IGHBOR. EDITORIAL OFFICE VOLUME IV. | ROCK ISLAND. ILL” JULY, 1903. PUBLICATION OFFICE, LINCOLN, NEB. NUMBER 7. WOODMEN HEAD CAMP Rates Are Readjusted and Officers Elected by Acclamation It was one of the most interesting Modern Woodmen Head Camps the ed+ itor has been privileged to attend. She was present first at Dubuque, where the local entertainment committee made especial effort to entertain the ladies as well as the gentlemen; then at Kansas City an improvement was made even on Dubuque and the event was a memorable one; at St. Paul there was a large attendance and the For- ester Encampment feature first intro- duced, but at Indianapolis everything was perfect. The ladies were given a carriage ride in the parade and spent the balance of the time about the hotels enjoying each other’s company, or in attending the extremely interest- ‘ing sessions of the Head Camp. The ladies were united in declaring the Head Camp a great success and the loca] entertainment committee entitled to their thanks for the many courte- sies shown their many thousand guests. The all absorbing question before the Head Camp was the one of rate readjustment. The administration in the “Hawes” plan presented a plan which would have made _ future change of rates unnecessary, but the delegates favored a lower rate and preferred to change again when neces- sary. As a result the so-called “Iowa” plan was adopted. This plan is a raise of about twenty-five per cent on the younger ages and nearly one hundred -per cent on the older ages. The rates are as follows, the members to be rated at age of entry instead of at- tained age and only so many assess- ments levied each year as will be neces- sary to pay current death losses: Age at Nearest Birthday. $1,000. 18 to 25 years inclusive.........,....... $0 50 26 to 27 years inclusive................. 55 28 to 29 years inclusive............:.... 60 _80 to 31 years inclusive................. 65 82 to 83 years inclusive................. 70 34 to 85 years inclusive..............65. 75 36 to 37 years inclusive............20005 80 388 to 39 years inclusive................- 85 40 to 41 years inclusive................. 90 42 to 43 years inclusive................. 95 44 to 45 years inclusive................- 1 00 And other rates in proportion to age 60, which is a $2 rate. These rates are to go into effect on old members January 1, 1904, but are to apply to all new members received on and after August 15, 1903. This table of rates remains level, and for one to find out the amount of his assessment he should take his age of entry—that is, the date, of his original certificate—and then take that age and compare it with this table of rates at that age, and the amount opposite will be the rate of his assessment. As there will be only so many as- sessments levied as will pay current death losses, after January 1, 1904, when the new plan goes into effect, it is estimated that not more than eight assessments will be necessary during the first year; hence many of the mem- bers who went in at the 40-cent rate will, because of this less number of assessments, actually pay less under this new plan than they paid last year under the old plan. For instance, the man who went in under the age of 25 last year paid eleven assessments at 40 cents, or eleven times 40 cents, which is $4.40 for the year. Under the new plan his rate will be 50 cents; and if it only requires eight assessments the first year, as the father of the plan states, he will only pay eight times 50 cents, or $4, 40 cents less than under the old plan. We hope our brothers will find in the new plan all they expect of it, but its adoption, of course, will not make the society permanent, but the leaders of the Iowa plan contended that it would do for ten years and then the rates could again be changed, if found necessary, Head Escort—C. D. Elliott, Seattle, Wash. Head Watchman—W. E. Beachley, Hagerstown, Md. Head Sentry—George L. Bowman, Oklahoma City, Okla. Auditors—L. W. Otto, Crawfordsville, Ind.; F. W. Parrott, Clay Center, Kan.; John Denison, Clarion, Iowa; M. R. Carrier, Lansing, Mich.; E. B. Thomas, Columbus, O. Directors—G. W. Reilly, Illinois; C. G. Saunders, Iowa; R. R. Smith, Mis- souri; E. E, Murphy, Kansas; C. J. Byrns, Michigan. CHILDREN’S GUARDIAN ANGEL In the election of officers and on all other questions aside from readjust- ment the “administration” was in a large majority and the Head Camp witnessed the remarkable spectacle of having every Head Officer elected by ac- clamation. After Hon. A. R. Talbot had been nominated, General Attorney J. G. Johnson secured recognition and with- drew his name from the Head Consul- ship contest and moved