The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1898-10-07

| OF one WnOle WORKING uuy.
During that time he must have sat
| isfied himself without recourse to our
books and without examining the
records Of or worth of single
piece of real estate, so far as l know,
that our condition came up to the re-
| quirements of the Kansas department;
for in the afternoon of the day he fin
ished his examination he went to our
secretary, told him he had finished,
and bill was presented for $50, al
though no service could have been
rendered either his commonwealth or
our company by his call. His bill was
paid"
Mr.. Thomas Bates, of Chicago,
was sent out as the representative OF
some 90 companies which had been
forbidden by McNall to write tornado
insurance in the state. Mr.. Bates
makes.the following affidavit: 'Thom-
as Bates, being first duly sworn, de.
poses and says that in the month OF
May, 1897, he was cons ulted by sever
al insurance companies regarding the
action of Webb Men all, superintend'
ent of insurance for the state of Kan
sas, in notifying said insurance COM
panies that they must at once cease
writing tornado insurance in the
state of Kansas.
"Affiant further says that about May
5, 1897, on behalf of said insurance
companies he went to Topeka, Kan, to
consult with said McNall, in which
consultation said McNall insisted that
said insurance companies must cease
writing tornado insurance in the state
of Kansas, although this affiant
showed him that under the authority
conferred upon said insurance COM
panies they clearly had right to
issue policies of insurance against loss
by tornadoes.
"Affiant further says that being
wholly unable to convince said McNall
that said companies had right to
issue said policies, he consulted men
engaged in insurance business in
Topeka, and was advised to go to the
firm of Quinton & Quinton, attorneys
at Topeka, and this affiant did go to
said firm and stated to man he sup
posed to be the senior member of the
firm his business, and was informed
that he believed the matter could be
arranged so that said insurance COM
panies. might continue the business of
writing tornado insurance in Kansas,
and thereupon this affiant made con-
tract with the said firm of Quinton &
0uinton, providing that if they sue
ceeded in getting decision from the SUI
| 40 ~ Inc in, 70 Of
the companies in said matter, that said
companies were to pay said attorneys
certain sum of money, the exact
amount as this affiant now recalls, be-
ing 800 from each company.
"Aftiant further says that on the
next day after such arrangement was
made he was notified by said firm of
attorneys that they had secured a
favorable decision from said superin-
tcndent of insurance, and that the
companies would not be molested in
transacting their tornado business in
Kansas"
In view Of the fact that McNall, 40
cording to his own statement, is great
constitutional lawyer, thi s sudden
conversion by firm of lawyers who
had just been promised $4,000 fee is
probably the most sudden and re-
marlSable since that of Saul of Tarsus
Who has the Money?
When last checked up Judge Foote
had examined 80 companies. His
charges ran all the way from S115 per
visit up to $685. in the case of the
Springfield, Mass Fire & Marine In
surance company. In that case part
of the judges bill was $S5 for lady as
sistant. This would indicate an average
for the judge of about $500 company,
or pleasant total of $1,000 for the
summers work. McCrary and Tatman,
McNalPs other examiners, have
been rather more Industrious than the
judge and have examined some As COM
panies. Assuming that they have kept
up the judges average in the matter
of charges in the matter of fees, their
combined charges would amount to
SIS, 900, making grand total for the
trio of S27,2 200 collected for making
fake examinations which could be of
no possible benefit so far as giving in
formation in regard to the solvency of
the companies is concerned.
Speaking of these hold-ups the Kan
sas City Journal says: "And the end is
not yet. McNal's examiners are still
on the turf. Every day brings addi-
tional information of their blackmail-
ing operations. Before the people of
Kansas can rid themselves of the pres
ent commissioner his examiners will
have extorted at least SIS, 900 from the
Insurance companies Not cent of
this goes into the Kansas treasury. 1t
is pure velvet for the insurance de-
partment There Is no record in
McNal's office of the work performed,
the results obtained or the fees col
lected. The only way the people OF
Kansas can become informed of the
transactions of the insurance depart
ment is through the dragging of I'M
willing witnesses into court where
they are made to testify that they paid
tribute to avoid the penalty of being
thrust from the state.
"And now what has been and will be
the result of this wholesale eXtortion?
One of the results has been the driving
of number of the strongest insurance