The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-11-12
"I TOLD YOU SO..
president of National Aid Issues
an Address,

an Address,
AIonzo Wardal1, who secured a re-
straining order from Judge Pagan of
the probate court Monday afternoon in
the absence of Judge Hazen of the dis
trict court. to restrain the Bankers
Union from absorbing the National Aid
association has issued a circular letter
which has been sent to all the National
Aid lodges. The following is from the
circular:
To the Members of the National Aid as
ISOLATION:
It is with profound regret and grief
that address you upon the unfortunate
condition of our beloved order. A keen
realization of the disastrous results of
the impending move on the part of the
management of the order, coupled with
my own sense of responsibility to my
thousands of friends in the N. A. A.,
impelS me to this STEP You have I'M
doubtedly heard, through the press, OF
the attempted transfer of our order to
the Bankers Union of the World by the
officers and directors of the N. A A.
President Lewis, Secretary Cooley,
Medical Director Ware and part of the
directors have resigned the offices tnat
you entrusted them with. The directors,
in special session, (the Texas directors
not participating,) have accepted their
designations and elected the president
and secretary of the Bankers Union
(neither of them members of our order,
unless made so for the occaSion.) as
president and secretary The ohces,
books, business and money-our money!
have been, or are being turned over
to them; all without consulting you, ana
greatly to your disadvantage as l sure
ly believe.
The ostensible reason given for this
action is that the order is insolvent-
more losses than they could pay rms
1 deny most emphatically. Less than
$50, 900 of uncontested losses were on the
books the 1st of November, as am re-
IIx inf ,nd Ixr ffioin n
to know, and $4,000 coming in on NO
vember assessment to apply on IL "A
double header early in the year, or IN
September, would have paid it. On jan
uary 1. 1900, they were $19,75O behind.
January 1, 1901. they were $20,OOO pc
hind. See official report. Why didn't
they tell the National meeting OF the
condition and raise the rates 20 per cent,
as they should be, and pay it off? That
would have paid all claims by Christ
mas. The membership can always be
trusted if they are taken into conn
dence, as they have a right to be-
Three years ago, as your retiring
president, Crowded out that schemers
might have undisturbed oontrol)
urged the absolute necessity of at least
a 20 per cent horizontal increase IN
rates and a four year scaling plan HAD
those been adopted there would nave
been 100000 net money in our treasury
now. AT that time 1 turned over
strong, vigorous, growing, solvent order
January 1, 1899. when went out OF
office, the official report showed UNPAID
losses of all kinds only $4,000, on which
about 81 600 was paid by advances and
reserve deductions. All other claims re-
ported $2.16S, or about $13. 1913. To oHsel
that, we had cash in bank, $3,649.Oo, ana
collected in January on assessment Tor
these claims and in dues, 6,299, total
19,94S.O0, leaving nearly $1,000 to pay
balance on salaries and current ex-
penses The same vigorous san ana s eeono the
National Aid at the front and in pros
porous, growing condition
The newspapers are making some
ugly charges against the officers and d.
rectors in connection with the transac-
ton but I prefer to talk about what
we must do to protect our policies, ana
particularly our older members who can
not secure protection elsewhere. we
are in no danger If we keep cool and
stand together.
After careful consultation with many
of the members, and with their full ap-
prevail. 1 offer the following suggestions:
First-Stick together! Don't scatter
out to other orders individually, espe-
cially the younger ones, leaving the old
er ones helpless! Pay your assessments
to the local secretary, and have him hold
them until directed by the lodge to pay
them over. You can get much better
terms as a lodge or state than sep
arately.
Second-Don't join the Bankers Union.
or any other order, until you have care
fully examined it's merits, and not then
lodges are going to do. Stick together!
Third-You are invited to elect dele
gates at once for state meetings, and
Instruct them to act at once as may
seem to the best interests of all, and re-
port to you for final ratification, so no
snap judgment may be taken; or we
can decide to reorganize or combine
with some good order as may seem
wisest.
Fourth-To carry this plan into eff
feet, and as there is no time to lose.
hereby invite the Kansas delegates to
meet in Topeka, at Lincoln Post hall,
on Wednesday, November 20, at IL a. m.
In Texas, at Fort Worth, Tuesday.
November 26, at II a. M, at hall OF
Fort Worth lodge. Correspond with the
secretary Sister Anna Walton, Fort
Worth, and Directors G. B. Bowen,
Peaster, or j. H. Ball, GAINESVILLE, Tex,
about this meeting.
For Nebraska-At Hastings, Friday,
November %, at II a. m, at Hastings
lodge hail.
For South Dakota--At Sioux Falls,
Tuesday, December 3, at IL a. M, at
Sioux Falls lodge hall. Iowa is invited
to send delegates to either of the state
meetings that may seem most conven-
lent.