Further Particulars About The Ohio G. Master's Blunder.

FURTHER PARTICULARS ABOUT THE OHIO G . MASTER'S BLUNDER .

Bv BRO . JACOI ; NORTON .

MR JAMES GRANT , in his History of " The News . paper Press , " ( Vol . I . p . 171 ) says : " In the year 17 G 4 , Mr . Wilkes , who had fled to France , to escape the imprisonment which ho knew to bo consequent ou his conviction for libel , carried on a correspondence

with Mr . Almau , his friend and admirer . * * * * Mr . "Wilkes , in one of his letters to Mr . Alman , made a brief but ludicrous allusion to the Rev . Mr . Trail , a Scotchman , as administering to the English subjects in

Paris in Spirituals , though a Peer was our Ambassador , ancl David Hurue his Secretary . I confess I cannot see any point in this , but bo this as it may , on the appearance of

the paragraph in the Loudon Evening Post , the Earl of Marchmont moved that , the House take proceedings against the printer for a breach of its privileges in mentioning the namo of one of its members . The result was that the

printer of the London Evening Post was fined £ 100 . The precedent thus set " the House of Lords was industriousl y followed up by itself . In several succeeding years , printers

of newspapers were lined each session , whenever they mentioned , by accident or otherwise , the name of a Peer of the Realm . Who could believe that little more than a

century ago such a state of things could have existed in this country , which boasted as much then as it does now of being pre-eminently the land of liberty . " Surprising as it may be to learn about the arrogance and

I may say impudence of the Tory lords of a hundred or more years ago , yet is it more surprising that some of our American Masons of to-day should presume to do

what the Tories of the time of George III . did ? In short , our Masonic Tories as a rule are high degree Gourgasites : these Gourgasites preponderate in our Grand Lodges . I have shown iu former communications that the

Gours-asites in Massachusetts passed laws for disqualifying Cerneauites from holding offices in Lodges , ancl that they may even be expelled from Masonry for belonging to Cerneauite concerns . These ridiculous laws were , however ,

never enforced , and they are mere " dead letters . The Grand Lodge of Ohio , in October 1887 was pleased to inform the brethren , that the Cerneauites were " illegal , irregular , and un-Masonic , aud ought not to be

countenanced or recognised in any manner by brethren under obedience to the said Graud Lodge of Ohio . " But it does not seem that any penalties for disobedience were imposed upon the Cerneauites . Now it is very curious , viz . that while tho Massachusetts Grand Lodo * e authorities

never molested the Cerneauites , though the Grand Lodge empowered them to do so , the Grand Master and his satellites in Ohio attempted to finish the Cerneauites of

Ohio , without having any authority whatever to interfere in the matter . I have already sent an outline , in a former paper , about the new trouble in Ohio . The March Number of the Cincinnati Masonic lievieiu furnishes additional

details , which I shall herewith explain : — Coshocton Lodge , No . 96 , elected its officers , 23 rd Dec . last ; the installation was to take place on the 27 th following . The W . M . was confined to his house by

sickness , hence the Senior Warden opened the Lodge , and placed in his chair a distinguished Gourgasite , viz . Brother Winegarer ; after the election , Brother Winegarer claimed to be a proxy ofthe Grand Master , aud by virtue of which

power he declared the election of the "W . M ., the two Wardens , the Secretary ancl the Treasurer , null ancl void ( because the said parties were Cerneauites ) , and ordered

the election for new officers to take place in January 1888 . At this juncture Bro . Judge John D . Nicholas thought proper to have his say .

" I rise [ said Bro . N . ] to ask a question , in order thatl may know how to act intelligently . I ha ve been a member of this Lodge for more than forty years , and am among the oldest , if not the very oldest ; certainly the oldest member

present to-night . During that long period * * * there have been many Grand Masters , not one of whom ever assumed such extraordinary powers as is attempted

to be here exercised to-night . I therefore * * * ask whence is this most extraordinary power derived ? It is not to be found in the Proc' -odiur's of the Grand LocVo . 73 O * * * If , however , ib is to b :- fmnd iu any O . m . j . itution- * , Bye-law 3 , Decisions oi * Oil * . ;; of Masonry , and you will

Further Particulars About The Ohio G. Master's Blunder.

point it ont , I am willing to bow in humble submission . * * * But if this power is not to be found there , and you will not point it out , I will never submit to such usurpation of power . "

Tho following interesting dialogue then took place : Proxy : " Brother Nicholas , your question is entirely out of order , the Grand Master is the law . " [ The italicising is not mine ] .

