, 1874-10-03
GEORGE d. U1ARkE.

lfECRFlC q. CLAHA4.
MIR. George @. Clarke, President of tho Chloa-
go Doarl Of Underwriters, md ono OF tho ,nont
prominent inBt,ratico hgcnta in tho country, las
hccn In NOW York duthhg tho iabt throo wcoks.
While thcro ho las had occasion to watol, Tho
proceedings Of lilo Executive Committee Of tho
Natlona! Board for tho withdrawal Of tho insltr-
anco companies from lhia city. 1tohah n,linbcr-
oss utotti6wb With lib inetnborA of thb CON-
mltteo, mud demonstrated against tho notion thcy
! woro about to take. hut lia co,inBclH wefo Of
no ayail. and tho resolutions of withdrawal wore
passed Ia apitu Of all opposition. Siuce then
atr. Carko hns taken unusual pains 10 acquatnt
himself with, s.,,,,
THE GENERAL FEELING
In Now York and Doston ii, regard I'd This action,
aud to learn wl,at measures ,rero necessary to bo
takon by our city authorities TO insure tho ro-
turn Of tho Withdrawn companies l1e afriyod
homo yesterday afternoon, nnd In tic ovoning n
TnthuSE reporter called upon him for tilc pnt-
poso Of goting full btato,ncMt III regard TO this
highly 1mpoftdnl QloHeioh.
Mr.. Clarko sntd that there B no doubt that Tho
merchants OF Now York ard much concerned
about tho question Of insurance in this city, 1t
was 4 mattcr Of n great :.doa1 Of Importance to
tholu whcthcr Chicago was lacking good. insar-
anco or not. Jlo Ind sncn matS
NEW YORK. AND nosroN MERCHANTS
who Eail that tl,oir buslnoss III Chtoago would
bo sevoroly Affected by tLa consideration. Ilo
met ol.o New York merchant OIL a car who told
him TINT hp was dn lis WAY to Chicago, to fnd
out whether thoro was any difficulty In obtaining
insurance, ns 1t wonid severely aircek tlio QUOT
tiou Of Bol1ing iii this city.
Tho action Of tho National Board, In his opi1-
ion, WIS based OH lnisapprol,onsion OF facts.
IIo thinks thcro Woro but two members Of tho
Executive Committee wliicl, passed. tho reuolu~
tions of Withdrawal who hat bcou in
Chicago ainco tho fro Of July H.
1Io found nftor tho Adoption and
protnulgation Of tho roao,utiona Tint tlero woro
grasoly erroneous reports culrantly stated and
believed, aud these reports undoubtedly ntluo.o-
ell tho notion Of tho Executive Committee. lilo
fouud. also, that the people Of Now York xero ,n
Rreat ignorance OF certain essential facts III TO
tho practicubiity Of The fullllu,eut Of Bomo OF
tho requirements, a,m OF tho obstacles ttat
preclate tho thorough awakening Of our citizeuH
and propcrty-owncip to tho needs Of t1o city
with releronco " prnpcr protection FROM llro.
Some Of tho Committee 'sero asked uot to ut
ing large property and conpany intcrcsts at
10 great q d,Btauco Nnd with such imperfect
Information as they mnat necessarily hnyc, bnt
10 send, II possible. sub. b.committee to Chicago
to thoroughly o4a,ni1,o tho taets aud to ascertain
what had been donet what waH doing, and what
it waH impossible to 10 in tho }in1ted limo al
lowed By tho first decree. and then, on tho
ground, with NIL tho faets boloro thol,, to decide
ior tho Executive Committee what to Recommend
TO tho companies comprising tito Natonul l]oaryl.
