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Article THE ELECTION FOR SECRETARY. Page 1 of 2 Article THE ELECTION FOR SECRETARY. Page 1 of 2 →
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The Election For Secretary.
THE ELECTION FOR SECRETARY .
THE one topic of the day in Masonic quarters is the question of the election of a new Secretary for the Eoyal Masonic Institution for Boys , and the more we hear of the subject the more convinced we
become that trouble is likely to result from the contest . It is bad enough to reconcile conflicting ideas when public opinion is divided for or against any one particular object , but when , as is the case here , there
are several factions to be considered , the diihculty is increased , not only in proportion to the number of interests to be taken into account , but also because each section sees , in the action of its fellows ,
something which appears exceptional , and calling for blame or adverse criticism . We have already recorded the fact that there were
38 applicants for the office , that 10 wore not qualified to go to the poll , and that of the remaining 28 only some half a-dozen really stood a chance of winning the coveted appointment . We do not think we shall
offend any of the outside candidates if we say that the actual number of those who have a moderate chance of success is five , two of whom may be regarded as London candidates , two as Provincial , and
one London and Provincial combined . To be more precise , it may be as well to give the names of these candidates , not because we have any partiality to bestow on either of them , but because we consider it
a part of our duty to our subscribers to show them what is going on in regard to this contest , and the possible support that is likely to follow from the election of any particular candidate . Taking the five
in alphabetical order then , we have Bro . Baskett , Bro . Greenwood , Bro . McLeod , Bro . Gordon Smith and Bro . Storr . Of these Bro . Greenwood may be described as the candidate with both London and
irovmcial supporters ; Bros . Baskett and McLeod pin their faith principally on the Provincials ; while Bros . Gordon Smith and Storr rely , in the main , on London voters . Having said this we should , perhaps ,
snow wisdom if we said no more , but there are some among our readers who look to us for a summary of rumours , possibilities and certainties , which it is generally supposed a newspaper is fully cognisant of ,
and which in this case , we almost regret to say , are both numerous , loudly proclaimed , and various . First and foremost among the rumours is a statement that the Provisional Management Committee of
we Institution has selected four candidates for especial recommendation to the general body of voters . This item may be regarded as quite outside the range of rumour , in face of a circular issued
officiall y from the Province of West Yorkshire—and Jo which we shall refer later on—wherein it is stated that one of the candidates has " been unanimously Placed first of the four selected candidates by the provisional Committee . " It is really no secret who uese fow are , but we will first devote' ourselves
The Election For Secretary.
to the one of the five we have named abovo who is left out of the recommendation of the Provisional Management Committee . The Province of North and East Yorkshire supplies us with
official intimation on this point , the brethren of that district having pledged themselves to support Bro . Baskett , who they now say is omitted from the list of those specially recommended by tho
Committee . North and East Yorkshire is but ono Province which has promised to support Bro . Baskett , and to say its members are up in arras at the action of the Committee is but a mild wav of nuttins it .
There are Dorset , Hampshire and the Isle of Wight , Wiltshire , Devonshire , Durham , Cumberland , and Westmoreland , Cambridgeshire , Jersey , Suffolk , North Wales , and Oxfordshire among those who are
to be considered m connection with Bro . Baskett ' s candidature , for in each of these districts he has the support of either the Provincial Grand Master or a large number of leading Masons—while in most of
the districts named he has both . It is not for us to question the why and wherefore of the Committee's recommendation , but can any one outside that body see on what grounds , save actual incompetency , the
Committee can disregard such support as we have here enumerated . Do they wish to drive away tho twelve Provinces pledged to support Bro . Baskett ? If so , they are going the right way to work to achieve
their desire ; but if not , they are acting most unwisely in ignoring a candidate put forward with such an array of supporters . Bro . Baskett claims the endorsement of twelve Provinces out of the
fortylour into which England is divided , and yet is not regarded by the Provisional Committee as worthy of the same special reference they have accorded to four others , who , we venture to think , will agree with
us that the fifth name should have been added to the list of recommendations . The Provisional Committee has made a serious blunder in this matter . Are they prepared for the consequences ?
Bro . Greenwood will go to the poll with a grand list of supporters , and if his friends will only fulfil their promises we fail to see who can beat him . He has a splendidly organised Committee working on his
behalf , and one way and another has a list of nearly 2000 pledged supporters , many of them London Masons ; among them also are to be found the voters of Surrey and Sussex almost to a man . We imagine
the only difficulty he will have to contend with is that of getting the signed proxies in hand , and if his friends can surmount that obstacle they should have the satisfaction of seeing their nroteore at the
head of the poll . Bro . Gordon Smith and Bro . Storr rely , we believe , primarily if not wholly , on London friends and each of them has a strong and numerous body of
supporters , so much so that as yet it is impossible to even hazard a guess as to . which of the leading candidates has the best chance . We have left Bro . McLeod until last , not from any
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Election For Secretary.
