Mackey A G - Encylopedia of Freemasonry - The Grand Masonic ...

GENERAL
GENERAL 293
All this, however, although plausible, is but
conjecture. Nothing appears to have resulted
from the action of either body . The only
further reference which I find to the subject,
in subsequent Masonic documents, is the declaration
of a convention held in 1783, to organize
the Grand Lodge of Maryland, where it
is remarked that "another Grand Lodge was
requisite before an election could be had of a
Grand Master for the United States ."
But the attempt to form a General Grand
Lodge although, on this occasion, unsuccessful,
was soon to be renewed . In 1790, the
proposition was again made by the Grand
Lodge of Georgia, and here, true to the Roman
axiom, Tempora mutantur et nos mutamur in
illis, the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania became
the opponent of the measure, and declared it
to be impracticable .
Again, in 1799, the Grand Lodge of South
Carolina renewed the proposition, and recommended
a convention to be held at the city of
Washington for the purpose of establishing a
"Superintending Grand Lodge of America."
The reasons assigned by the Grand Lodge of
South Carolina for making this proposition are
set forth in the circular which it issued on the
subject to its sister Grand Lodges . They are
"to draw closer the bonds of union between
the different Lodges of the United States, and
to induce them to join in some systematic plan
whereby the drooping spirit of the Ancient
Craft may be revived and become more generally
useful and beneficial, and whereby Ancient
Masonry, so excellent and beautiful in
its primitive institution, may be placed upon
such a respectable and firm basis in this western
world as to bid defiance to the shafts of
malice or the feeble attempts of any foreign
disclaimers to bring it into disrepute ." The
allusion here is to the Abbe Barruel, who had
just published his abusive and anti-Masonic
History of Jacobinism .
Several Grand Lodges acceded to the proposition
for holding a convention, although
they believed the scheme of a "Superintending
Grand Lodge" inexpedient and impracticable
; but they were willing to send delegates
for the purpose of producing uniformity
in the Masonic system . The convention, however
did not assemble .
Tie proposition was again made in 1803, by
the Grand Lodge of North Carolina, and with
a like want of success .
In 1806, the subject of a General Grand
Lodge was again presented to the consideration
of the Grand Lodges of the Union, and
propositions were made for conventions to be
held in Philadelphia in 1807, and in Washington
city in 1808, neither of which was
convened . The Proceedings of the various
Grand Lodges in the years 1806, 1807, and
1808 contain allusions to this subject, most
of them in favor of a convention to introduce
uniformity, but unfavorable to the permanent
establishment of a General Grand Lodge.
North Carolina, however, in 1807, expressed
the opinion that "a National Grand Lodge
should possess controlling and corrective
powers over all Grand Lodges under its jurisdiction."
An unsuccessful attempt was again made to
hold a convention at Washington in January,
1811, "for the purpose of forming a Superintending
Grand Lodge of America ."
After the failure of this effort, the Grand
Lodge of North Carolina, which seems to have
been earnest in its endeavors to accomplish
its favorite object, again proposed a convention,
to be convoked at Washington in 1812 .
But the effort, like all which had preceded it,
proved abortive . No convention was held .
The effort seems now, after all these discouraging
attempts, to have been laid upon the
shelf for nearly ten years . At length, however,
the effort for a convention which had so often
failed was destined to meet with partial success,
and one rather extemporaneous in its
character was held in Washington on the 8th
of March, 1822 . Over this convention, which
the Grand Lodge of Maryland rather equivocally
describes as "composed of members of
Congress and strangers," the renowned orator
and statesman Henry Clay presided . A strong
appeal, most probably from the facile pen of
its eloquent president, was made to the Grand
Lodges of the country to concur in the establishment
of a General Grand Lodge . But the
appeal fell upon unwilling ears, and the Grand
Lodges continued firm in their opposition to
the organization of such a superintending
body .
The subject was again brought to the attention
of the Fraternity by the Grand Lodge
of Maryland, which body, at its communication
in May, 1845, invited its sister Grand
Lodges to meet in convention at Baltimore on
the 23d of September, 1847, for the purpose
of reporting a Constitution of a General Grand
Lodge.
This convention met at the appointed time
and place, but only seven Grand Lodges were
represented by twice that number of delegates
. A Constitution was formed for a
"Supreme Grand Lodge of the United States,"
which was submitted for approval or rejection
to the Grand Lodges of the Union . The opinion
expressed of that Constitution by the Grand
Lodge of Ohio, "that it embraced, in several
of its sections, indefinite and unmeaning
powers, to which it was impossible to give a
definite construction, and that it gave a jurisdiction
to the body which that Grand Lodge
would in no event consent to," seems to have
been very generally concurred in by the other
Grand bodies, and the "Supreme Grand
Lodge of the United States" never went into
operation . The formation of its Constitution
was its first, its last, and its only act .
The next action that we find on this much
discussed subject was by the Grand Lodge of
New York, which body recommended, in 1848,
that each of the Grand Lodges should frame
the outlines of a General Grand Constitution
such as would be acceptable to it, and send it
with a delegate to a convention to be holden
at Boston in 1850, at the time of meeting
of the General Grand Chapter and General