People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1898-03-17
Topeka Notes.

publican County Attorney Of Shawnee
county subpOenaed Webb McNall tC
testify in liquor case. The Topeka
Capital, bent on making all the
political capital possible out OF the
Incident, which had been planned
purely for effect for many weeks
states that FL Little, Bob Semple, r
W. Turner and Major Shreve were
also subpOenaed, which is untrue
The whole proceeding is taken C
give to the public the notion that it i,
necessary to 90 TO the state house Il
get testimony in such Gases. 1t may
appear before the proceeding is owe
that Republican court officers vii
make better witnesses.
The New York Life Insurance Oh
server publishes a cartoon Of Webb Nc
Nall dddliGg while Kansas is burn
ing. The idea attempted to be con
veyed is that Insurance cOmpanie,
have been 50 generally driven from
the state that the people are wiLhuu
opportunities for adequate protection
Webb promptly wrvte Mr.. Thomas
the manager, asking for terms on 10,
900 copies containing the cartoon, TO
gether with copy Of the indictment
found in the Federal court aglins
Thomas in 1880 for embezzling $1,000
Webb McNall has opened up On
newly discovered insurance combine
1t is the anti.rebate board. Man
companies have signed an agreement
to discharge any employee who cut
MS commission and in addition fin,
him 500. He is refused employment
by all other companies party TO th,
agreement for one year. The boarC
names a referee who decides all ques
tiOns of violations Of the agreement
At present Speaker Tom Reed il
referee, and he gets salary Of 81, 900
McNall says that this is a violation 0
the antitrust law and that companie
must withdraw from this agreemen
or he will not issue licenses to them
lie hopes to bring more elements O
competition into the insurance busi
ness before his term expires.
Secretary Bush will urge the mex
legislature to pass law providing 70
annual reports from corporations ant
giving the secretary of state authorIt,
to license them, as insurance cOmpa
nies are now licensed. In charterin,
corporations he would exact fee o
$40 to S25 and in addition an amour
equal TO one-tenth Of per cent Of tn,
capital stock. Other states have law
requiring the payment ofmuch greate
amounts. This would have much q
a tendency To stop the incorporation
of companies with enormous fictitious
capital fixed at high figure mereil
for the purpose Of deceiviug th,
public as TO its strength. In ex.
planation Of his ideas Mr.. Bush say 5
"By making every corporatiOt
chartered under the laws of the stat,
pay one-tenth of per cent, for ever!
dollar of capital stock, wildcat cor
poratiOns would be done away will
entirely. By wildcat corporations
mean those that organize with thous.
ands aud sometimes millions of dollar
OF capital stock, when not dollar i
put in. The representatives 70 ou
aud "gull" the people into buying
stock with the glitter of an enormous
capital, which, in reality, does no
exist. Our present laws goyernin,
corporations really discriminate il
favor Of the corporations chartered
under the laws Of other states. Their,
is no provision requiring corporation,
that are not chartered under the law.
OF Kansas to make report to thi
department, and they are free fron
other requirements as well. Ibelievs
that they should be made to Day
heavy fee for authority TO transact
business In the state.' By reason o.
his acquaintance with the working.
OF these corporations Mr.. Bush has
fitted himself to talk and act intelli
gently in these matters. He is the
only secretary Of state who has made
any effort to enforce the law requir-
ing reports to be made, the law hav
ing been a dead letter for years. He
proposes to vigorously push the work
OF compelling corporations to report
A Republican Slump.
Manchester, N. H., March 9.-The
225 towns and four Of the eleven cities
OF New Hampshire held elections
yesterday and the fine weather brought