STATUTES ANNOTATED - Elks.org Grand Lodge

1 STATUTES ANNOTATED 2010 Benevolent and Protective Order of elks of the A Fraternal Organization An official copy of this document, STATUTES ANNOTATED was typed into a computer by Joe Orawczyk, a Member of the Order at the Barstow elks Lodge No. 1920 and made available to other elks of the Inland District on a CD-R disk, and to others identified as elks by their posting on the Grand Lodge members only bulletin board web site as an email attachment. The intent of the typist was and remains that this document be made available in digital form for the benefit of any Elk in good standing for the purposes of expanding their personal knowledge, research, and elks Training, but also to enjoy the option of manipulating the font size for printing the document (at no cost to the Order or to their Lodge ), thus enabling improved ability to read the document by those who have difficulty reading documents of a smaller font size.

2 In the view of the typist, this document, as well as all other manuals published by the Grand Lodge , is the property of the membership. A digital format improves accessibility to all Members and should be utilized by them as a tool for the benefit of the Order. As with any document that is not the original, the reader is cautioned to always verify and confirm the data read from the copy matches the original before acting on the copied data in any official capacity or business of the Order. The typist may be emailed at STATUTES ANNOTATED 2010 Benevolent and Protective Order of elks of the A Fraternal Organization 1 CONSTITUTION AND STATUTES ANNOTATED of the Benevolent and Protective Order of elks Of the United States of America REISSUE OF 2009 _____ Compiled and Edited by and under the Direction of the COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY 2009-2010 HON.

3 PRISCILLA A. SCHWAB, Chairman Published by Authority of the Grand Lodge _____ Distributed through the office of THE Grand SECRETARY 2750 N. Lakeview Avenue Chicago, Illinois 60614-1889 _____ Original Issue 1950 Revised and Reissued 1955 Revised and Reissued 1961 Revised and Reissued 1966 Revised and Reissued 1967 Revised and Reissued 1968 Revised and Reissued 1969 Revised and Reissued 1970 Revised and Reissued 1971 Revised and Reissued 1972 Revised and Reissued 1973 Revised and Reissued 1974 Revised and Reissued 1975 Revised and Reissued 1976 Revised and Reissued 1977 Revised and Reissued 1978 Revised and

4 Reissued 1979 Revised and Reissued 1980 Revised and Reissued 1981 Revised and Reissued 1984 Revised and Reissued 1985 Revised and Reissued 1988 Revised and Reissued 1989 Revised and Reissued 1990 Revised and Reissued 1991 Revised and Reissued 1992 Revised and Reissued 1993 Revised and Reissued 1994 Revised and Reissued 1996 Revised and Reissued 1997 Revised and Reissued 1999 Revised and Reissued 1999 Revised and Reissued 1900 Revised and Reissued 2001 Revised and Reissued 2002 Revised and Reissued 2003 Revised and Reissued 2004 Revised and Reissued 2005 Revised and Reissued 2006 Revised and Reissued 2007 Revised and Reissued 2008 Revised and Reissued 2009 Revised and Reissued 1986 Revised and Reissued 2010 Revised and Reissued 1987 2 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND ANNOTATED STATUTES of The Order From the year 1871 until 1907.

5 The legal and judicial affairs of the Order were handled by the Committee on Laws and Supervision and the Committee on Appeals and Grievances (1871-1891); by the Committee on Laws and Appeals and the Committee on Grievances (188-1899); 1and, finally, by the Committee on Laws (1899-1907). The Grand Lodge Constitution of 1871 provided for the election of three Judges, but this provision was dropped in 1874. At the Grand Lodge Session in Philadelphia in 1907, the framework of the present Constitution and STATUTES became effective.

6 Under Section 42, STATUTES of the Order, the prior Committee on Laws was abolished and the Chairman of the Committee on Judiciary was empowered to render Opinions as Legal Advisor of the Grand Lodge and its members. Subordinate Forums were also provided for and the Grand Forum was created and authorized to render Decisions as the Judicial body of the Order. The first Volume of Opinions and Decisions was prepared, edited and published on March 31, 1913, by Raymond Benjamin of California, then Chairman of the Committee on Judiciary, later Grand Exalted Ruler (1914-1915).

7 This original Volume contained the Opinions of the original Committee on Laws up to 1907, together with a digest of Judiciary Committee Opinions and Grand Forum Decisions following the year 1907. Again, in 1915, Judiciary Committee Chairman, Edward Rightor, of New Orleans ( Grand Exalted Ruler 1916-1917), revised the Volume of Opinions and Decisions. The Volume was again brought up-to-date on September 1, 1917, by Frank L. Rain of Nebraska ( Grand Exalted Ruler 1919-1920), then Chairman of the Judiciary Committee.

8 In 1924, John F. Malley, of Boston, Massachusetts ( Grand Exalted Ruler 1927-1928), and originator of the elks National Foundation, was Chairman of the Committee on Judiciary. On September 1, 1924, Brother Malley, after much research and effort, compiled in alphabetical order, with convenient Index, the prior Opinions and Decisions. He again brought these down to date on September 1, 1926. The next revision was on September 1, 1936, while E. Mark Sullivan, of Boston, was Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, and later Grand Exalted Ruler (1942-1943).

9 The 1936 issue was a consolidation of all prior Opinions and Decisions. The next Edition was compiled and published a August 3, 1944, under Judiciary Committee Chairman Clyde E. Jones of Ottumwa, Iowa. The first printed Edition of the present form of our ANNOTATED STATUTES was the result of a monumental task undertaken in 1950 by Earl E. James as Judiciary Committee Chairman, and later Grand Exalted Ruler (1953-1954). Brother James reviewed in excess of some 2,000 prior Opinions and Decisions eliminated those, which were outdated or inapplicable, and arranged them in proper order with reference to the Grand Lodge Constitution and STATUTES .

10 This 1950 Edition was revised, brought up-to-date and printed in 1955 under the direction of Judiciary Committee Chairman H. L. Blackledge of Kearney, Nebraska ( Grand Exalted Ruler 1957-1958). The next Edition was prepared, edited and reprinted in 1961 under direction of Judiciary Committee Chairman Benjamin F. Watson, of Lansing, Michigan. The 1966 Edition was revised and edited by John T. Raftis of Colville, Washington, Judiciary Committee Chairman in 1965, and the entire Index revised, all with the assistance of Glenn L.