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His tact, energy, enthusiasm and ability were
needed. His reports or addresses to the State Council constitute some of
the most stirring and inspiring declarations on; Columbianism and its
influence for good ever presented in the annals of the order in Louisiana.
The month after the Plaquemine convention, George
Young, one of the powerful forces in the establishment of the order in the
state, "The Father of the Louisiana Council," died on June 22,
1911. He was undoubtedly one of the outstanding Catholic lay leaders of
the last part of the previous century and the first decade of the present
one. He was active not only in the Knights of Columbus, but also in the
Society of the Holy Spirit, in Archbishop Janssens' committee for the
liquidation of the diocesan debt, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, the
Federation of Catholic Societies and the Holy Name Society. In business
circles, he was held in high esteem as a banker and insurance man, having
served as president of the Provident Bank, then as vice‑president of
the Canal‑Louisiana Bank, when the latter absorbed the Provident
Bank.
Judge Leche was appointed to serve on the Supreme
Knight's national committee on laws and resolutions, becoming the second Louisianan
to serve on a national committee. Father Larkin was again asked to serve
as State Chaplain, and Archbishop Blenk approved, but the 1911 period was
the last term for the highly popular Marist priest from Algiers. In 1910,
the New Orleans Council 714 Degree Team was honored by a call to Havana,
and in 1911 it voyaged 'to Panama to exemplify the Third Degree.
After the Lake Charles state convention in 1910,
State Deputy Caillouet had appointed a committee of three, Mr. Amiss and
Mr. Cazedessus of Baton Rouge Council, and Joseph E. LeBlanc of Plaquemine
Council, to formulate by-laws for the State Council of Louisiana, with
State Secretary Amiss as chairman. The latter obtained copies of bylaws
from the Georgia and the .Illinois State Councils. A meeting was called
for this group at Istrouma Hotel, Baton Rouge, Sunday, March 26, 1911, for
a review of the rough draft prepared by Mr. Amiss. However, it was some
time before the final articles were adopted.
During 1911 and early 1912, the State Secretary
circularized the membership as directed by the Plaquemine convention, in
regard to the assessment of council members for an endowment fund to
educate seminarians. Some councils opposed, because of financial
conditions and obligations already assumed, especially for council homes;
other councils deferred action and some took no action. However, at the
next convention at Alexandria on June 30, 1912, the proposal was adopted,
after much discussion, by a vote of 28 to 15.
This Alexandria convention was the latest in dates
ever held by the State Council. Only on one other occasion since was a
state meeting held in late June, this was in 1927 during the disastrous
Mississippi River flood.
The Alexandria sessions were held at the City Hall,
June 30, after a Pontifical High Mass, chanted at St. Francis Xavier
Cathedral by Rt. Rev. Cornelius Van de Ven, Bishop of Alexandria. Robert
A. Hunter, member of the Alexandria Council, representing the mayor,
extended the welcome for the city, and J. R. Hunter offered greetings from
Alexandria Council. State Deputy Judge Paul Leche responded.
The insurance question again came to the fore. Many
members had affiliated with the Catholic Knights of America, taking out
insurance with that organization, when they were unable to get fraternal
insurance in the Knights of Columbus. With the mandatory insurance
requirements for councils being pressed, calling for at least 20 insurance
members, many were unwilling to take out insurance in both organizations,
or to abandon previous insurance commitments. As previously noted, many
Catholic laymen who had already joined the Catholic Knights of America as
insurance members had joined the Knights of Columbus also, as associate
members. In addition, the work of the CKA in organizing and promoting the
Louisiana Federation of Catholic Societies gave it prestige. This was one
reason for some of the opposition to affiliation of the State Council of
Knights of Columbus with the Federation. At the Alexandria convention, a
resolution was adopted further recommending and urging adoption of Knights
of Columbus insurance and soliciting candidates as insurance members
henceforth. But by the end of 1911, only two Councils had the required
number.
Induction of such members proceeded rather slowly. By
April 1, 1918, the Supreme Council reported only 966 insurance members out
of a total of 3960 Knights in Louisiana. There were still six councils
below the minimum of 20. St. Martinville Council had only one insurance
member New Iberia had 14; St. Tammany 16, and Marquette, holding to its
former decisions, had none.
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