The weekly Oskaloosa herald. [volume] (Oskaloosa, Iowa) 1855-1885, 1874-03-12
COMM ON SENSE vIcToR,ous

One of the first acts of tho ro
Legislature, after its slow and d;f1;-
cult process of Organization. h..
been to abolish the penalties lew
by former laws upon life insursnr.
companies of other States, az. f.. -g.
lease the companies from thg nav.
ment OF penalties already sued for.
we nave already explained to the
reauers OF the Inter Ocean the op
pressiVe Character of these laws. ard
the conte enptible proceedings adopt.
ed by TIE Informers al Dunuon., +,
speculate on the technical t.,lnre nf
the companies to comply with the
la"s. IL Is only necessary now ,o
chronicle the steps by which this
unworthy speculation has been snp,.
marily suppressed.
1t seems that the companies CON.
cerned, including fifteen of the most
respectable and rich life associations
In the country, conferred together.
on receiving notice of the blackmail.
ing suits in Iowa, and appointed
committee to contest them. with
instructions to resist to the end with.
out regard to labor or cost, eyery at
tempt to levy the blaekmail not to
pay one dollar in compromise, but
to fight the enemy through eyery
tribunal before yielding, and then, If
defeated, TO withdraw all their busi-
ness and investments from the State
of Iowa. The committee visited
the State, and, finding that there
was danger of recovery of DANA.
ges against them on technical
grounds, resolved at once to appeal
to public opinion, to the State gov
eminent, and to the Legislature. It
was supposed that the prejudice
against New York and Chicago cor.
porations, which was believed to &C.
tuate so many of ths "grangers.
would make the work ashicult but
the committee resolsssiy founded
their appeal on principle, discarded
every influence but that which was
open and honorable, and resolved to
stand or fall by the impartial judg-
ment OF the State upon their rights.
The Governor Of the State and
the Auditor-Messrs G. 9. Car.
penter and John Russell
the case, and united in strong recon-
mendations TO the Legislature to re.
lieve the companies. Several lead.
ing men in the grange movement.
wholly uninfluenced by the preiudlc.
es OF their followers, pronounced for
justice and the new act, drawn by
the Auditor of State, and abolishipg
utterly the disgraceful, blackmailing
features of the old code of Iowa, be-
came, last week, after full discus
sion, the law of the State. 1t not
only removes the liability of the
companies to $4,000 of penalties
already sued for by informers, but
secures to them fair treatment here
| after.
The appeal of the Inter Ocean,.
when this matter first became puo
llc, was to the honor and eooA -euss
OF the people of Iowa. Tie o9npa-
nies concerned have made the same
appeal, and 1t is entirely victorious.
Nearly the whole press of the State
echoed our own denunciations of the
blackmailers in November, aud now
the result proves that the people, as
whole, need only be acquainted
with the rights of those who are
wronged, and those rights will be
secured, even if the claimants are at
the moment the objects of the most
intense prejudice, as "foreign cor
porations" now In Iowa. This is
true in that State, and in every 9th.
er. On question which involves
right the people are the best judg-
es. The moral is an important one
tor corporations everywhere. Let
them act in all controversies as the
life insurance companies have acted
In Iowa. Let them discard all un.
derhand or secret agencies, and
throw themselves before the people
on the justice of their cause, and
they will obtain their rights. When
they will not do this there is danger
lest men suspect that justice is
not what they are seeking.-Intsr
Ocean.