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Article MASONIC INTELLIGENCE. ← Page 3 of 14 →
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Masonic Intelligence.
" in conformity with requisites in the Book of Constitutions , page 102 , a ques" lion not involving any legal principle , but standing solely ou thc ground of " Masonic law , tolrich expressly requires that the Appeal must stale thc specific * " ¦ grievance complained of . '' Brother CitucEFix admitted the omission of such specification , but addressed " the GRAND MASTER , declaring that he had never used language derogatory " to the M . IV . G . M ., ( of which he was not accused , and on which his sentence " xcas not founded , ) and on Ms attempting to discuss thc evidence , he was told " that the decision , in the preceding case precluded that course . **
-"My answer is simply this : —I DID NOT ADMIT THE OMISSION OF SUCH SPECIFICATION , NEITHER DID I ATTEMPT TO DISCUSS THE EVIDENCE . " With regard to the first of the statements in the Circular , I aver that all that is required by the law is to state the grievance of which I complain ; and until the GRAND MASTER can satisfy me that the particular grievance and the ground of objection are one and the same thing , I must believe that my appeal was regular . "The real pointhoweveriswhether I did state the grievance of
, , , which I complained ?—I was charged with having taken the chair at a public meeting , where it was alleged that certain words were used , disrespectful to the DUKE OF SUSSEX , without calling the Brethren who used them to order . I denied that such words were used , and ii was proved they were not , and yet I was suspended from my Masonic functions and privileges for six months . Is THIS NO GRIEVANCE ? " My grounds of appeal might be various ; for instancethe Board
, might have no jurisdiction in the matter ; a majority might have come prepared to pass sentence without hearing evidence ; a majority might ( as they did ) pass sentence contrary to the evidence ; the sentence might have been disproportioned to the offence . These , and many more , ( which at another time might be shown , ) might be reasons for objecting to the sentence ; but the real , the only grievance was " THE SENTENCE
ITSELF , ' which I had just received , and against which I appealed . I am no lawyer , and argue only according to common sense . " Upon this word " grievance" the whole question turns ; and in the statement I have extracted from the anonymous account of the Quarterly Communication , it will be seen that the words " grounds of appeal and "grievance" are jumbled together to mislead those who have not the means or the leisure to examine the law itself . " To agree with the mode of reasoning adopted by the GKAND
MASTER , it might have been reported as follows : — " Brother CRUOEFIX did not state the GROUNDS (!) of his appeal , because he was not required so to clo , —Brother CRUOEFIX having complained merely of being suspended from his Masonic functions , the M . W . GRAND MASTER , desirous that such suspension be confirmed , ( which might not have been the ease had the appeal proceeded ) , decided that Masonic suspension was not a grievanceand therefore that the
, appeal should not be heard . " And the latter part of the report might have been as follows : — " 11 was objected , that in appealing against the sentence of tbe Board of Genera ] Purposes , which had suspended him from his Masonic functions , Brother CRUOEFIX hacl not stated " any grievance ; " and the GRAND MASTER decided that the objection was valid .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Masonic Intelligence.
" in conformity with requisites in the Book of Constitutions , page 102 , a ques" lion not involving any legal principle , but standing solely ou thc ground of " Masonic law , tolrich expressly requires that the Appeal must stale thc specific * " ¦ grievance complained of . '' Brother CitucEFix admitted the omission of such specification , but addressed " the GRAND MASTER , declaring that he had never used language derogatory " to the M . IV . G . M ., ( of which he was not accused , and on which his sentence " xcas not founded , ) and on Ms attempting to discuss thc evidence , he was told " that the decision , in the preceding case precluded that course . **
-"My answer is simply this : —I DID NOT ADMIT THE OMISSION OF SUCH SPECIFICATION , NEITHER DID I ATTEMPT TO DISCUSS THE EVIDENCE . " With regard to the first of the statements in the Circular , I aver that all that is required by the law is to state the grievance of which I complain ; and until the GRAND MASTER can satisfy me that the particular grievance and the ground of objection are one and the same thing , I must believe that my appeal was regular . "The real pointhoweveriswhether I did state the grievance of
, , , which I complained ?—I was charged with having taken the chair at a public meeting , where it was alleged that certain words were used , disrespectful to the DUKE OF SUSSEX , without calling the Brethren who used them to order . I denied that such words were used , and ii was proved they were not , and yet I was suspended from my Masonic functions and privileges for six months . Is THIS NO GRIEVANCE ? " My grounds of appeal might be various ; for instancethe Board
, might have no jurisdiction in the matter ; a majority might have come prepared to pass sentence without hearing evidence ; a majority might ( as they did ) pass sentence contrary to the evidence ; the sentence might have been disproportioned to the offence . These , and many more , ( which at another time might be shown , ) might be reasons for objecting to the sentence ; but the real , the only grievance was " THE SENTENCE
ITSELF , ' which I had just received , and against which I appealed . I am no lawyer , and argue only according to common sense . " Upon this word " grievance" the whole question turns ; and in the statement I have extracted from the anonymous account of the Quarterly Communication , it will be seen that the words " grounds of appeal and "grievance" are jumbled together to mislead those who have not the means or the leisure to examine the law itself . " To agree with the mode of reasoning adopted by the GKAND
MASTER , it might have been reported as follows : — " Brother CRUOEFIX did not state the GROUNDS (!) of his appeal , because he was not required so to clo , —Brother CRUOEFIX having complained merely of being suspended from his Masonic functions , the M . W . GRAND MASTER , desirous that such suspension be confirmed , ( which might not have been the ease had the appeal proceeded ) , decided that Masonic suspension was not a grievanceand therefore that the
, appeal should not be heard . " And the latter part of the report might have been as follows : — " 11 was objected , that in appealing against the sentence of tbe Board of Genera ] Purposes , which had suspended him from his Masonic functions , Brother CRUOEFIX hacl not stated " any grievance ; " and the GRAND MASTER decided that the objection was valid .