Cost of joining the K.G.C.

[senior deacon]

As we are in the heat of Deep East Texas summertime. Day time temps are once again in the 90's. It is time to sit watch the garden grow, sip iced tea, smoke my pipe, and read on the computer and books.

One of the questions I had on my mind was why the one dollar to join the K.G.C. and why stop at the first degree. I got on the computer and found that in 1848 a dollar was in today's world would be$30.90. That would have been about twos day wages. In some cases more than that. The second degree was three dollars or about $100. That was a good bit of money in the day.

I am coming to the conclusion that the K.G.C. was class oriented. I went back and found that in the 1830 a jeweler made $5.00 a week for six days work. It cost about 5% of a months wages to join then there no doubt other fees about. Not a cheap organization to belong to.

Today my lodge membership is less than .6% of my Social Security check per year. Looks like in today's world we get off easy. Working backwards my lodge membership would cost me over $2,000 back in 1848 in the money of that day. I might have been able to buy the King Ranch if I would have had that much money back then.

Senior Deacon

 

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[L.C. BAKER]

In those early years it would have been a sure bet to join up and throw in with the K.G.C. and any operation they had going on. Insider trading was at it's virginal stages, and the political and judicial system of the U.S.A. was in their back pocket. Those early investment$ are still molding in the same bank accounts with new first names on them S.D.! As you mentioned, it was a pretty good bit of money back then to belong to an organization which I believe is a pretty good indicator of how they weeded out the undesirables and lower class individuals or if desirable but just a poor man the K.G.C. would secured them in a lower status of the organization if they were of good blood or at the very least firm on the Negro. Kind of makes you wonder what the annual bill was for a seat on the inner circle of the K.G.C. or O.A.K.. I will bet the cost was compairable to a seat on the stock exchange!

L.C.