The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-09-05
Dir. Church, Superintendent of
Insurance, Becomes Excited
Charges That His Predecessor
Is a Demagogue.
rs BECOMING BITTER.
Controversy Over Insurance
Funds Rather Personal
Mr.. Church Says Mr.. MeNall
JuggIes With Figures

The controversy between Webb Nc
Nail and W. V. Church. over the cohec-
ton of insurance funds, has another
chapter today, in which Mr. Church
takes Mr. McNan severely to task Mr.
Church says:
Ia an article published in the State
journal Tuesday, August g. Mr. Nc
Nall crfticises my last annual report 1t
should be understood that the report In
question deals exclusively with the in
surance business of 1899 In that report
] state that the collections for the fire
mems relief fund on account OF the
business of 1899 amounted TO Szo,140Sl-
7 now say that the above figures are
absolutely correct, and I further say
that not cent OF this money was COL
leeted by McNall, and that II was all
collected a year after he went out OF
office
an the State Journal Of August IS
McNan says I turned over TO Mr.
Church. by personal check On the Cen
trail National bank. about $1S,500 Of the
S20140S1 of the firemen's relief fund
which Mr.. Church says he collected
The above assertion is absolutely
false: and in the State Journal of Sep
TENDER McNau endeavors to cover up
the faIsehood and deceive the readers
OF his article by a system of juggling
His display Of counterfeit evidence,
in the shape Of certain checks, viii de-
ceive no one who Will simply look for
teh facts in this case. A copy of the
check in question was published in the
State Journal on September f. This
check bears date March a. 1899 At
that time not one dollar of the 500, 81.
TO which McNau specifically refers, and
for part Of which he says he gave the
check. had been paid TO any one; it
had not been RENTED by the various
insurance companies from whom il af-
forwards came. This being the case,
how could McNalI give a check for any
part of this noney2
When AfcNau went out of Office. in
March. 1899. he had in his possession
SIS. -25 OF the fremen's relief fund
which he had collected on account OF
business done by the companies in 1898
while he was superintendent of insur-
ance- This money he turned over to his
successor just as men are in the habit of
doing when they are succeeded in office,
especially when they are under bond to
do so. It was for this money that he
gave the check which appeared in the
State Journal. and not for the 1899 fund
as he states No part of the 1899 fire
mems relief fund was ever in the Cen
trail National bank.
The report which McNa1 criticises
makes no reference to collections on ac-
count of 1898 business and says nothing
about the relief fund of that year. 1t
mentions only the relief fund of 1899.
amounting to $50 81. all of which was
collected long after McNan had left the
office And yet he says, I turned over
If this check was for the relief fund
Of 1889 he is holding up the money he
collected for that fund on account Of the
1898 business. for he has never turned
over to his successor a dollar Of the re-
lief fund of any year except through
this single check, which he says was
for a part Of the $50. 14O.S1 for the 1899
business
McNaH is not a defaulter in this
transaction; but he is a demagogue No
other character would resort to a stud
led effort to confuse dates for the pur-
pose OF misleading the casual reader
No one else would rush into print with
a copy OF a check the very date of which
shows it to have been given a full year
prior to the creation or existence of the
fund against which he claims it was
issued.
McNall says he collected a consider
able sum Of money before came into
office Fearing that this statement NAV
not be believed, I will say that it is
true.
4 have no desire to be credited with
collections that were made before 1
entered the department Mr. NdcNau
. ought not to make himself ridiculous by
a deceitfuI effort to get credit for money
that was collected a year after he had
left the departing