Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1889-10-03
Protection Extended To
Wild Cats.
Honest Insurance Men Up in Arms
Against the Thieves.
Why Have Foraker and Kemp Given
Protection to Soamps and Soa1-
avags Who are Robbing
tho People?

The insurance men Of Ohio can not as
a class consistently vote for Governor j.
B. Foraker, who for some inscrutable
reason has been the friend and pro-
tector of Wild Cat Insurance for the
last three years.
Ohio Insurance laws are exceedingly
rigid, and if theywere properly enforced
every person in Ohio who insures his
house, his barn, his live stock, his per-
sonal effects, o. his life, could feel his
contract with the company would be
carried out to the very letter.
Under existing laws, every insurance
company desiring to transact business
in this State, must furnish sworn
statement, as to it's condition, so that
there is an absolute guarantee to the
citizen, that when he takes a policy in
one of these companies, it is strong
enough financially to make good the
risk it assumes, on his life or property.
Under these wise and wholesome laws,
every insurance company doing business
in the State of Ohio must give bond to
pay as tax into the State Treasury a
certain per cent. of their net proceeds.
The good companies which employ
honest men in Ohio, and are represented
by conscientious, hard-working and en-
terprising agents, comply with this law
cheerfully. They make their sworn
statements, receive their permit to
transact business, and proceed in an
honorable and manly way. Under such
an arrangement both the public and
the companies arc protected.
But, though the Insurance Department
of Ohio, which is directly under Gov
ernor Foraker, has every facility for en-
forcing the law, it has signally failed
to do so.
Reckless and irresponsible companies
from many States in the Union have in
vaded Ohio, represented by unscrupu-
lous and dishonest agents.
These agents represent larger num-
ber of companies, some good and some
bad, as in the case of the Canistola
Glass Works, of Bowling Green, which
recently burned down.
The large amount of insurance
was distributed among score
of companies. 1t now turns out that
eleven of these companies were ''wild
cats" The amount of insurance carried
by them has not, and will not be paid.
Governor Foraker and Commissioner
Kemp had been given the name of the
agent who was doing this dirty work,
and had ample time to stop him, and
save the money of innocent insurers.
| When Kemp was complained to about
this matter, he asked the persons who
; made the complaint to keep still until
after Foraker was renominated, though
the Governor at the time was proclaim
ing from the house-tops that he was not
candidate, and was urging the candi-
dacy of several Of his confding friends.
The Governor was renominated, and still
Mr.. Kemp took no action. A call was
made upon the Governor himself, and
though he promised to give the matter
attention, he failed to do so.
1t was not until the Last moment, and
until every resource for delay and
evasion had been exhausted, that Com
missioner Kemp began reluctant pros
ecution against one of the most open
violators of the law in Cleveland.
The man was convicted and fined, yet
shortly previous to this time, the Com
missioner and the "Wild Cat Agent,
had been on the most intimate terms and
had dined and drank champagne togeth-
er at Cleveland hotel. This is the ex'
act state of affairs to-day. There is not a
we'll informed insurance man who does
not know that the facts have been
placed in the possession of bothGovernor
Foraker and his Commissioner of In
surarce, and that they have signally
failed to take any action thereon. II
was not so under Henry Reinmund.
1t was not so under any administra-
tion in the past.