But thia tourso was not takon. Tho Exec.l-
two Committee, after day and half Of Becrct
session at Home hotel in New Tolls, aloptou tho
resolution OF Withdrawal, and promulgated
tho Same by telegraph. 1io waa told tl,nt tTo of
scnsins two Of tho largest companies in tho
country, and doing ail exceedingly largo
agency busincss, opposed tho nctiou, bit
1nnlly ac4uiesced iu order TINT tho
resolutions might 70 forth unanimously adoptod.
lilo found goneraly that tho officers who Ind
beon in Chicago slaco tho fire Of July II, aud had
fauiliatizcd themselves with the facts, wero
OPPOSED TO w1THDnAwtNG,
boing conylucol tlnt tho citizena or thia city
welo thoroughly aliyo to tho necessity for aotioi,
for tho protaotton If tlle city. lie found several
Companies IN New York aud Boston which wore
familiar viii legislatures aud which woro decided
in tlleir opinion tElai
THE TIME ALLOWED nY TIE EXECUTIVE con-
a1rrEE
Tor municipal action was altogether too short.
They instanced tAo length OF time required III
Boston, after Tint city had lrcrea from two groat
fires, to secure the relOrns recommended by
tho Underwriters, aad.thiB oyon with egLisia-
tnro actually III session IT tic time Of tIo tiro.
They were tnlly AwA,c Of tho delays that muBt
occur in any city III occurring radical eHistatintl
through tho Common Council, and also OF tho
delays that must occur III Chicago in securing
reforms for which the action Of tho Legislature
MAS required.
THE ENGLISH COMPANIES,
with but ono exception followed tito lcad OF the
Executive Committee, Most OF tho Now York
companies adSptod the aamo course: Iii somo
cAsoB where The officers Of The companies wero op-
posed to Withdrawal the Directors met and voted
for it. Tho Hoaton companies betng convinced that
Jealousy towurds Chicago'h growth Lad sono-
Thing to do with tho n4attor. woro gonorally op-
posea to Withdrawal. Sono of tho Now Yprk
COMPANIES dIsbelieycd III tho Withdrawal policy
OH tho ground ttlnt 1t would full Ut its moral
effect OIL account Of lack Of unantmity, Although
TUG companies actually pledged beforehand to
follow tho docreo o. tho Executive Committee,
tho largest companies doing business in Chicago,
yet they ielt tilat enough would continue to ID
bnHincas here to afford necessary protection,
even though perhaps not Of tho sama quality,
but, sul1lciont for tho ordinary purposes ot
tradc aud that thus tho Designed effect OF
tho resolution would lo loHt. It Was not
strango TINT such Misrepresentation OF facta aB
halpe4 to slotorniae tho actlon OF the Executive
Committee should exist among the Underwriters
nt Now York, whon one reads tho misstatcments
Of tho Eastern press in regard to Chicago affairs.
In scarcely single Instance did tho Now York
snd Boston uuat,aties comment upon this action
without accompanying tho comment with Ger
tain statements Of sso.s which wero not cqrsect.
For Instance, tl1oy aoid TINT the rebuilt portion
Of Chcago ubou1lded in
31ASsAlkD nooFB;
that t!lorc Woro no pnrRpeE walls; that thore
woro few buildings with iron sllutters; that tito
chief Tire Earstial waa n political nppoiatee;
that tho whole Fire Department was denoralizod;
that no American could recoiYo MI appointment
it tho Fiyo Department., nnI other equally rllic-
ulolla g.atomontH.
lilo aAlotl ono OF tho Executive Committee
Which Of the nix requirements I.o considered tho
most vital. He sud tho reorganization Of tho
Nle Department. Ile then asked, IL good man
like
GEN. slfALEn
Was put at tho hesta, whether tho Executive Cona-
mitteo would consider that enough lad boen
dono to justify the reconsideration Of thoir ac-
ton ia withdrawing. Ho replied that there wna
no doubt that III glich nn eyont tho previous &C.
ton would bo roHeinded. In regard to Gen.
6haler's appointment, Mr.. CLARKE says that he ID
convinced, after frequent conversations with
tloao who know that gentleman, that lc would
not accopt tile chnrgo Of tho Ftro Department.
Il 1fxkxn