that the elec- tion of Mr. Talbot be made unanimous by acclamation. This was done, and the same result followed in every other ease. The newly elected officers fol- low: : Head Consul—A. R. Talbot, Nebraska. Head Adviser—D. B. Horne, Iowa. Head Clerk—Charles W. Hawes, Illi- nois. Head Banker—A. N. Bort, Wisconsin. Head Chaplain—Rev. W. B. Gardner, Providence, R. I. The Foresters’ Encampment was a very novel and attractive feature. The editor was one of a delighted party who viewed the battalion drill from the top of a tallyho. The rainbow col- ored uniforms shone beautifully in the bright sunshine and the white tents and generals—for we understand they were all generals—gave the scene a military appearance which indicated that some real soldiers had been at work in completing the arrangements for the great Encampment. We had a great desire to see more of the En- campment—to enter its tented fields and to meet and greet the Generals and the Major Generals, but our un- derstanding of military etiquette is that one must not go within the guard line unless invited, so we admired from a distance and only regretted that we, too, might not be a part of it; but then Royal Neighbor Degree staffs must be satisfied to appear in just or- dinary Woodmen and Royal Neighbor parades, and have no part in a Wood- men Forester Encampment, except to give it their best wishes for the suc- cess it so richly merited. On Thursday evening came the great Woodmen ball, with fully 700 people on the floor. The galleries of the great hall were filled with interested spectators, making the plan one of spectacular beauty. The great parade on Thursday after- noon, with many thousands of Wood- men in line, gave to Indianapolis a better conception of the magnitude of the society than any other event of the whole week. There were Wood- men Head Officers and Supreme Offi- cers of Royal Neighbors of America in carriages, followed by the foresters with their varicolored uniforms of red, white, blue and green, making a pa- rade which one enthusiastic spectator declared beat the circus parade by fully fifty points. One noticeable feature was the absence of the floats, which usually are numerous and among the most attractive features of the parade. ye What Was Done (From Modern Woodman.) The following in brief is the impor- tant action of the Indianapolis Head Camp: First in importance, the readjust- ment of rates in adoption of the Iowa plan, which increased the rates from 25 to 100 per cent. Second in importance, the providing for a supervising Board of Supreme Physicians, to consist of three mem- bers, who shall have their offices in the headquarters building at Rock Island. Third: The resolution providing for the bonding of all clerks and bankers of local camps in a blanket bond pro- vided by the society, the expense of same to be borne by the general fund. Fourth: The appropriation of $50,- 000 for the aid of victims of the Kan- sas, Missouri and Tllinois floods. Fifth: The admission of large cit- ies, such as Chicago, Detroit, Milwau- kee, Pittsburg, San Francisco, Phila- delphia, New York and Boston, and all other cities of more than 200,000 in- habitants in the Woodmen jurisdiction. Sixth: Extending the jurisdiction of the society to include Virginia, Ken- tucky, Arizona and the District of Columbia. Seventh: The election of every offi- cer by acclamation. Eighth: Refusing to throw open the society’s door to miners and railway employes at a special hazardous risk rate of assessment. Ninth: Creating the office of Past Head Consul for ex-Head Consul North- cott, who retired. Tenth: Selection of Milwaukee for the place of holding the biennial Head Camp in 1905. Eleventh: The Head Clerk given power to appoint a clerk for a local camp after his office has been vacant thirty days, as the result of his re- fusal to abide with the by-laws, and failure of his camp upon due notifica- tion to elect his successor. Twelfth: To provide for the send- ing of a fourteen-stone lithograph of Past Head Consul Northcott to be dis- tributed among the local camps not al- ready provided with the same. Thirteenth: Changing the Woodmen month to the calendar month, thus providing that an assessment levied during a month must be paid on or be- fore the last day of that month. Fourteenth: Changing the date up- on which the past report must reach the Head Office from the 25th .of the month to the 18th of the month. Fifteenth: Changing the date of the Modern Woodmen memorial day from the third to the first Sunday in June. Sixteenth: Head Clerk given author- ity to either by himself, or agent, to at any time examine and audit the rec- ords and accounts of any local clerk,