Confident Of Her Election

Says Mrs. Maxwell in Her Letter Received Here

A NEWSPAPER JOKE

Was the Story in Detroit Journal She Intimates--

Miss Bower's Statement

A letter received here Wednesday from Mrs. Leota Becker-Maxwell, former Past Great Commander of the L. O. T. M. of Michigan and now an aspirant for the office of Great Record Keeper, held by Miss Emma Bower, of this city, says among other things:

"I am confident of my election and so would you be, had you the information I possess on the number of women friends and supporters that I have. I am traveling where I am invited, other than that I am not spending one cent."

It will be remembered that Mrs. Maxwell was represented in the Detroit Journal as spending much money in her campaign for the Great Record Keeper's office, but how this story came to be printed is explained by Mrs. Maxwell as follows:

"I laughingly said to my friends in the newspaper office," she says, "I meant to have it if it cost me the salary. I was pledged to the Detroit Journal to give no important information to the News even if I had friends there or to any other Detroit paper. I never break my word, consequently as the Journal knew I would have my cut in the News I decided to have the whole thing a satire or a joke. I would come before the public and still the Journal would have the information."

Mrs. Maxwell then goes on to say that she likes Miss Bower personally and would not say one word against her. Then she continues:

"I was one of the few to make this order a possibility. I did the under-brushing and had it not been for my perseverance and hard work we would not have an order or office to desire. I brought our order in three years from nothing to 14,000 women. I paid my own traveling expenses, bought my own office desk, did the executive work, delivered over two hundred public talks and organized forty-three hives a year for three years."

In looking over the records at the office of the Great Record Keeper here today it is found that Mrs. Maxwell regularly had warrants drawn for a clerk's salary during her incumbency as chief executive and when she had her office at Saginaw along with the Great Record Keeper. Other expenses, such as postage, were incurred by her according to the showing on the books, during her term of office, the postage account running one month to $67. There are items in the records which would seem to show that Mrs. Maxwell did not give a great deal out of her own funds to the promoting of the organization while she was in office, although from her letter it might be inferred that she made quite a few financial sacrifices for the benefit of the order.

MISS BOWER'S STATEMENT

The following statement was issued by Miss Emma Bower, Great Record Keeper of the L. O. T. M., showing how the affairs of the office have been conducted since she took charge:

Membership, Sept. 15, 1893...13,339

Membership, May 1, 1902...63,859

Increase...50,520

No. Hives, Sept. 15, 1893...404

No. Hives, May 1, 1902...845

Not a record of a transaction in over three years previous to my administration, Sept. 15, 1893. Not a bill of expenses or a death claim on file previous to Sept. 15, 1893. Not a record of money received or disbursed previous to Sept. 15, 1893. No record kept of official actions of Great Executive Committee, which acts in the interim of the Great Hive.

When I came into the office, Sept. 15, 1893, I found the general fund overdrawn to the amount of $830.53.

No bonds on file for Great Record or Great Finance Keeper Sept. 15, 1893, as the laws provide.

Over $3,000 of bills for work contracted by old officers when I went in office Sept. 15, 1893, and which was paid before the next convention, Sept. 15, 1894, as well as every debt contracted during that year.

Only thing on file is a warrant book of stubs showing bills paid previous to July 25, 1893, over $1,990, which includes salary and expenses of Mrs. Maxwell alone, who was great commander of the order from Aug. 12, 1891, to Sept. 15, 1893, nearly two years.

The stubs of salary for July, August and September, 1893, are missing, as are all for expenses from July 23 to Sept. 15, 1893, the date Mrs. Maxwell was retired from office. Adding $250 for salary and $500 expenses for this time would make an additional $300 paid to Mrs. Maxwell, making a total of over $2,290 paid her for salary and expenses while she served as Great Commander.

Everything is now in excellent shape. No bills unpaid except for the present month.

Bills for telegrams and postage were allowed and the stubs show were paid, but are not included in the above. Over $750 was paid for clerk hire.

We were obliged to borrow $1,500 in November, 1893, from the Commercial bank, of Port Huron, to aid in tiding us over until the tax would come in during the month of January, 1894.

Every bill of expense that has been paid has been properly audited by the great finance auditors before a warrant was drawn.

A record of every official act is on file and every letter received and copy of answer attached since Sept. 15. 1893.