The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-02-23
HOW DID THEY Do TT?
The Insurance Lobby Kills Good
Insurance Bill.
AFTER The BILL IS REPORTED

TO the House FavOrably Agents of the
Lobby SEQ the Committee, and the
Bill is .Snealked Back, QuIcker
Than You Can say.'ssscat.''
If you don't want a bill to go through
the legislature, all you have to do is just
speak to the committee about it OF
course if you are just pl ain, reasonable,
intelligent voter and citizen. you cannot
expect that your opinion will be taken
for much. but if you represent large in
terests, if you are the agent or attorney
for an insurance company or a railroad
company it is plain that the conspicuous
ability which places you in the position
you occupy makes you grasp the whole
needs of the people SO as to tell just
what they want and ought to have.
Committees as rule, are exceedingly
reasonable The house insurance com
mntee is one of these. The members
would make most excellent jury timber
They haven't made up their minds about
anything, most of them haven't. II they
should have done SO accidentally and it
doesn't suit you they beg your pardon.
This is what the insurance committee
had to do. 1t made the mistake of report
ing bill for passage which the insur-
ance companies didn't like. 1t is only
just to say, however, that it was an mad
vertance on the part of the committee.
1t would be giving a wrong impression
of them to insinuate that they are not of
all men the most affable and gracious,
and most DESTROYS to please. So the only
thing the committee couldsdo as gentle
men, when they found out they had
offended the insurance companies, was
tn IA xcr far
The history of the incident alluded to
is this. Some days ago in the house, Mr.
Andrews introduced a bill requiring
the life insurance companies doing bust
ness in the state to invest their Kansas
earnings or premiums in Kansas bonds
or mortgages and deposit them in the
state treasury after their worth had been
passed on by the superintendent of in
surance.
tect the Kansas policy holders in case
the insurance companies failed. AS it
is now, the failure of a big east
IN insurance company causes a
great loss to Kansas policy
holders and they have no redress If
the Andrews bill should become a law
and the foreign companies were COM
PEELED to deposit their securities in the
state treasury just as the Kansas Mutual
would be protected in case Of a failure,
and even if a. life insurance company
president or board of directors should
rob the company of several million dol
lars Kansas people would not be the ones
to lose the cash.
This looked TO the committee to be q
good bill. 1t would keep money in the
state which customarily was taken out,
as we'll as accomplish the other good
purposes mentioned above.
OF course, most of the committee didn't
have any opinions of their own. but there
didn't happen to be any insurance men
around to furnish them, and they did the
best they could. 1t seemed such good
bill they extended it to all the insurance
companies, both life and fire, but rather
| than WORK any seeming hardship to the
companies, cut the amount down to fifty
per cent of the premiums collected in
| the state. In this shape the bill was re-
ported to the house and recommended
| for passage.
When the insurance companies heard
of the bill they didn't like it. They were
surprised that the committee should do
| such a rude, ungentlemanly thing, and
they told some of them 80.
| The bill was returned 70 the commit
| tee for further consideration and hear
! ing, and the insurance men appeared be-
fore the committee They said they
would take their vast interests and leave
the state if such bill was enacted into
law. They would take their doll rags
and go home. 1t was simply outrageous,
they couldn't afford to stay. There were
eight or ten insurance agents, attorneys
and officers before the committee. A.
B. Setmore represented the Northwestern
| of Milwaukee, Scar" Harrison Clark
son was there and others.
What they said made deep impress
SIGN on some of the committee. Being
reasonable men they were sorry for what
they had done and desired to correct it.
| They Immediately voted to report the
bill back adversely.
This is an instance of what one wave
of that magic wand, the lobby can do in
the Kansas legislature. 1t is the open
sesame to what you want in legislation
1t furnishes ideas for many Legislators
and is the idol great many serve.
To make food light, wholesome anG
4 ~. 81 Dr P,lr