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Article QUARTERLY COMMUNICATION. ← Page 2 of 5 →
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Quarterly Communication.
read , as were several others from various country Lodges to a similar effect , although not couched in such strong terms . The minutes of the Grand Lodge in March ( vide p . 72 ) were then read , and on being put for confirmation , The Earl of FORTESCUE rose and addressed the Grancl Lodge , observing that he had presided at a Provincial Grancl Lodge for the province of Devonon the 2-lth of April lastat which certain resolutions
, , were passed which reflected , as justly as severely , on the proceedings of the Graud Lodge held in March last , in relation to the proposed motion to tax the provincial Brethren ICO per cent , in addition to their present payment , whereas by the same proposed motion the London Brethren were only to be taxed 50 per cent , on their present payment . To the confirmation of this motion he was desired , on the part of every Lodge in the province of Devon , who were all represented at the Provincial
Grancl Lodge , to attend and to oppose the most decided negative ; ancl although he did not interfere with the transactions of the Grand Lodge , being hitherto satisfied with its proceedings , still , on this momentous occasion , he felt himself bound in honour to fulfil the wishes of his province ; and he came there willingly , attended by the largest deputation ever knoivn , and was glad to find the deputation was met by so many others from the provincesfor the purpose of arresting the confirmation
, of a most obnoxious resolution . He did not wish to impute improper motives to the supporters of the resolution ; no doubt they thought themselves right in their views , but their provincial Brethren thought otherwise , and if he was not mistaken , the Provincial Grand Masters now present would be of the same opinion with himself —( loud cheers
from the provincial Brethren ) . He called on the Grand Lodge to review the case , ancl prevent the confirmation of a motion that deviated so widely from the principles of Masonry , and that sound policy by which those principles should be sustained . Innovations on precedent and established custom were at aU times to be viewed with doubt ; but especially such innovations that involved the security of fundamental principles by the passing of an unequal tax —( hear , hear ) . He complainedmost emphaticallcomplainedof the inadequate notice
, y , very that had been given as to the motion—a notice , in fact , which informed tbe provinces that they had been taxed , but gave them no information as to the why and the wherefore—if the confirmation did pass , which he sincerely trusted would not be the case , it would tend to the utter destruction of the union , so happily effected by the illustrious deceased Grand Alaster , and which union had been so admirably supported by the noble Brother who had succeeded his royal predecessor . He himself
felt that many members of the Order were so disgusted with the proceedings , that he feared they would , if the motion were carried , break offall connexion with the Grand Lodge —( hear , hear ) . Although the provinces had not been favoured with any statistical explanation as to the cause of the proposed unequal taxation , he ( Earl F . ) had made it his business to examine into the financial statement , and he found that under the present arrangement which was made at the unionand confirmed b
, y the new laws in 1841 , the London Lodges benefitted very considerably more than those of the provinces —( hear , hear)—and this fact was alone sufficient to prove the absurdness of the motion , which he most seriously deprecated as unjust and arbitrary . After many further observations , condemnatory of the motion , the JKarl Fortescue concluded by moving , that the minutes of the last Grand Lodge , WITH THE EXCEPTION OP THE
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Quarterly Communication.
read , as were several others from various country Lodges to a similar effect , although not couched in such strong terms . The minutes of the Grand Lodge in March ( vide p . 72 ) were then read , and on being put for confirmation , The Earl of FORTESCUE rose and addressed the Grancl Lodge , observing that he had presided at a Provincial Grancl Lodge for the province of Devonon the 2-lth of April lastat which certain resolutions
, , were passed which reflected , as justly as severely , on the proceedings of the Graud Lodge held in March last , in relation to the proposed motion to tax the provincial Brethren ICO per cent , in addition to their present payment , whereas by the same proposed motion the London Brethren were only to be taxed 50 per cent , on their present payment . To the confirmation of this motion he was desired , on the part of every Lodge in the province of Devon , who were all represented at the Provincial
Grancl Lodge , to attend and to oppose the most decided negative ; ancl although he did not interfere with the transactions of the Grand Lodge , being hitherto satisfied with its proceedings , still , on this momentous occasion , he felt himself bound in honour to fulfil the wishes of his province ; and he came there willingly , attended by the largest deputation ever knoivn , and was glad to find the deputation was met by so many others from the provincesfor the purpose of arresting the confirmation
, of a most obnoxious resolution . He did not wish to impute improper motives to the supporters of the resolution ; no doubt they thought themselves right in their views , but their provincial Brethren thought otherwise , and if he was not mistaken , the Provincial Grand Masters now present would be of the same opinion with himself —( loud cheers
from the provincial Brethren ) . He called on the Grand Lodge to review the case , ancl prevent the confirmation of a motion that deviated so widely from the principles of Masonry , and that sound policy by which those principles should be sustained . Innovations on precedent and established custom were at aU times to be viewed with doubt ; but especially such innovations that involved the security of fundamental principles by the passing of an unequal tax —( hear , hear ) . He complainedmost emphaticallcomplainedof the inadequate notice
, y , very that had been given as to the motion—a notice , in fact , which informed tbe provinces that they had been taxed , but gave them no information as to the why and the wherefore—if the confirmation did pass , which he sincerely trusted would not be the case , it would tend to the utter destruction of the union , so happily effected by the illustrious deceased Grand Alaster , and which union had been so admirably supported by the noble Brother who had succeeded his royal predecessor . He himself
felt that many members of the Order were so disgusted with the proceedings , that he feared they would , if the motion were carried , break offall connexion with the Grand Lodge —( hear , hear ) . Although the provinces had not been favoured with any statistical explanation as to the cause of the proposed unequal taxation , he ( Earl F . ) had made it his business to examine into the financial statement , and he found that under the present arrangement which was made at the unionand confirmed b
, y the new laws in 1841 , the London Lodges benefitted very considerably more than those of the provinces —( hear , hear)—and this fact was alone sufficient to prove the absurdness of the motion , which he most seriously deprecated as unjust and arbitrary . After many further observations , condemnatory of the motion , the JKarl Fortescue concluded by moving , that the minutes of the last Grand Lodge , WITH THE EXCEPTION OP THE