FIRST MOVABLE CONFERENCE,

Stockport, 1836.

The second meeting of delegates from the Tents and the first Movable Conference of the Order was held in the Temperance Hotel kept by Mr. J. Derbyshire, in Hillgate, Stockport, on Monday, December 26th, 1836, and the sittings were continued for three days. This meeting was called in order to deal with the matter of dividing the Order into Districts in such a manner as would be satisfactory to the whole membership, it having become the absorbing question of the day.

The advertisement calling the meeting, which appeared in the Star of Temperance of December 17th, 1836 (page 408) was as follows:—

NOTICE TO RECHABITES.

The annual meeting of delegates will be held on Monday, December 26th, 1836, at 9 o’clock in the morning at J. Derbyshire’s Temperance Hotel, Hiligate, Stockport. Each Tent in the union is particularly requested to send two delegates and to forward the balance of their accounts immediately.

By order of the Executive Council,

JOSEPH THOMPSON, CS.,

December 2nd, 1836. 8, Bolton Street, Salford.

The following announcement also appeared in that same paper : —

" The delegates appointed to attend for the transaction of the general business of the Order (on Monday, 26th December, 1836, at the house of Mr. Derbyshire, Temperance Hotel, Stockport, at 9 o’clock in the morning) will also attend on account of the funeral fund, and each ‘Tent is requested immediately to forward the balance owing by them to the funeral fund to the Secretary, Mr. J. Smith, No. 5, Pleasant Street, Salford."

At this Conference there were sixty-one delegates present, representing thirty-six Tents, five being unrepresented. There were also present Bros. Edward Richards, HDR. , Joseph Thompson, C.S. , and nine members of the Executive Council.

To this meeting the Executive Council presented the following report : —

FIRST ANNUAL REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
of the
INDEPENDENT ORDER OF RECHABITES.

" It is the pleasing duty of your Council to lay before you for the first time an account of our stewardship, and although the results of our labours in the glorious cause may not have been attended with that prosperity which some may think so good a cause demands, yet if we take into account the disadvantages under whiòh the Society originated, the promoters being all men without capital or influence in society, the obstacles we had to surmount in consequence of the want of funds necessary to establish and carry on with spirit so extensive a work, the prejudices we have had to encounter in the public mind, and especially in the minds of the professors of religion, to all kinds of secret societies, coin-bined with the fact of Government not only having interfered with but actually put down the Orange Clubs throughout the kingdom, we think we have accomplished wonders. We have opened 41 Tents, some of them a considerable distance from the seat of government—for instance, Cockermouth, in Cumberland, Douglas, in the Isle of Man, and others which it is not necessary to refer to, but which, from the want of cheap modes of travelling, have, as well as the above, put the Order to considerable expense, but which we, in justice to the applicants, could not refuse, and who have contributed a handsome sum towards defraying the expense of opening."

The report further recommended that the initiation fees should be increased and that a system of degrees should be prepared for all the elective officers. These and other items showed that the originators and promoters of the Order had confidence in the honour, benevolence, and integrity of the members ; that they would not permit the promoters of so good a work to suffer pecuniary loss, and thus they (the Executive Council) were induced to incur liabilities with an assurance that such would be met by those who became connected with the Order.

The recommendation for degrees for elective officers was not carried into effect at the time, it being supposed that perfect sobriety would create a universal oontempt for the mere signs and symbols of office and that honour should alone he awarded to talent, to virtue, and to efficiency.

For this meeting no digest of business was previously prepared, but a Committee was appointed to receive the suggestions of the delegates and to frame propositions on them. It would appear that there were but few improvements suggested to the Committee, for their report contained only three items.

1. To divide the Order into Districts and that each District have the management of its own funeral fund.

2. To revise the initiation book.

3. To prepare a new code of laws in accordance with the suggestions of the delegates.

Another Committee was then appointed to divide the Order into Districts, whose report was approved. It was that the Order be divided into nine Districts as follows:—

This was a most important measure, but it was attended with evil as well as with good. By the creation of a number of officers and a number of separate branches it led most of them to put forth all their energies to increase the number of their Tents and members, and in that respect was all right; on the other hand, it led to a desire in the Tents to become the head or the founders of Districts, which, not being always possible or judicious, caused an amount of dissatisfaction, and it was some time before it subsided.

The new Districts having been formed, a Committee consisting of all the District Chief Rulers was appointed to draw up a new code of General Rules and to report to the next meeting. A sign of recognition and a grip were resolved upon, but were not carried out in practice. At this meeting the original law admitting persons above 45 years of age as honorary members was re-affirmed, it being generally believed that many whose age or other circumstances prevented them becoming benefit members would if connected with the Tents lend their aid in promoting the best interests of the Order, and this proved to be the case.

The principles embodied in the Order Funeral Fund were introduced into the General Rules when the Order was divided into Districts.

The following officers were elected for the next year—Bros. Edward Richards, H.C.R., John Garrett, HDR., John Holt, Treasurer, Joseph Thompson, Secretary, and Bros. William Ellison, William Grimshaw, Robert Kelly, and John Lingard, members of the Executive Council.

