OCR Text |
Show MASON LEADER GOES ON STAND I David Reid, of Scotland Lodge Says A. M. F. Had No Standing SALT LAKE, May 10 Th Amerl-Ican Amerl-Ican Masonlo Federation organized by Matthew McBIaln Thomson. Thomai Perrot. Dominic Bergera and Robert l-lamleson who arc on trial In the United Unit-ed States court for using the malls to 'defraud has no standing in Scotland. ! David Reid. secretary of the grand 'lodge of Scotland testified yesterday Reid testified both as to certain hls-itcrical hls-itcrical aspects of his organisation and Jconc-rnlnR the relationships of Thomson Thom-son with Scottish Masonic bodies. 'Are ther- an -raft lodges In Scotland not under the Jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge',?" Reid was nsked by John l-n-'son, special prosecutor ot unless 'you take Into consideration th- two bits of thinirs that Thomson tried to inflict upon us." the witness replied. EXPELLED IN ion. Thomson. Reid testlTled, was a member mem-ber of a daughter lodge of the Grand iLodge of Scotland but was expelled In 1914. after the preferment of charges that h- was a member of th-Amerlcan th-Amerlcan Masonic federation a body denounced ns spurious by the Grund Lodge; because he had organized spurious spur-ious lodges, because he described hlm-self hlm-self as a thlrty-thircj degree Mason when he had not received that degree from a recognized bodv; because he claimed authority for the dispensation ot higher degrees from the Grand Council of Rites of Scotland, an unrecognised un-recognised body; because he conferred confer-red th- Royal ( rder degree for which he had not authority. Mr. Reid testified that he has been a Masonic lodge officer for fifty vears. and for thirty-three years an officer of the grand lodge of Scotland. d-ot-ing his entire time to Us service as salaried treasurer, then salaried secretary, secre-tary, The Grand Lodge has under its wing about 33U daughter lodges, he 'said, with a membership of about S00 -000. The Grand Lodge is In relations of amity with the state grand lodges of the United States, including Utah. SOLK ITING. Reid testified that It is against the unwritten common law of Masonry for members to solicit applications foi membership "There were never any lodges in Scotland which had authority to issue charters except Mother Kilwinning No. 0 and the Grand Ixidge of Scotland." t ( .i l..alCmrl la - mnmher of the Kilwinning lodg . Kilwinning gave up Its chartering power when it went into the grand lodge .n liG. On cross-examination Reid admitted that he Is not familiar with Scottish : Rite history, dealing principally w ith eratt degree bodies. He also said that Thomson and Jaiaieson were -xpcllcl und r a rule adopted In 1912. He said that he had no personal knowledge of 'I homson having received a demit from B Scotch lodge-lb' lodge-lb' was preceded on the Witness stand bv W C Caltt. a lawyer of San I ranclsCOi who Joined the American .Maconic Federation In 1907, was ex-polled ex-polled in l i v and In the meanwhile held eight different offices in the organization, or-ganization, including that of grand, master for California, i He related Thomson's claims to his : chain of title from Mother Kilwlni nlng lodge 'o" n of Scotland to St Johns lodge of Marseilles. France, to jthi Polar Star lodge of Louisiana, to it he Supreme Council of Louisiana to the Grand Lodge of Inter-Montana, to the American Masonic Federation He stated that Thomson had Claimed I" his presence to have had a charter from the Supreme Council ot Louisiana, Louisia-na, but that he (the witness) had never seen It 00 |