The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-02-21
Senator Carey Makes Public Let
ter From Geo. Badders.
Wanted Money to Pay for De-
feating Sessions Bill.
MONEY is SENT BACK.
Feared Members Thought 1t
Was for Corrupt Purposes.
Says Local Corporations Will
Stand ''the Expense

In letters sent to every corporation
in Kansas George Badders, secretary
of the Topeka Commercial club, solicit
ed subscriptions amounting to $685. to
cover alleged expenses for the defeat
of the Sessions corporation tax bill
These subscriptions were asked In ad-
dition to subscriptions aggregating
several hundred dollars, which were
received from profit earning corpora
tions several weeks ago.
When the bill was first offered Mr..
Badders, in his official capacity, took
a lively Interest in the defeat of the
measure He not only enlisted the
support of Topeka enterprises. but
took the matter up with a majority of
the 750 other state corporations. At
that time the bill was in the committee
rooms. Badders asked subscriptions of
81 each from all of the concerns inter-
ested in the bill. Many of them re-
sponded and several sent legal repre-
sentatives to Topeka to fight the bill.
They were assisted by several Topeka
lawyers employed by local firms. Sew
eral stormy sessions were held in the
committee rooms Mr.. Badders attend
ed the meetings, used the mails and
wires to defeat the measure and kept
the prairie fires burning.
In his appeal for assistance, Badders
points out the need of reward for the
faithful He says that for the work
before the committees, the lawyers,
which are presumed to have been en-
ployed by the club as an organization,
should be paid 81, 900. The secretary
also points to the fact that there are
few outsiders who should receive $500
each for Their diligence. No names
are given in the circulars mailed by
Mr.. Badders.
The Sessions bill was strangled IN
the senate corporations committee.
Only one member made a fight to have
the bill reported, That member was
Reed, of Smith county. Reed is dead
against the bill, as are the other mem
bers of the committee, but he thought
| it would be great fun to read the ad-
ministration roll call and he wanted
| the package dumped on the floor with
| out recOmm mendat1onS.
| The house committee was more
strongly impressed with the bill. IT.
recommended the measure for passage
but after long battle in committee of
the whole, the bill was beaten In
neither house did the measure ever go
| to the roll call.
One of the Badders appeals went
to the Hutchinson Salt company, of
| which Senator EmmerSon Carey is
owner. Mr.. Carey thoughtlessly drop
ped the letter in his pocket when he
returned to Topeka Monday afternoon.
1t is as follows:
THE COMMERCIAL CLUB.
| IOp0ka, KAN, F'0D. IL. 1S1l
| Hutchinson Salt Company, Hutchin-
! son, Kansas.
| Gentlemen: Referring to my letter
| of a few days since asking you to let
me have your check for one-tenth of
| the amount you were saved each year
b. the defeat of house bill No. 263,
which provided for a tax of one dol
| lar and a half per thousand on the
capital stock of your company-this
assessment to be used in defraying ex-
|
should perhaps have advised you how
we arrived at the amount needed.
The seven hundred and fifty cor
| porations in good standing in Kansas,
| to whom we wrote letters on this mat
ter, are capitalized at $42,350.000.
| Three twentieths of 1 per cent of this
| amount (Which is the amount the cor
porations are saved each year by the
defeat of this billy would be $63,525.
1 One-tenth of this amount would be
s6.352. We figured, as you must al
ways do in cases of this kind. that
| some of the corporations would not
appreciate what We have done; in
| other words they would get the bene-
| fit and let the other fellow pay the
| bill; also some corporations have gone
out of business, and for other reasons
| we estimated the actual amount we
| would raise between three and four
| thousand dollars, and we need it. Our
attorneys should be paid at least one
| thousand dollars, and one or two out
| side parties who did excellent work
should receive about five hundred dol
lars: postage, circulars, resolutions
letters, ETC., about five hundred dol
lars, which would leave on hand about
/ one thousand dollars. A detailed
statement will be furnished later.
Had the bill passed your annual as
sessment would have been s45. Please
of this amount, or $3.50. Yours very
truly,
GEO. S. BADDERS. Secretary
i Mr.. Badders says that he sent the
money back that was contributed il
response to his appeal.
This money, he claims, amounted Il
about $125 which was received up tt
the time the letters were mailed Mon
day afternoon. An additional amount
of about $50 came today.
Mr.. Badders' Explanation.
About $4,000 was necessary to de
fray the expenses outlined in our let
ter said Mr.. Badders. 'This none.
was to have been used to defray tn,
expense outlined in the letter and i
| was sent Saturday as a follow up of ;
!, letter we issued Thursday. of thi
| amount 81, coo was to have been used t,
pay the local attorneys who looked III
the legal questions and represented tn
, coroorations before the committee. Tn
4 remainder was to have met the ex
pense of postage, printing, telegraph
telephone and incidental accounts. w
sent out about $50 of these letters Sat
ur6lay and Monday had received abou
s125. About $50 was received today.
ssSeveraI senators came to me Mon
dav and said that the letters locke
as though the money was to be use
for influence in the legislature The
intimated that it might have a yer
! bad effect and asked me to withdra,
them. We then held meeting an
q Monday afternoon we returned all G
f the money received up to that tim
, and will return all that is received i
the future. The Topeka corporation
8 will pay the account themselves"
When asked concerning the name