The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-05-24

'specting man or woman to stand out
and be besmirched by the greedy and
questionable politician
| 1T is becoming a sad state of af-
fairs" said Wulfekuh1er, that as
soon as congress convenes or any
/ legislature assemblies the varied bust
ness, profe ssional or labor organiza-
tons Immediately appoint a legisla-
! tive committee to go to our law max
, ing bodies in order to watch them
4 so they will not pass unwise laws and
will pass laws wisely. 1 would ike
to ask why is it that we are COM
/ PEELED to have legislative committees
when we have elected paid agents to
attend to those matters?
Mud Raking Politics"
! 1T is partly because the bankers
have not seen fit to educate the leg
/ islators on financial and business laws
or customs and so we have to call on
our members to give their time to
keep us out of harm"
Then he paid his respects to mud
raking American politics.
AS long as such organizations as
bankers will permit politicians to oper-
ate politics SO long we can expect such
limited faith in our lawmaking
| bodies" said Wulfekuhler.
The president Of the Kansas Bank
ers association touched on national
I politics and national policies, the out
growth of the present crisis He de-
clared that the present public opinion
is swiftly drifting to governmentalize
business and labor by enacting into
laws business and labor procedure,
revenues and disbursements.
In other words" said the president,
government controlled or supervised
business and labor which applied to
all business and labor transactions
STILES competition and places a pre-
MUM on the careless, lazy and in
digent and is repugnant to natures
law of supply and demand.
Dissension and Conflict.
1T is condition that will inevitably
cause dissension and conflict of the
gravest kind.
Reasonable supervision, elastic m
its operation, in accordance with the
law of supply and demand, monopoly
and aggression, subservient to public
policy or health and protection, equal
ity to all, is commendable.
I'VE are rapidly drifting into a ma
ton with laws of permission and not
laws of prohibition which means
everything being prohibited except
such as are by law permitted. Our
public service corporations are expert
encing that now and we bankers are at
the threshold of similar attention. Ex
amples of that are collected of cash
items, regulation of interest rates, pos
tai savings and land credit banks.'.
County Bankers Clubs.
Wulfekuhler urged as a method of
avoiding the threatened legislation,
the rapid organization of County
Bankers clubs, which may decide on
policies and then pursue the enact
ment of these policies in legislation
thru pressure brought by the clubs
on local representatives.
II am exceedingly gratified to re-
port to this convention the splendid
support your officers have received
from members in our endeavor to
further the organizations 'of county
we now have more than one-half of
the state organized in these associa-
tons. I want to acknowledge the uni
form courtesy and splendid spirit
shown by members at all the meet
ings."
McAdoo Here Tomorrow.
Intense interest is being displayed
| by the bankers in the address of Wm
| G. McAdoo, secretary of the treas
ury who will arrive on a special train
tomorrow morning. Secretary McAdoo
will speak at the city auditorium at 3
O'Clock in the morning. His address
will be on the liberty loan. The float
ing of this loan in America is the
cause of the extended trip of the sec
retary of the treasury in the middle
west. w. P. G. Harding, governor of
the federal reserve board, will accom-
pany McAdoo and probably will make
a short address. The first floor OF
the auditorium will be reserved for
the bankers and their ladies. the
meeting at the auditorium, as well. as
all day meetings of the convention VIII
| be open to the public.
Topekan for Vice President.
s. E. Cobb of Topeka, vice president
| of the Bank of Topeka, is being men
! IF q o.
citation. The big fight usually centers
on the selection of the vice president
| as that is always a stepping stone to
! the presidency of the assoclatlon
Thomas C. Kennedy of Junction City,
vice president of the association, is
slated for the presidency.
l., f Merger, cashier of the Ger
man National bank at Beloit, is slated
as the next member of executive coun-
| Gil of the American Bankers assoc1a-
/ ton. The last member came from
southern Kansas and there seems no
| opposition to the friends of Mergen,
! who are insisting that he accept and
| be selected as the next member OF the
/ council. The bank in which Mergen
| is employed has wonderful deposits, a
million dollars, for a town the size of
/ Beloit, and in addition to being CASH
! Ter of that bank, Mergen, altho a
Young man. is treasure of the Globe
Life Insurance company of Salina.
BOwman'S Report.
Optimism marked the annual re-
port submitted to the delegates today
by w. w Bowman, secretary of the
| association. He sums up the work
of the association for the year as fol-
| lows:
A gain of sixty-two new bank mem
bers brings the bank membership to
| 9S plus per cent of the whole, and re-
duces the bank non-member list to
twenty-three.
The extraordinary record of 100 per
cent renewals.
| The increase in the number of
counties solid in membership from SO
to IS.
The increase of S1,096,200 in the
volume of bank fidelity bonds written.
The increase of $725, 5S1 in the vol
ume of burglary insurance written, re-
sulting in a net gain above all losses
of S1711956 in the total volume of