St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-03-01
WAR is BREWING.
The Underwriters Are Now Di-
vided Among Themselves.

tlitO AUlODS 1neInSclVeSs
There was no meeting yesterday be-
tween the fire department committee of
the city council and the committee APP
pointed by the Underwriters union.
The council committee is iii no hurry to
meet the underwriters committee.
They will meet when they get ready,
possibly next Wednesday. Chief A. Ii.
Runge and Aid. Woodward, chairman
OF the committee on fire department,
will be here then, and a lively session
may be expected.
But that is notall. The underwriters
union is not unit on this ire question.
1t is split into two parties. radicals and
conservatives. When the meeting was
held Friday morning the radicals imme-
dately presented and attempted to rail-
road resolution demanding the rein
statement of +. l.. StetSon at the head
os the fire department.. In case the
council refused so to do an immediate
rise in insurance rates was threatened.
The conservatives were up in arms in
stanter. They refused absolutely to
couhtenance any such procedure. Not
that they are opposed to StetSOn. They
believe that he was good fire chief
and that a big mistake was made
when StetSon was decapitated; but
they were sensible that the city
council would stand no such action
SavOring OF dictation. The city council
resembles III some respects collection
OF certain representatives of the animal
kingdOm-they can be cOaXed more
easily than they can be driven by any
one not understanding their nature.
The conservatives believe that Runge
is good officer but are not quite sure
that he has the proper sort of an assist
ant. With Stetson and Runge at the
head OF the department they would be
satisfied. They want StetsOn reinstated,
but they believe in going slow. There
Is another thing. The conservatives
hint that there is what is technically
known as a "woodchuck" lurking in
this question. One of the members
OF the conservative wing thus voices his
opinion:
1.-The point is just here. The insur-
ance firms that get left on this fire are
the ones which are doing the kicking,
and they are doing 1t for a distinct and
settled purpose. The fact is they must
lay the blame OH some one for that fire,
SO as to tighten the heavy hand of dis
pleasure that will be laid upon them by
the companies they represent. They
cut the rates on these risks, and that's
the meat in the cOcoanut. Insurance
agents, you know. get a contingent
bonus where no fire occurs in a risk
they have written. These men figured
that they were sure of getting that
bonus, and so cut the rate by dividing
the bonus with the owners. Now
they're trying to make a scapegoat of
the department. The rest OF uS fellows
who are interested only in seeing fair
play may not write as much insurance
as these big fellows, but we propose to
see that they take their medicine and
not give it to the department. / tell
you that Wnen you set fire to several
carloads of turpentine you make the
hottest fire this side of hell. 1t wasn't
possible to save that building, and the
fellows who wrote the Insurance ought
to have thought of that just as much as
the fellows who were trying to put the
fire out"
Another insurance man brings in some
Chicago people thus:
Il believe this whole fight over the
Commission ' No. $ What iHi IS comm Ry
sion No. 5? Why, it is board of West
ern managers of American companies,
and it has headquarters in Chicago.
That meeting yesterday wasn't called
till Chicago had been heard from, in nv
opinion, and l believe the word was
passed out there to jump on the fire de-
partment and make it appear that the
department was to blame for the
losses the companies have in
Cured. Don't you see, the Iates
on the Lumber Exchange were
accepted by Commission No. Sand they
were too low. The companies are now
going for their Western managers, and
the Western managers are trying TO
make ScapegOat of the Minneapolis
fire department. The people Of Mime
apolis ought to see this, and see that
they are going to get the worst of it if
they side in with this attack on their
department. The next thing rates will
go up, and what can the people of Min
neapolis say? They can't kick little
bit If they have concurred in this gem
eral assault on the department. don't
say that the department was we'll man
aged, but / say that we have good de-
partment, and the business men ought,
on general principles, 10 stand by it,"
SO the battle RACES. No one can tell
how it will come out. 1t will probably
result as all such movements do-in
nothing.
g. p. Preston has voiced some senti-
mentS anent the fire which seem to in
dictate that he would make an excellent
chief of fire department. Preston does
not believe that the building should
ha re been allowed to burn, and main
tains that the whole side of the building
next to the Russell building could have
been completely covered with ice in
plenty OF timeto have prevented the fire
catching. Of course it would have been
an easy matter to cover wall with Ice
in the face of flaming furnace heating
that wall to probably 500 degrees. The
radicals insist that Kenney overlooked
the standpipes, and that that omission
was responsible for the loss.