Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1891-01-22
P.P Elders Rotten Record.

Many years ago DflgnG, oDSeINlhS
young man, having moved to Kansas,
wrote to his father in Pennsylvania:
"Dear Fadder:-You shust ought to
move to Kansas. The meanest men in
the country get all the Offices out here"
We are reminded of this incident by
the present political condition of Kan
sas, and it seems that p. 2. Elder is
the most forcible illustration of the
idea expressed in the letter of the
young German. now prominent before
the people of this state. Mr.. Elder has
been elected speaker of the Kansas
house Of representatives by a practl-
cally unanimous vote, and is probably
today the most prominent candidate
of the party Of purity and reform for
the United States senate; and yet
nobody acquainted with the history of
the state for the past twenty years
would think of claiming that Mr.. Elder
is possessed of any political integrity,
and a close inspection of his record and
character will convince any one that
he is devoid Of moral character, and
that, should he be elected to the ex-
allied position of United States senator,
Kansas will be represented in that
august body by one Of the meanest of
its citizens.
About 1878 Mr.. Elder was president
of the First National bank Of Ottawa,
Kansas. The bank had capital Of
$50. 600. Underline National banking
laws of the United States, it was I'M
lawful for the bank to loan to any in
dividual, firm or partnership, an
amount of money exceeding one-tenth
of its capital stock, that is $4,000.
And yet, Mr.. Elder as president of the
bank loaned to himself and another
officer of the bank, jointly, the sum of
SI4, 954.Os: and having done so was
guilty of the contehptible meanness
and downright dishonesty of attempt
ing to avoid the payment of it on the
ground that it was illegal for the bank
to make the loan.
The matter got into the courts and
finally went TO the supreme court of
the state of Kansas in the cases of i. 2.
Elder. ct. al, VS.. the First National
| hail of ntfou, OF al anI - u
Elder, ct. al, VS., the National bank of
Lawrence, ct. al, and is reported in
the 18th volume Of Kansas supreme
court reports at pages 33S to 346, in
elusive. Judge Brewer, in delivering
the opinion of the court (page 241)
says:
The cardinal principle of equity ,
| that which underlies its whole juriS-
prudence, is this, that he who seeks
equity must do equity. To grant the
plaintiffs the relief they ask would be
| in plainest disregard of this principle.
| They admit borrowing from the bank
over fourteen thousand dollars of its
money. They have never paid it back
but still hold all. With this money of
another'sin their pocket they ask a
court Of equity to permit them
to keep it. Grant that the bank was
guilty of an iIfraction of the law in
making a loan and that By reason
thereof it can never enforce payment
in the court; still, the wrong of the
bank does not give the plaintiff any
moral right to appropriate the money
of another. 1t is not enough for the
plaintiff i'll an equity suit to show that
the defendant has done wrong; he must
make it appear that he has done
right. Many words could not make
this palmer, and until they can make
it apparent that it is according to
equity and good conscience to borrow
money and not repay it, the plaintiffs
need expect no relief in an action like
this"
If Peter p. Elder betrayed the trust
imposed in him by the stockholders of
the First National bank, of Ottawa,
and attempted to rob the bank of four
teen thousand dollars and was only
prevented from doing so by the inter
vention of the supreme court of the
state of Kansas, can he be trusted by
the people of the state of Kansas to
represent their interests in the United
States senate? 1t now seems possible
that he will be placed in position to
betray that trust and that the meanest
men in Kansas will continue to get the
Offices. We undertake to say however,
that the unframed, fanatical represent
atives of the peoples party of the
state of Kansas constitute the only
Legislative body which has ever existed
in this country that would perpetrate
such an outrage upon the people of a
great state.
Necessity of Good Roads.