After the first Movable Conference at Stockport the affairs of the Order went smoothly on until March, 1837, when complaints were made of the great expense incured by certain District officers in opening Tents, when the Executive Council interfered to prevent it as far as possible, and their attempts were attended with complete success

In March, 1837, the CS., Bro. Joseph Thompson, tendered his resignation, which was accepted with much regret by the Executive Council, and on the 3rd April following Bro. William Grimshaw was appointed to fill the vacancy.

Second Movable Conference,

Liverpool, 1837.

The Second Movable Conference was held at Liverpool on June 28th, 29th, 30th, and July 1st, 1837, John Garrett, High Deputy Ruler, presiding. The following officers and representatives attended.

John Garrett, H.D.R., William Grimshaw, C.S.,

Representative of the Executive Council, William Ellison.

REPRESENTATIVES FROM DISTRICTS.

REPRESENTATIVES FROM TENTS.

From the foregoing it will be seen that at this Conference both Districts and Tents were represented, which made the meeting of very great importance to the Order.

In the printed report of the Conference No. 2 District appears as " Stockport,’ No. 8 as " Potteries and Newcastle," and No. 9 as " Keighley and Bradford," which evidently were the original names of these Districts.

After the opening the following resolutions were passed : —That J. Spurr, Distrct Chief Ruler of Liverpool, be Vice-President of this meeting.

That Joseph Thompson, P.C.S., be Assistant Secretary to this meeting. That members of the Order be admitted into the gallery upon making the following declaration : " I hereby promise, on condition of my entering this meeting, that I will avoid all interruption, neither will I manifest any marks of approbation or disapprobation, nor communicate anything to or from the meeting."

That J. C. Robinson, John Cunliffe, and John Cain be appointed Auditors.

It was then agreed that the report of the Executive Council be read, which was as follows : —

REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL.

To the HCR., HDR., and delegates assembled at the Annual Movable Committee of the Independent Order of Rechabites.

WORTHY BRETHREN,—.ON presenting the second report of the Independent Order of Rechabites your Executive Council congratulate you upon the permanent station which the Order has attained in society, and upon the validity of its future prospects, for, notwithstanding the prejudices it has to contend with, as well among the friends, as the enemies of the temperance cause, combined with the difficulties of the times, the Order is rapidly progressing, and the continued enquiries which are being made respecting the nature of the institution convinces your Executive Council that our countrymen are awakening to a sense of the injurious influence of the benefit societies as at present constituted, and, if unanimity prevail and perseverance be encouraged, the Order will ultimately be completely successful, will become a bulwark to virtue, a blessing to millions, and an honour to the country.

Since the last delegate meeting 21 Tents have been opened, one at each of the following places : Tunstall, Burslem, Bury, Chester, Sheffield, Chorley, Leeds, Dawby, Kirkmichael, Peel, Castletown (Isle of Man), Bristol, Worcester, Broomsgrove, London, Stockton Heath, Bath, Littleborough, Lancaster, Todmorden, and Manchester..

In opening some of these Tents, circumstances occurred not in accordance with the wishes of your Executive Council ; in one instance seven officers attended to open a Tent, thereby creating unnecessary expense. In another case two Tents were opened without consulting your Executive Council. They assure you that they would not recommend useless formality, but considering it of paramount importance that the slightest approach towards confusion should be avoided, they advise you to recommend the District Rulers not to open any Tents without the consent of the Executive Council.

There has been a difference of opinion between some of the District officers and your Executive Council respecting the appropriation of the guinea charged for opening Tents, they conceiving it ought to revert to them to form a part of the funds for their use, and the District officers conceiving it ought to belong to the District in which such Tent is situated, but your Executive Council having no law to substantiate their claim, they have left it to your decision.

Your Executive Council have had many difficulties to encounter on account of the pecuniary responsibility they incurred when they accepted office three months ago the heavy account with Mr. Hodgson remained unliquidated, and slander with her hundred tongues was busy in deformation of the Order, but an appeal was made to the Tents, many of which immediately settled their accounts and the Liverpool brothers advanced a small loan. This conduct on the part of those Tents was highly appreciated by your Executive Council; it raised their hopes, shut the mouth of slander, and gave assurance of the permanence of the Order.

At this time, too, C. S. Thompson resigned his situation, but this occasioned only a momentary delay in the business, and it is but just to say that Bro. Thompson has afforded all the assistance necessary by giving any required information and by the immediate transmission of all letters received by him to the Executive Council.

Your attention is directed to the affairs of the late general funeral fund. the details of which are too lengthy for insertion in this report.

It has been suggested to your Executive Council that the formation of a second Order to be composed of brethren only who have been members of the general Order for nine months would be attended with results beneficial to the members individually, and to the Order as a whole. Many of the brethren are in two Orders, one of which is generally held at a public-house. A second Order would have a tendency to draw many from these societies, thus lessening the temptation to break their pledge and concentrating their whole interest in the Order of Rechabites which is a most desirable object to be attained. The propriety of the formation of such an Order you are requested to take into your consideration.

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