USA > Pennsylvania > Lancaster County > Lancaster > History of Lodge no. 43, F. & A. M. : being the records of the first century of its existence > Part 8
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ance over the Country Lodges; because their representatives could always attend the meetings of the Grand Lodge. When, however, we consider that every Master Mason who has passed the chair, and the Wardens for the time being of each Lodge are members of the Grand Lodge, and are each entitled to one vote, then the preponderance becomes overwhelming. Whilst this system shall continue in force, the Masons in Philadelphia must govern all the Lodges throughout the State.
Your committee confidently believe that it was the combina- tion of these two causes and the neglect to give notice to the country Lodges in due time, to enable them to be represented, which produced the resolution of the Grand Lodge, " That the establishment of a General Grand Lodge of the United States and the calling a Masonic Convention for the purpose of instituting and organizing the same as proposed, is inexpedient, and in the opinion of the Grand Lodge, impracticable."
On the contrary, your committee firmly believe that a very large majority of the Masons throughout Pennsylvania would be favorable to such an institution.
The jurisdiction of that body ought not, in the opinion of your committee, to extend beyond the most important concerns of the society. It never was intended that it should embrace "the most minute affairs of the subordinate Lodges," as the Grand Lodge appear to apprehend. The whole internal police and government of those Lodges would still remain in the Grand Lodge, as in political affairs they remain in the State govern- ment. The Federal Masonic Government should only possess the power of establishing and enforcing a uniform system of work over the United States, and of corresponding with Masons in other countries, concerning the interests of the Craft. Its powers should be analogous to those of Federal government and should embrace only the important and general concerns in which the whole body of Masons throughout the Union are in- terested. These, and these only, are the powers intended to be granted to the "General Grand Lodge of the United States."
The good consequences which would flow from such an insti- stution are so obvious and so numerous, that your committee will not attempt to detail them. Suffice it to say, that it would pro- duce such a uniformity in working, that any member of any State Lodge would immediately be recognised as a brother by every Lodge and every Mason throughout the United States. Each Mason of every State, in analogy to the Federal Constitution, without changing his mode of labour, might at once become a member of any Lodge in any other State, in the same manner that the citizens of each State are entitled " to all privileges and immunities of citizens in the several States." Indeed, the Grand
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Lodge of Pennsylvania, by the report which they adopted on the 3d of June last, seem, in substance, to admit the propriety of such a measure by recommending " an occasional convocation of delegates from the different Grand Lodges throughout the United States."
It must, however, at once strike every mind, that such a convention, possessing no power to compel the execution of any measure which they thought proper to adopt, would be of little service in producing any salutary effects. Their recommendations would either be regarded or disregarded, as the prejudices, the opinions, or the interests of the different Grand Lodges would dictate. They would soon sink into insig- nificance, as every government, whether political or masonic, must do, which has not in itself the power of enforcing obedi- ence to its own laws. The old confederation among the States is a striking example of this truth.
If, therefore, there ever was a subject brought before the Grand Lodge which demanded their most serious deliberation, it was whether a General Grand Lodge of the United States should be established. All the Masons in the State were deeply interested in the decision of this question ; every Lodge therefore should have had full notice of the time when it would be determined, so that each might have been represented, if they thought proper.
The Grand Lodge, however, instead of adopting this course, hurried on to a decision at the first quarterly communication after the meeting of Masons held in the city of Washington. The Country Lodges were entirely ignorant of their intention to do so, and were therefore deprived of any opportunity of ex- pressing their sentiments on this most important subject. Here- tofore propositions of much less importance have been made at one quarterly communication, and have then lain over until the next, so that the sense of the whole Masonic body respecting them might be fairly ascertained. Your committee regret that this course was not adopted upon the present occasion.
