The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-12-13

| surance, had written all the members OF
/ the Kansas delegation asking Their sup
port OF measure calculated to deny
| the use Of the mails TO fraudulent in
surance concerns which were annually
| taking thousands of dollars from the
| state. Most Of the Kansas members
pledged themselves to assist in securing
the enactment Of such legislation. The
| measure was regarded as a meritorious
one, and in line with the reform of the
| insurance business. The gist OF the cor
recttonary legislation was contained in
| a section which provided that no letter,
! phampIet etc, should be CRIED by mail,
| or delivered by postmaster, unless the
| transaction of business by the concern in
question was authorized by the states into
| which the letter or phamplet came; or
in the states from whence they came.
( A penalty of 900 was attached for viola
| ton of provisions of the bni, and viola
| ton was made misdemeanor. The bill
| was introduced in both house and senate;
| in the senate by Mr. Dryden OF New
Jersey, himself president of a great in
surance concern.
Now, however, come the luinbermen and
the chinery-manufacturing concercns.
and the bill is leveled against them.
whether by inadvertence or otherwise.
They say that inter-surance has been
| the means of saving large sums to lum-
Der dealers and buyers and users OF vari-
Gus kinds Of machinery; and has also
forced old-line insurance concerns to re-
duce rates one-half on this class Of in
surance. They maintain that their kind
Of insurance is merely protective: and
not for profit. They state that they have
no desire to oppose wild cat insur-
ance concerns; but urge that an amend
ment in the bill be made, as follows:
.'Inter-insurance exchanges, the men,
bers whereof indemnity one another
against loss by fire. only for saving, not
for profit, shall be exempted from the
provisions or this act"
Kansas senators and representatives. as
well as those from oil states, are being
flooded with requests for this amendment,
from lumbermen and others in their
states. The matter Is attracting consider
able attention; owing TO the fact that
there undoubtedly wiz be some legislation
along this line.
In his annual message to congress, the
president said, speaking OF irrigation:
The reclamation law, while perhaps not
ideal, appears at present to answer the
larger needs for which it is designed.
Further legislation is not recommended
until the necessities Of change are more
apparent"
The recommendation from the presi-
dent. who has always strongly favored ir-
rigation and the reclamation of arid lands,
has very much discouraged the irriga-
ton advocates in congress. They feel that
as result of this, there viii be no Legs
lation by congress at the present session.
Men Ike Representative Murdoch, how
ever, who have given attention especially
to this subject. believe that they may
possibly be able to devise some system
whereby arid and semi-arid lands may be
benefited by existing legislation. They
will continue to seek the means; in spite
of what the president has said to con-
gress on the question of further legisla-
ton.
Recently 1 called attention in these
columns of the excellen- standing Kan
sas wheat had in foreign markets. A
case was cited-tnat of Bruseels-where
the price paid for the Kansas product was
the highest. There are many, such cases,
now appearing in the daily consular re-
ports. Here is one from the consul Of
the United States at Weimar. Germany:
He gives prices paid for various kinds OF
wheat and says: American wheat, Kan
sas No. ., or hard winter No. 9, is si2.Sl
to s4379 per ton" This is the highest
price paid in that market.
u. w Mulvane of Topeka, Kan, and
William Grimes of Guthrie. o. r.. mem-
bers respectively for Kansas and Okla
homa of the Republican national COM
mittee. were in Washington this week
attending the meeting of the committee.
Senator Burton has introduced bill
TO enlarge the national cemetery at Fort
Scott, Kan.
\ number OF Kansans viii return to
the state next week, after the holiday adj
journment. r. FL. FAXON.