect and the misapplica tion of funds; that even their letters containing remittances were suffered to lie unacknowledged; and that the Q. P. W. had been permitted to remain unchanged for several terms together, from want of the necessary information. During 1833 and 1834. while several new lodges were being instituted and a renovating spirit had manifested itself among the brethren in the city of New York. immense diffi culties were found to exist in the destitution of all approach to uniformity in the work; each lodge seeming to have a system of its own. To the careful observer, it was evident that the fraternity could not permanently prosper under the loose mode of administration which had theretofore characterized its government; and that an effective Grand Lodge was all which was needed to raise the jurisdiction of New York to a position of pre-eminence. The earlier efforts of those who entertained such opin ion, were directed to correcting the manner of action and to infusing vigor into the body as then in operation. Nor was it until after the failure of several measures of improvement (among which may be enumerated that of prohibiting the disbursement of the funds for refreshment,) that their attention was directed to what eventually became the main question of controversey. On an examination of the records of the Grand Lodge of the United States, it was ascertained that no evidence existed of that body having granted permission to change the location from the city of New York; whereat the lodges in that city claimed its restoration to its original place, which was resisted by those in whose hands the power rested, with an energy corresponding to the magnitude of the prize. At a session held in February, 1836, a new Constitution was offered, which, according to the requirements of the Constitu. tion in force, was laid over until the Annual Session in August; at which time it was in the course of adoption, when the adjournment took place which brought the proceedings before the Grand Lodge of the United States. After the final adoption of the proposed Constitution, and the return of the seat of the Grand Lodge to New York, the dissentients organized themselves as a Grand Lodge and continued operating as such in the city of Albany, with two or three subordinate lodges, until about 1840, when its meetings ceased. The body claiming to be the Grand Lodge, located in the city of New York, terminated its sessions on the instant of the promulgation of the decision of the Grand Lodge of the United States, made at the May session, 1837; and the lodges which had been under its control, came under the direct superintendence of the Grand Lodge of the United States, where they remained until the grant upon which we note was made to their application. It is proper to note further, that all of the lodges which sustained the organization at Albany for a time, are now in regular connexion with their sister lodges in the state. The gratification afforded by the present unparalleled prosperity of the Order in that state, is greatly enhanced by the reflection, that this controversy, probably the most exciting domestic one which has engaged the attention of the Order, was so conducted as not to prevent the most friendly intercourse between the parites; and since its termination has offered no impediment to a perfect union of those engaged in it." |