Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-07-29

j
Frank Jackson takes the matter
good-naturedly and we suspect that
| Frank is having a quiet laugh at some
| body's expense. Frank is president OF
the Royal Union Mutual. good, sound
company. and a company whose meth
lods are legitimate and clean. Not one
word has Mr.. Curtis said about this
company, or companies doing q similar
business, and Mr.. Jackson undoubtedly
knows that his company was not the
object of Mr.. Curtis attack.
! We have seen nothing yet from Mr..
| j. c. Cummins. secretary of the Equita-
bic, nor do we expect to. The Equitable
can not be attacked, and Mr.. Cummins
has nothing to do with Mr.. Curtis crit
Iicism of companies that have scandal
lied the whole state of Iowa.
Mr. Witter thinks that Mr.. Curtis
attacks are prompted by just such COM
panies as the Royal Union and the
Equitable Mr.. Witter is president OF
the Northwestern. one Of the compa-
MES criticised. and he thinks the old
line companies are simply jealous Mr..
Witter is delightfully."- verdant. Mr.. Ar
thur Reynolds. vice president Of the
Northwestern, is very indignant Mr..
Reynolds occupies very high social
position in Des Moines, and is con-
nected with one Of the leading banks,
can not make gold bend insurance"
either, respectable or honest, and Mr..
Arthur Reynolds knows 1t. Mr.. Arthur
Reynolds is no fool, and he can not fool
other people by his pretended righteous
indignation at this. Outrage" Mr.. Wit
ter suggests that libel suit may be
necessary to clear the atmosphere. This
is bluff. We venture the opinion, that
nothing would suit the Record Herald
better. To get at the books and show
UP the channels that have been absorb
ing the profits would make some
mighty interesting reading.
But there is something mighty fun
ny about this business. Mr.. Curtis
makes certain statements, They have
an ugly look, and he says they are true.
Do any of the gentlemen interviewed in
the Register and Leader deny that Cur
It's statements are true: II so, who is
ii and where is his denial found? They
buster and bragg and are very indig-
nant and threaten libel suits, but where
Go any OF them say that Curtis charges
are not true? Curtis says that Com
missioner Dearth. of Minnesota, says
that in 1902 one Of the Des Moines gold
brick companies distributed $4,000 of
the policy holders money among the
officers. Well. isn't this true? Mr.. Cur
It's might have put it stronger; he
might have said that this was charged
to expenses and agents commissions
for the reason. as stated by the secre-
tary, the policy holder might not
catch on.
Again Mr. Curtis quotes Commission
err Dearth as his authority that in the
same year this same company distri-
buted s10s0oo as dividcn is among stock
holders who had never put up but S25,-
600, and this in promissory notes: that
during the same year only $4,000 were
set aside to protect the policy holders
who had contributed 1t all. Well, isn't
this all true? These figures were given
to the Minnesota commissioner by Act
uary Wolfe, of New York. No one has
ever assailed their correctness.
Some of the people interviewed insist
upon it that the fraudulent gold bond
contract is no longer written. Commits
sioner Dearth says 1t is written, and
Mr.. Reynolds, In his interview. practi-
cally admits 1t.
Mr.. Curtis describes briefly the gold
bond contract. Hasn't he told the ex-
act truth? What else is It? The gold
brick man says to his victim, Give US
500 each year for ten years and We
will pay back to you at the end of ten
years s1,000-if we have It. We In
tend to invest this money or speculate
with 1t. If we make pile we may
"divy' with you. Will net promise, but
if we lose. you get left This is the
plain English of 1t, and yet the. fools
bite. Curtis says that Commissioner
Dearth told him that these same COM
panies forged his signature to circu-
lar commencing them, ard circulated it
till called down. Who says this isn't
true? Mr. Curtis says that these same
companies got from Auditor Merriam
a faci-simile of the seal of the auditor
Of state and fac smile of his sigma
ture, and that they used both of these
for fraudulent purposes. Well, isn't
all this true? Was 1t not a statewide
scandal when Auditor Carroll discov-
cred it? On the whole. when men are
doing these things, the usual
course Is to keep still instead of rush
ing into the newspapers, and We can
not see that the Des Moines papers are
helping the matter by making faces at
Curtis.
IOWA OPINIONS AND NOTES.
tn the Davenport Democrat at is be-