Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia and the Legitimate Grand Lodge A. F. & A. Masons of Which Bro. H. C. Scott is Grand Master Shows That the Question at Issue is Purely a Local Matter and Does Not in Any Way Affect Any Other Grand Lodges in This Country and Shows Conclusively That the Claims Made by W. H. Grimshaw Amount to Nothing.

Chicago. Ill., Dec. 2, 1908.

Bro. Charles L. Mitchell, 33, Grand Master.

The law suit between the two Grand Lodges in the District of Columbia is as follows:

The Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia that Bro. H. C. Scott is the Grand Master of, over two years ago commenced a law suit against the old Compact Grand Lodge in the District of Columbia to prohibit them from using the word "ancient" the old Compact Grand Lodge in the District of Columbia filed a cross bill and saying that they were the first Grand Lodge in the District of Columbia to use the word "ancient" and Judge Wright of the Equity Court in giving his opinion rules and held that the old Compact Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia was entitled to use the word "ancient" and enjoined the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia that Bro. H. C. Scott is the Grand Master of from using the word "ancient" and Bro. Scott and his Grand Lodge has appealed the case to the Court of Appeals in the District of Columbia where they can get justice in the matter. The law suit is a local matter between the two Grand Lodges In the District of Columbia which does not in the least or in any manner whatever affect any other Grand Lodge in this country and does not alter or affect the Masonic legal status of the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia that Bro. H. C. Scott is the Grand Master of except using the word "ancient" of which I am satisfied that the higher court will reverse the decision of Judge Wright in the matter.

PRINCE HALL AND HIS ASSOCIATES MADE MASONS WITHOUT ANY CHARTER OR AUTHORITY.

According to the statements made and published by the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, that from March the 16th, 1775 to 1787, that African Lodge had no charter of any kind, and still in the face of all of that we find that Prince Hall, Boston Smith, Thomas Sanderson of Massachusetts, conferred the degrees of Free Masonry upon certain men without any charter or without any authority whatever and still they wish to call themselves regular Masons.

CLANDESTINE, SPURIOUS AND UNLAWFUL NATIONAL COMPACT GRAND LODGE OF MASONS OF NORTH AMERICA THAT WAS ORGANIZED AT BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ON THE 24th OF JUNE, 1847.

For many years past a great deal has been said and written about the establishing of the Irregular and Illegitimate National Compact Grand Lodge of Masons that was organized without a shadow of Masonic power and authority in 1847 at Boston, Massachusetts and of all of the absurd and ridiculous ideas which have ever incorporated itself in the minds of any man who is a Mason there seems nothing so utterly weak and imbecile as the doctrine that is advocated by the followers and adherents of that Clandestine National Compact Grand Lodge which was founded upon everything that was irregular and clandestine and predicated upon fiction fables and falsehoods, these and nothing else.

The numerous statements that have been made and are being made now by the exponents of the National Compact Grand Lodge purporting to be genuine and historical, are solely unreliable and cunning inventions of their own devised for the purpose of misleading the people.

On the 24th of June, 1847, at Boston, Mass., John T. Hilton, Grand Master, Henry Harris, William Bruce, of the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, and James Bird, John G. Bias, James Richmond, of the African Grand Lodge of North America, with its headquarters at Philadelphia, Pa., and the Hiram Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, represented by James Newman, John Anderson, Samuel Brackles, Phillip Buckhammond and several others from the Hiram Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, and from the Boyer Grand Lodge of New York was William H. Clark, Lewis Hayden, Alexander Elston, together with several others, met in Boston, Mass., and organized the National Compact Grand Lodge of North America. They elected John T. Hilton, of Boston, Mass., National Grand Master, and William E. Ambush was elected National Grand Secretary. This National Compact Grand Lodge of North America has done nothing but breed dissension among Colored Masons in the United States.

From its earliest period of existence down to the present date, and it has never been recognized as a regular and legal Masonic Grand Body and never will as long as intelligent men have their right senses about them.

THE GRAND LODGE OF ENGLAND HAS NEVER RECOGNIZED THE PRINCE HALL GRAND LODGE OF MASSACHUSETTS.

If it was true that the Grand Lodge of England granted a charter to African Lodge No. 459 at Boston, Mass., on Sept. 29th, 1784, and this same African Lodge organized the African Grand Lodge of Modern Masons of Massachusetts on the 24th of June, 1791, which now is the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, what was the matter or cause and reason that the Grand Lodge of England has failed and refused to recognize the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Massachusetts?

It must be self apparent to every intelligent Mason that it shows and proves conclusively that the Grand Lodge of England never did grant a Charter to African Lodge No. 459 at Boston, Mass., as the leaders of the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Massachusetts would try to have you believe. Who in the world ever heard of a Grand Lodge granting a charter to a Subordinate Lodge and then refusing to recognize the very Lodge that the Grand Lodge granted them a charter? It is the most ridiculous and absurd statement I ever beard of. It certainly shows that the Grand Lodge of England never at all granted a charter to African Lodge No. 459. On the 29th of Sept., 1784, and the officers of the Grand Lodge of England say that they did not and all the talk about a commission having been granted to Prince Hall as a Provincial Grand Master in America by the Grand Lodge of England stamps the whole thing from beginning to the end as a manufactured statement, a fraud and a sham.

TWO WHITE MASONIC GRAND LODGES IN ENGLAND, ONE ORGANIZED IN 926 AND THE OTHER ORGANIZED IN 1739.

The first Grand Lodge organized among the White Masons of England was organized at the City of York, England, in the year of 926, and the second White Grand Lodge of England was organized at London, England, in the year of 1739. See Mackey's Encyclopedia of Masonry; see Mitchell's History of Freemasonry; see the Voice of Freemasonry published in Chicago in the month of June, 1867. The members that composed the second White Grand Lodge of England when it was organized in 1739 was made up of expelled Masons from the first Grand Lodge of England that was organized in the year of 926, and the second irregular and unlawful Grand Lodge of England that was organized at London, England, in the year of 1739 is the same Grand Lodge. R. Holt was Deputy Grand Master, and William White was the Grand Secretary, and it was from this second irregular and unlawful Grand Lodge of England that the African Lodge No. 459 claims that they secured their charter from.

In all fairness if the Grand Lodge of England granted a charter to African Lodge No. 459 at Boston, Mass., it being a clandestine Grand Lodge, it would follow beyond all dispute that African Lodge No. 459 at Boston, Mass., was unlawful and clandestine Lodge. Although the Grand Lodge of England has said they did not grant any charter