The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-08-15
AFTER GEO.T.ANTHONY
A Little Spark Kindleth a Great
Conhagration.
FRATERNlL SOCIETIES GROW ANGRY


Ranks.
The big row which Superintendent of
Insurance George 7. Anthony stirred up
among members of fraternaI insurance
societies, before his departure for the
east has not subsidized. The more the
fraternal fellows think of Anthony's bold
attack and the oftener they read his
castigation of certain fraternal societies
the madden they become. The superin-
tendent left loop hole for all of them to
get out of, because he might mean them
all, or he might refer to a few which are
being conducted by statesmen out OF
jobs"
The complaint that is coming from
the fraternal societies now is that the
old line life companies are taking advan
tage of Anthony's attack on fraternal in
surance and are preventing many young
men from joining. Agents are going
over the state soliciting life insurance
and their strongest argument in favor
of old line insurance is the recent report
OF Superintendent Anthony.
Thus, the insurance department, they
agree, is being used in the interest of
the old line companies and against fra
ternal insurance, which is the only way
for his family.
Joseph h. Riggs,supreme master work
man of the A o. U. W. of the United
States, who resides at Lawrence, in an
interview with a reporter for the STATE
JOURNAL said that Anthony's attack
did not surprise him. 81 went to Topeka
last winter" he said, sand did all 1 could
to prevent his confirmation. 1 knew
then that he would stop fraternaI insur-
ance at tie first opportunity"
Mr.. Riggs said there had been some
talk of holding big state convention of
members of all fraternal societies in Kan
sas to protest against Anthony's attack,
but that no definite action had been
taken. Whatever course the A. o. wv.
should pursue would have to be deter
mined upon by the state officers.
In the last issue of the Kansas Work
man, the official organ of the A. o. ..
w, published by ex-Lieutenant Cover
nor A. P. Riddle, that gentleman devotes
two pages to the discussion of Anthony's
report. Riddle takes a hopeful view of
the matter, and says:
"We think Mr. Anthony did not have
any intention in the foregoing remarks
to make an attack upon such legitimate
fraternities as the A. 0. q. W., the Mod
ern Woodmen, the Knight of Pythias,
and others that we might name. 1t is
evident to us that be intended to refer
only to schemers who were trying to
make a living out of pretended fraterni-
ties"
Gov. Riddle takes Superintendent An
thongs report and makes the following
showing for his order:
''Ihe latest report of the state insur-
ance commissioner shows there were 80
life insurance companies doing business
in Kansas, and these 30 companies taken
altogether carry 40,98S policies, which
may, or may not, represent as many per-
sons The A. o. U. W. alone affords
protection (call it life insurance, if you
WANT for 26,622 members, which is
almost as large as all of the insurance
companies put together. All of the IS in
surance companies put together carry
only $62, 65 1873 insurance in Kansas,
while the a. .. Z. W. alone carries $52,-
244,O00"
Webb Mem all one of the most prominent
Workmen IN Kansas, told a STATE JOUR
NAL reporter today that Superintendent
Anthony had done just what he was
expected to do at the time of his
appointment He said: "Anthony was
appointed to a position he was not an
applicant for, and thirty-one bright, pro-
gressive, honest individuals were turned
down. There must have been a motive
i
fraternal benevolent associations"
Speaking of the work of the A. o. Z.
w. in Kansas, Mr.. McNall said: "The A.
o. U. w. has paid out to widows and
orphans in this state up to the first day of
the present month $2,354O0O in benefi-
Charles, and the first seven months of this
year the organization paid to the widows
and orphans of deceased memb ers, S222.-
900. There are over 1000 mem ers in
Shawnee county. The A. o. Q. w. is
paying out annually more money than
any six old line companies"
There comes from Kansas City
storm of indignation also. The Life
Advocate, the organ of the new fraternaI
society started by x-Superintendent
Snider, ex- Secretary of State Bill Hig-
gins and others, devotes much space to
Superintendent Anthony. Higgins is
the editor of the Advocate and in the last
issue he tells how Judge Snidsr, himself
and others labored to secure Anthonys
confirmation by the senate. He says:
cat the time of Mr.. Anthony's appoint
ment by Mr. Morrill,, it was received
with storm of Indignation by the Re-
publicans of Kansas aud as soon as it
was announced in the hotel Hobbies. the
Republican state senators and leading
workers in the party at once went to
work to defeat his confirmation, and filed
charges in the senate through the infu-
ence of certain Republicans. A careful
canvass of the state senators, only show
ed ten votes in his favor, out of thirty
nine senators present. The writer of this
article was a friend of Mr.. An
thony, and took up the fight
in his behalf, as we did not believe the
charges made against him. In the SEN
ate, the political standing of that body
was at that time fourteen Republican
senators and twenty-three Populists and
two Democrats. We secured the services
and influence of three prominent and
| leading Populists, who joined in secur-
ing a sufficient number of Populst SEN
ators to confirm Mr.. Anthony, and he
and Mr.. Morrill, were saved from a hu-
initiating defeat"
In another column of the Life Ad-
vocate Bill writes as if he thought An