They however consider it useless to ask for a reconsideration of the question. It will be remembered that on the 21st day of September, 1819, a Circular was prepared by this Lodge, and forwarded to the different Lodges under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, expressing the sentiments of this Lodge on this subject-proposing that, as many of the Past Masters and officers of the different Lodges as could make it convenient, should attend the meeting of the Grand Lodge on St. John's day, then next, in order, if possible, to effect the ob- jects proposed. From the answers to this Circular, it appeared that nearly all of the Lodges approved of the measures proposed by this Lodge. Accordingly, on St. John's day a committee of
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this Lodge attended the meeting of the Grand Lodge, and sub- mitted for their consideration the following :
Whereas, it is the opinion of this Grand Lodge, that the establishment of a General Grand Lodge, to be composed of the Grand and Past Grand Officers of the different Grand Lodges in the United States, would essentially promote the interests of Masonry and conduce to a uniformity in the mode of carrying on the labors of the craft,
Therefore, Resolved, That a committee be appointed to open and carry on a correspondence with the different Grand Lodges in the United States, relative to the establishment of a General Grand Lodge.
Resolved, That the Right Worshipful Grand Master be, and he is hereby authorized and required, to appoint Lecture Masters, whose duty it shall be to visit and lecture in the subor- dinate Lodges under their jurisdiction.
Resolved, That all the questions, as well as the election of officers of the Grand Lodge, shall be determined by a majority of votes, each Lodge having one vote.
On motion made and seconded, it was then Resolved, "That the propositions just read, be submitted to a committee of seven members, with instructions to investigate the subject, and make report to this Grand Lodge, at the Grand Quarterly Communi- cation, to be held in September next; and that the discussion and consideration of the said report take place on the 28th of December, 1820; and that each subordinate Lodge be furnished with a copy of the said report."
The R. W. Grand Master asked time to appoint the said com- mittee, and on the 3d of April following this Lodge were first informed that he had appointed Josiah Randall, Samuel F. Brad- ford, Henry Baldwin, George B. Porter, Isaac Darlington, James Harper, Jr., and Benjamin Say,-a majority of whom reside in ·Philadelphia.
On the 9th of October following this Lodge was furnished by the Grand Secretary with a report made by the said committee, unfavorable to the propositions submitted. It appears that the said committee, with the exception of Brother Porter, had met on the 19th of June-that Brother Porter knew nothing of the meeting of the committee, being from home several weeks pre- vious and subsequent to the said date, and the fact of his being absent was publicly known-and that the notice forwarded to him of the time and place of the meeting of the committee was so short that he could not have attended, had he been at home at the time of its delivery. The said committee having thus met, without giving an opportunity to the representative of this Lodge to support and shew the necessity of adopting the resolu-
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tions submitted by himself, induced this Lodge to believe that it would be useless to attend further to the subject-being satis- fied that a determination had been formed by several members of the Grand Lodge, resident in Philadelphia, that the question relative to the establishment of a General Grand Lodge of the United States, or, as to any alteration in the mode of electing officers, or determining questions in the Grand Lodge of Penn- sylvania, should not be fairly put before all the members of said Lodge. In this opinion they are fortified by the late precipitate decision made on the 3d of June last.
After maturely considering the subjects referred to them, your committee can devise no practicable mode of relief for the griev- ances of which we all complain, except by the assemblage of a General Convention of Delegates from all the subordinate Lodges in this commonwealth-and therefore submit the following reso- lutions for the consideration of this Lodge :
I. Resolved, That a General Convention of Delegates from the different subordinate Lodges throughout the State, to take into consideration the interests of the Fraternity, and to devise some mode of remedying the evils generally complained of, be recommended to be holden at Harrisburg, on the first Monday of January next.
2. Resolved, That this Lodge will, at the stated meeting in November next, appoint three members to attend as Delegates in the said convention, and that each subordinate Lodge be re- quested to appoint a Delegate or Delegates, not exceeding three in number, for the same purpose.
3. Resolved, That a committee of five members be appointed by this Lodge, to correspond with, and to transmit for considera- tion, copies of the foregoing report and resolutions to all the subordinate Lodges in this State, and to request an answer there- to, as soon as the determination of their respective Lodges be made.
Which report, together with the resolutions thereto attached, were read, considered and unanimously adopted, and ordered that the same committee be the committee agreeably to the third resolution.