THE ELECTION FOR SECRETARY .
THE one topic of the day in Masonic quarters is the question of the election of a new Secretary for the Eoyal Masonic Institution for Boys , and the more we hear of the subject the more convinced we
become that trouble is likely to result from the contest . It is bad enough to reconcile conflicting ideas when public opinion is divided for or against any one particular object , but when , as is the case here , there
are several factions to be considered , the diihculty is increased , not only in proportion to the number of interests to be taken into account , but also because each section sees , in the action of its fellows ,
something which appears exceptional , and calling for blame or adverse criticism . We have already recorded the fact that there were
38 applicants for the office , that 10 wore not qualified to go to the poll , and that of the remaining 28 only some half a-dozen really stood a chance of winning the coveted appointment . We do not think we shall
offend any of the outside candidates if we say that the actual number of those who have a moderate chance of success is five , two of whom may be regarded as London candidates , two as Provincial , and
one London and Provincial combined . To be more precise , it may be as well to give the names of these candidates , not because we have any partiality to bestow on either of them , but because we consider it
a part of our duty to our subscribers to show them what is going on in regard to this contest , and the possible support that is likely to follow from the election of any particular candidate . Taking the five
in alphabetical order then , we have Bro . Baskett , Bro . Greenwood , Bro . McLeod , Bro . Gordon Smith and Bro . Storr . Of these Bro . Greenwood may be described as the candidate with both London and
irovmcial supporters ; Bros . Baskett and McLeod pin their faith principally on the Provincials ; while Bros . Gordon Smith and Storr rely , in the main , on London voters . Having said this we should , perhaps ,
snow wisdom if we said no more , but there are some among our readers who look to us for a summary of rumours , possibilities and certainties , which it is generally supposed a newspaper is fully cognisant of ,
and which in this case , we almost regret to say , are both numerous , loudly proclaimed , and various . First and foremost among the rumours is a statement that the Provisional Management Committee of
we Institution has selected four candidates for especial recommendation to the general body of voters . This item may be regarded as quite outside the range of rumour , in face of a circular issued
officiall y from the Province of West Yorkshire—and Jo which we shall refer later on—wherein it is stated that one of the candidates has " been unanimously Placed first of the four selected candidates by the provisional Committee . " It is really no secret who uese fow are , but we will first devote' ourselves
The Election For Secretary.
to the one of the five we have named abovo who is left out of the recommendation of the Provisional Management Committee . The Province of North and East Yorkshire supplies us with
official intimation on this point , the brethren of that district having pledged themselves to support Bro . Baskett , who they now say is omitted from the list of those specially recommended by tho
Committee . North and East Yorkshire is but ono Province which has promised to support Bro . Baskett , and to say its members are up in arras at the action of the Committee is but a mild wav of nuttins it .
There are Dorset , Hampshire and the Isle of Wight , Wiltshire , Devonshire , Durham , Cumberland , and Westmoreland , Cambridgeshire , Jersey , Suffolk , North Wales , and Oxfordshire among those who are
to be considered m connection with Bro . Baskett ' s candidature , for in each of these districts he has the support of either the Provincial Grand Master or a large number of leading Masons—while in most of
the districts named he has both . It is not for us to question the why and wherefore of the Committee's recommendation , but can any one outside that body see on what grounds , save actual incompetency , the
Committee can disregard such support as we have here enumerated . Do they wish to drive away tho twelve Provinces pledged to support Bro . Baskett ? If so , they are going the right way to work to achieve
their desire ; but if not , they are acting most unwisely in ignoring a candidate put forward with such an array of supporters . Bro . Baskett claims the endorsement of twelve Provinces out of the
fortylour into which England is divided , and yet is not regarded by the Provisional Committee as worthy of the same special reference they have accorded to four others , who , we venture to think , will agree with
us that the fifth name should have been added to the list of recommendations . The Provisional Committee has made a serious blunder in this matter . Are they prepared for the consequences ?
Bro . Greenwood will go to the poll with a grand list of supporters , and if his friends will only fulfil their promises we fail to see who can beat him . He has a splendidly organised Committee working on his
behalf , and one way and another has a list of nearly 2000 pledged supporters , many of them London Masons ; among them also are to be found the voters of Surrey and Sussex almost to a man . We imagine
the only difficulty he will have to contend with is that of getting the signed proxies in hand , and if his friends can surmount that obstacle they should have the satisfaction of seeing their nroteore at the
head of the poll . Bro . Gordon Smith and Bro . Storr rely , we believe , primarily if not wholly , on London friends and each of them has a strong and numerous body of
supporters , so much so that as yet it is impossible to even hazard a guess as to . which of the leading candidates has the best chance . We have left Bro . McLeod until last , not from any