Show THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAK An Immeiifec Gathering of the Order at thc Triennial Conclave ST Lotus Sept 20 Grand Master Withers With-ers who arrived yesterday with the California Califor-nia delegation is quite ill When he left China six weeks ago he was in bad health and nothing could be done on shipboard to relievo him He has been almost constantly traveling for six weeks and is very much exhausted He was refused to all visitors today His meals were served to him in bed ant he did not rise until a late hour harboring his strength for tomorrows parade pa-rade in which ho is very anxious to take part Deputy Grand Master Roome of New York arrived this morning accompanied by Grand Treasurer Simmons The latter is also unwell but will no doubt be able to attend at-tend to business The following command eries are among those which arrived Grand Commandery of Colorado No1 Denver Pontiao No1 and Charlotte No 7 of Michigan Michi-gan Coruna No1 South Bend Indiana Peninsula No8 Kalamazoo Michigan Jackson unmounted Jackson Michigan i California No1 San Francisco Detroit No1 Detroit Michigan St Louis Club Philadelphia Maysville No1 Maysyille Kentucky San Jose No1 San Jose California Cali-fornia No 19 Chicago Mary Philadelphia Oakland California Mount of Holy Cross Leadville Colorado Golden Gate San Francisco California Terra Haute No 1 Terra Haute Indiana Nebraska Grand Commandery Mount Nebraska No 1 Hastings Nebraska Mount Olive No2 Nebraska City Nebraska Mount Calvary No1 Omaha Nebraska Mount Hebron No 12 Kearney Kebraska Mount Tabor I No 9 Fremont Nebraska Mount Herman No7 Beatrice Nebraska On the special escort of Grand Master Robert E Withers there were the Richmond Commandery No 2 and Columbia No1 of Richmond Virginia Vir-ginia Under the Richmond banner was gathered the Grand Commandery swelling the number to t Une OI lilo cuter suujeoio 11 not rue main one for discussion and determination at the meeting of the Grand Encampment is the question of amending the organic law of the Order with regard to the powers and privileges priv-ileges of the Grand Encampment A meeting meet-ing of the members of the Grand Encampment Encamp-ment has been called for tomorrow afternoon after-noon at the Nebraska headquarters to decide what course the opponents of the proposed changes shall pursue The call is addressed to all members of the Grand Encampment who oppose its emasculation and the object set forth isto devise ways and means to give effective expression to the desire for reform if reform is needed within our Order as now constituted and to defeat the existing effort to weaken our eneral govern ing body thereby destroying its efficiency A circular letter accompanies the call and sets forth the matter in controversy I quotes from the proceedings of the Grand Encampment of Nebraska which appointed a special detail of five in May of this year to prepare a report on the proposition for I changes made by the Grand Commandery of i Pennsylvania and being adopted as the I views of the Iowa Grand Commandery were I formulated in the five resolutions as follows I Resolved That the Grand Encampment Knights Templar of the United States abandon the system of centralized and exclusive ex-clusive power which it now maintains and return to the general system devised by its founders Resolved That its constitution and code be revised and so simplified as to include general principles only leaving to the Grand Commanderies the power which of right belongs to them to legislate upon all matters of detail Reolve That the sovereign power be recognized rec-ognized as vested in the Grand Command eries and such general powers only in the Grand Encampment as may be expressly delegated to it Resolved That under the general legislation legisla-tion of the Grand Encampment jurisdiction jurisdic-tion be vested j the Grand Commanderies over subjects of uniform ritual and membership mem-bership S S S Resolved JLnai in order mat the lmnd Encampment may in peace and quietness provide the legislation necessary to carryout carry-out the foregoing changes it is in duty bound to positively prohibit all parades and entertainments at the tjme and place when and where its conclaves shall be held The Nebraska commanderies took up the fight against this proposed change simply because no other commandery saw fit to take the initiative Thequestion involved seems to be what is known in politics as the State rights problem and according to one of the Nebraska opponents of the proposed pro-posed changes the Knights speaking in general terms are divided on about the same geographical lines as those which have heretofore marked the dominance of political po-litical parties upholding State rights and centralization respectively The circular issued is-sued by the Nebraska commanderies takes very strong ground against the proposed changes claiming that this change being adopted would accomplish the eventual disintegration dis-integration of the Grand Encampment To that portion prohibiting parades and other displays on the occasion of a Grand En dsplays the Nebraska Commandery gives its hearty support |