Judge N .: " Where is the authority for such a claim ? Proxy ; " The Grand Master claims the authority . " Judge N . : " The assumption of unwarranted authority is but , tho evidence of arrogance , ancl not proof of the claim . "

Brother Nicholas then moved to proceed with the installation , but Brother Winegarer declared tho motion out of order , and that the Lodge was closed , and called upon all tho loyalists ( which means the Gourgasites ) to leave the

hall ; when eight or nine visitors and members obeyed the Proxy ' s order , and about forty brethren remained . It seems , however , that one or both of the Wardens were either Gourgasites or chicken-hearted , any how , no

installation took place that night . It was , however , decided to obtain an injunction from the State Court , against the Grand Master ' s arrogance ; which was done accordingly a few clays after , and it was decided to instal the officers

elect on the night Brother Proxy appointed for election of new officers . On the said night , the outgoing W . M . of Coshocton Lodge was still confined to his house , and Brother Proxy induced both Wardens to keep away from

the meeting : n-ay , more , the Grand Master himself arrived there , ancl doubtless threatened with his displeasure all who dared to disobey his dictum . It seems , that without at least the presence of one of the regular officers ,

the installation of the new officers would have been illegal . However , after an hour and a half ' s search , the Senior Warden was caught . In vain did he protest that " the Grand Master would deprive him of all his Masonic rights if

he granted their request . " B y hook or by crook , he was induced cr compelled to open the Lodge , and a Brother Mitchell , P . M . of Newark Lodge , dared to instal the

Master elect , after which the old Senior Warden departed , ancl the remaining officers were invested , and here are specimens of the resolutions passed by the Lodge at a subsequent meeting , viz : —

" That this Lodgo recognises but three degrees in Masonry , ancl has nothing whatever to do with any other so-called hi "her clee-rees .

" That in the aforesaid action of the Grand Master this Lodge recognises a ridiculous assumption of power , unwarranted by the Constitution , Bye-laws , usages or landmarks of pure Masonry , a reckless prostitution of the Blue

Lodge to the base purpose of building up an institution of which he is a member , ancl which purports to confer certain so-called high degrees iu Masonry , even though he wreck the Blue Lodge by his un-Masonic and unholy

course . " That the Blue Lodge is for Master Masons , and not for a laundry to wash the soiled linen of so-called higher Masonic deerees . "

The above extracts will give the reader an idea of the remaining resolutions . I hope , however , that the whole will be published by the worthy editor of this paper . The

reader is now acquainted with the Ohio Grand Master ' s doings in Coshocton Lodge , and now I will toll of something copied by the Cincinnati Masonic , Bevieio from the Ohio Enquirer of 13 th March , viz : —

" Columbus—Ohio , 12 th March . —The war between the Cerneau and Northern Jurisdiction Masons , broke out here to-night with renewed vigour . Goodale Lodge was about to try the Cerneau members for conduct unbecoming

Masons . The members sought to be expelled embrace such gentlemen as Congressman Outhwaite , C . D . Firestone , ancl many leading citizens , about forty in number . The Cerneaus were prepared for the emergency , having

secured a temporary injunction from Judge Even ' s Court this afternoon which , was served in the Blue Lodge this evening by John A . Sarber as Deputy Sheriff . The petition

charges conspiracy , and is signed by Hon . R . A . Harrison , Ex-Supreme Judge , W . J . Gilmore , Judge , J . H . Collins , and F . A . Davis .

The petition avers that the defendant , S . Stocker Williams , Grand Master of Masons in Ohio , R . M . Gilbert , Dr . N . Kinsman , Tyler , and Goodale Lodge , No . 372 , entered into a conspiracy for the purpose of suppressing the Cerneau Bodies of Ohio , and , as a part of the con-