A printed copy of the above report having been received by the Grand Lodge, it was referred to a committee of nine, who presented the following report at the adjourned quarterly Com- munication held September 20th.
To the Right Worshipful the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania.
The Committe to whom was referred the Circular Letter directed to the Right Worshipful Grand Master "by a commit-
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tee of Lodge No. 43, held at Lancaster, being an address from the said Lodge to the different subordinate Lodges in the State, containing a statement of their grievances, and recommending that a General Convention of Delegates from the different subor- dinate Lodges throughout the State, to take into consideration the interests of the fraternity, and co devise some mode of reme- dying the evils complained of, be holden at Harrisburg on the first Monday of January next,"
Respectfully Report,
That, having assembled to perform the duty assigned to them, a communication from the Right Worshipful Grand Master to Lodge No 43, in reply to the Circular Letter of that Lodge, was submitted to their consideration, unanimously approved, and the Right Worshipful Grand Master requested to forward the same without delay, when approved by the Right Worshipful Grand Lodge.
That your Committee place much reliance upon the efficacy of the kind spirit, candid statements, accurate details, and earnest exhortation of the above mentioned communication, to restore Lodge No. 43 to a just and lasting sense of its masonic duty : and although anxious and determined to maintain the paramount and inherent sovereignty and dignity of this Right Worshipful Grand Lodge, they wish scrupulously to avoid any hasty or vin- dictive severity. They, therefore, beg leave to offer, and recom- mend for adoption, the following resolution :
Resolved, That this Grand Lodge view, with extreme regret and decided disapprobation, the conduct of Lodge No. 43, as made known to them by the Circular addressed to the Right Worshipful Grand Master ; and that they only refrain, until the first Monday in November next, from an exercise of their con- stitutional power to vacate the warrant of said Lodge, in the ex- pectation that a communication from the Right Worshipful Grand Master, conveying distinct information and fraternal remonstrance, will induce Lodge No. 43 immediately to retrace its steps and return to its masonic obedience and faith.
SAMUEL F. BRADFORD, Chairman. JAMES HARPER, THOMAS KITTERA, GEORGE A. BAKER, ANDREW HOOLTON, Committee.
MICHAEL NISBIT, H. BENNER, WILLIAM BOYD, G. M. DALLAS, Secretary.
This Report was unanimously adopted, also the following res- olutions :
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Resolved unanimously,
That this Grand Lodge do highly approve of the calm, digni- fied and affectionate Letter to Lodge No. 43, just read by the Right Worshipful Grand Master, and that the thanks of this R. W. Grand Lodge be presented to him for the paternal zeal with which he has devoted himself to the investigation of the impor- tant subjects involved in it.
Resolved unanimously, That the R. W. Grand Master be re- quested to furnish to the Grand Secretary a copy of his Letter, and that the same, together with the Report of the Committee, be printed, and sent to all the Lodges within this Common- wealth.
These proceedings of the R. W. Grand Lodge together with the Letter of the R. W. Grand Master were forwarded to Lodge No. 43. The following is a copy of the Letter of the Grand Secretary accompanying the same :
PHILADELPHIA, SEPTEMBER 28, 1822.
W. SIR & BROTHER,
The R. W. Grand Master requests that you will, with as little delay as possible, convene Lodge No. 43 and lay the annexed Report and inclosed Letter before it.
With sentiments of respect I remain W. Sir and Brother,
Yours fraternally,
GEORGE A. BAKER, Grand Sec' ry.
Brother HENRY KEFFER, W. M. of Lodge No. 43.
The Letter of the R. W. Grand Master which was enclosed was as follows :*
To the Worshipful Master, Past Masters, Wardens, and Brethern of Lodge No. 43, held in the city of Lancaster :
Brethren, With pain and regret, I have received a Communi- cation from your Lodge, dated the 21st of August last, enclos- ing a report, adopted by the Lodges, at its stated meeting in that month.
The complaints it enumerates, the manner in which they are detailed ana the remedy it proposes too plainly indicate an alienation of feeling on your part towards the Grand Lodge, that, I think, could not be justified by any course of conduct it might pursue.
