The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1906-06-22
An ARNORY Controversy
UESTioN THAT HAS BEEN DIS
TURBlNG MADISON.
AMlcAeLE ADJUSTMENT REACHED

Agreement Between the Allen Rifles
Armory Company and Company F,
Nebraska National Guards over the
Armory Building.
Madison. Neb.. June lG.-Spocial to
The News: At the business meeting
of Company Il, First regiment of Ne
braska National Guard, Ivan Mckay
was unanimously elected first lieuten-
ant In place of Lieutenant Ed Esh,
whose commission has lately expired.
Lieut. Mckay Is n son of Landlord
Mckay of the Madison house Frank
Dempster and Fred Frazer were elect
ed sergeants and ED, Spratt and Jake
Cleveland corporals.
The status of the army property,
which has been under consideration
some time, was also adjusted. The
armory was built in the early 9Os and
most of the labor in its erection was
performed by members Of the com
pany. assisted by contributions from
citizens. Both those who worked and
those who contributed, did so with
the understanding that the building
should be forever home for company
f and should be used for that purpose
only. The total of the contributions,
however, was not sufficient to cover
cost of material and the purchase
price of the lots. The late James
Stuart permitted the armoiy to be
erected on his ground, promising to
donate II later, but gave no deed, so
that after his death the title remained
in the Stuart estate and had to be pur-
chased. Notes for the cost of the ma
terial had also been given, secured by
the property
So it was that when company f was
reorganized some time after it's re-
turn from the Philippines a relatively
large Indebtedness hung over the ar
mory. The notes and interest being
then overdue, the creditors were clam
oring for their money. But there was
no money, as the company had been
mustered out of the national guard
into the volunteers and so COnStruc-
lively had not existed as a militia com
pany during the years 1898 and 1899
and of course received no rent money
from the state for that time. TO men
ton that they brought no company
fund home with them from the ser
vice is entirely needless. SO among
the first problems that confronted
them was to provide way to secure
| Il fl
AS the best way out of the difficulty
and as believed at the time, to keep
the property from being foreclosed
upon a number of eX-members of the
concern under the title of the Allen
Rifles Armory company, procured a
quit claim deed to the property from
| the trustees and assumed the nidebt-
edness. Articles of incorporation were
drawn up and filed and shares issued,
and from then on company paid
| this said Allen Rifles Armory COM
pany 500 year rent, which the lat
ter concern applied in whole or part
in paying off the Indebtedness. This
satisfied the creditors but was not
overly satisfactory to company F, but
on the contrary was continual source
Of friction, for on examining the ar
ticles of Incorporation of the Allen
Rifles Armory company it was found
to contain a proviso that members
were prohibited from selling their
shares to non-members but were per-
mitted to sell them to each other.
This carried to it's logical conclusion
means that one man in the Allen Rifles
Armory company might buy up all
the stock, become owner in fee sim
pie and the original purpose Of those
who labored and contributed to erect
the armory would be defeated.
Furthermore company F not only
paid to this same armory company
800 per annum rent and made large
internal improvements on the building
but when the armory rent allowed by
the state was raised from 800 to $3.50
per year, the Armory company insist
ed that company F turn over to them
this entire sum for the annual rent.
BY way of explanation 1t were well
| mere 10 mentlOU JHdL SeNeTdl years al
ter the reorganization of company F,
some of its officers as well as some
privates were also members OF the
Allen Rifles Armory company, and as
no man can serve two masters or two
interests, the result was inaction and
matters remained in status quo. OF
late, however, these have one by one
dropped out, the matter was discussed,
a conference held between Capt. Fraz-
er of company F and the officers of
the Armory company, at which a
treaty was made.
According to this the Allen Rifles
Armory company agrees to pay its
own members out OF it's treasury all
they individually paid in as far as II
goes. Company F agrees to pay the
deficiency and In addition assumes the
Indebtedness still against the proper
| ty, which in all amounts to about