By the Great Masonic Constitution adopted by the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, and as far as my knowledge extends, by every other Grand Lodge either in Europe or the United States,
* This letter is not upon the records of the Lodge.
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"the Grand Lodge has an inherent power and authority to make local ordinances and new regulations, as well as to amend and explain the old ones, for their own particular benefit and the good of Masonry in general," "for the members of every Grand Lodge are the true representatives of all the fraternity in com- munication, and are an absolute and independent body, with legislative authority ; provided as aforesaid, that the Grand Masonic Constitution be never violated nor any of the old land- marks removed." The same Charter declares "that the main business of the Grand Lodge, whether at quarterly communica- tions or other meetings, is seriously to discourse and sedately to consider, transact and settle ALL MATTERS that concern the pros- perity of the Craft and the fraternity in general or PRIVATE LODGES and SINGLE BROTHERS in particular.
Obedience to these principles, is the cardinal duty of the Or- der. Every Master Mason is bound by the strongest ties, that human ingenuity, under the blessing of Providence, has ever yet devised, to maintain and support them. They impose an obli- gation from which we cannot be relieved, even though the whole Masonic family, by one unanimous acclamation, should decree it ; they prescribe a duty we owe to our brethern, our con- sciences and our God, and which, without guilt, can neither be evaded nor set at defiance. What then my brethern is the mea- sure you have propounded ? A Convention of Delegates " to take into consideration the interest of the fraternity and to de- vise some mode of remedying the evils" and grievances, under which the subordinate Lodges labour, by means of the organiza- tion, the location & the general system adopted by the Grand Lodge. The only legitimate body in which any of these griev- ances (if they do exist) could be relieved, is the Grand Lodge itself. It is an absolute and independent body, endowed with leg- islative authority, to apply a remedy to all evils that do now or may hereafter exist, and the assemblage of any other persons, to review or pass upon its measures, is a direct and unequivocal in- fringement of its rights, and an absolute denial of its Supremacy over the Craft. I trust, this is a view of the subject that has not yet presented itself to your minds, because, if you agree in opinion with me, on this point, and I know not, how we can differ, there will be, on your part, a prompt relinquishment of the proposed convention, as I know you would not persevere in any course, which, you believed, was inconsistent with the sol- emn duties and obligations you have undertaken to perform. I urge these considerations more strongly, because, on a former occasion, you protested against the power of a subordinate Lodge, in nothing your superiors, possessing neither the authority to investigate nor the power to punish, to pass a vote of censure
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upon your conduct ; and at the same time you declared that to the Grand Lodge, under whose jurisdiction you were placed, you owed " duty and allegiance," and " when that August Tri- bunal shall say," you "have broken" your "allegiance, then, and not till then, will concessions be made."
If then the power of a coequal subordinate Lodge, to pass upon or censure the conduct of a sister Lodge, be denied, how much stronger does the principle apply to a subordinate Lodge, asserting its right to review the whole course of the proceedings of the supreme Masonic authority, to whom they owe obedience and fidelity unlimited, within the ancient land-marks, and from whom they have derived and continue to enjoy their very exist- ence ?
Waiving, for the present, the right to assemble, let us enter into a friendly and dispassionate examination of the alleged grievances. I will promise, that no Lodge, under our jurisdic- tion, has ever made any serious complaint to the Grand Lodge of its proceeding, except Lodge No. 43. While we have too often witnessed in you the most decisive evidence of hostility and opposition to our measures, the other Lodges have displayed, in their intercourse with the Grand Lodge, the most warm and sincere affection for the parent authority, and the most scrupu- lous obedience to its directions. That, such feelings may con- tinue to govern them and shortly pervade your councils, is my most anxious desire.
The organization of the Grand Lodge does not receive your approbation. I would remark that the present organization of the Grand Lodge is the same that has subsisted for ages both in Europe and the United States. A subordinate Lodge is repre- sented by its Worshipful Master and Wardens; the "Lodge when duly congregated, have the privilege of instructing their Master and Wardens for their conduct in the Grand Lodge," but the Past Masters have always holden seats in the Grand Lodge as " the true representatives of all the fraternity," and the right to disfranchise them might be well questioned, even if not totally denied. It is a privilege conferred on them, as a reward for their labour and services in promoting the interests of the craft, and none are more interested in preserving the ancient Usages than the craft itself, as the disfranchisement of the Past Masters must deprive the Grand Lodge of a large por- tion of its Masonic intellect and experience. The injustice of giving the Past Masters and officers of each Lodge but one vote is equally obvious. It would amount, in a great degree, to a virtual disfranchisement of the Past Masters ; it would place the oldest and most numerous Lodge on a level with the youngest and smallest in number ; it would be a stimulus to large Lodges
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to subdivide, in order to gain the ascendancy ; and every five master masons, who could obtain a warrant, would have the same influence with a Lodge valued for its antiquity, its numbers and zeal in the interests of the craft. The complaint against the present system is, that there is not an equitable distribution of power, and the result of the alteration would, like its cause, naturally end in a contest for power, and be destructive of the good order and harmony of the craft. You refer to the prin- ciples of our government and intimate, that the doctrine of representation, in proportion to members, should be adopted ; but how utterly subversive of those principles would be a system that would give to five masons just constituted as a Lodge, equal weight with an old and well established Lodge, consisting of from 75 to 120 members. The truth is that if the republican principles of our government were to be taken as the Masonic guide, our present system is much more consonant with them than the one proposed by your Lodge. I cannot forbear to add, that the project of a General Grand Lodge of the United States, as proposed by Brother Porter, in Grand Lodge, on the 27th of December, 1819, contemplated that it should consist of the Grand and Past Grand Officers of the different Grand Lodges in the United States, thereby continuing, in this particular, not only to follow, but even to enlarge upon, the present system of represen- tation in our Grand Lodge.
Another ground of objection to the present Grand Lodge is, its location. It is an important fact, and one that seems to have escaped your attention, that the City of Philadelphia is nearer to a majority of the Lodges within the State of Pennsylvania than the present Seat of Government. As the oldest Lodges are generally the most numerous, the present location of the Grand Lodge is more contiguous to, and more convenient for a still larger majority of the Masonic Brethren throughout the com- monwealth. It is a still more important and conclusive fact on this subject, that a clear majority of the Contributing Brethren of the whole Commonwealth reside within the City and County of Philadelphia. Independent of these considerations, the Grand Lodge ought always to be located in the most populous city. In England, the continuance of the Grand Lodge to meet at York after the South had become the seat of popula- tion, and London the great emporium of the kingdom, produced two distinct Grand Lodges, and the subsequent unfortunate di- vision betwen the Ancient York and Modern Masons. The Seat of Government in the State of New York, has been for many years removed to Albany, yet the Grand Lodge have continued to meet in the city of New York, although the number of Lodges holden in that city, is about the same as those holden in our
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HISTORY OF LODGE NO. 43, F. & A. M.
city ; and the number of those, holden in the country, in the State of New York, is seven fold the number of country Lodges in our State. The Grand Lodge of Maryland continued to meet in Baltimore, although the Seat of Government has been removed to Annapolis ; and they have recently finished the erection, in the City of Baltimore, of a suitable Temple, in which they now hold their communications. The Grand Lodge of South Carolina still continues to meet in the city of Charlestown, although the Seat of Government has long since been removed into the Inter- ior.
I proceed to the examination of those measures of the Grand Lodge of which you have complained ; they seem to be confined to Ist, The rejection of a proposition for a General Grand Lodge throughout the United States; 2, The waste of the funds derived from the country Lodges ; and 3d, The want of Masonic instruction to the subordinate Lodges.
I will not adopt the principle that a body co-equal, much less one inferior, in its authority, has no right to express its censure upon the conduct of the Grand Lodge. In order that we may discuss the grounds of complaint more fully, I will, for the present, concede to you, the right to censure the Grand Lodge, and to communicate that censure in the manner you have adopted.
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