The Red Cloud chief., 1899-10-27
MUTUAL INSURANCE.
How Governor Holcomb Defeated
, It'll lie Organized a Company.


The remarkable record Of Silas A.
Holcomb in the matter OF insurance leg
i~slation challenges the attention OF the
people Of the state aud leads at once to
the inevitable conclusion that 1t would
DO unsafe to place such q man on the
supreme bench. A weak man In the
presence Of temptation while in the
gubernatorial chair, what could be *
pected of him az a judgeS What case
would be safe in his hands,
During the Legislative session OF 1895
there was u determination to pass q law
which would allow the organization OF
mutual companies for the insuring OF
village and town property. To defeat
this there was present at the state house
an organized lobby, possessed Of ample
means for oil room purposes. II was
we'll known ct tAe time that $4,000 In
oash was on hand TO b used in defeat.
ing mutual insurance le~gislation.
On Jan. 18th Mr.. Brookman Of Rich-
srdson introduced house roll 30. . bill
suthoriAng the formation Of mutual
companies. II was perfectly satisfso-
tory 10 tho people who were demanding
mutual insurance. The record Of The
introduction Of tho bill il found on page
16l Of che house journal.
On Feb. 9dsh tho bill Wa reported 70
the general Ale and was delayed there
antil March S7th. when IL was taken mp
In ths committee II the whole and
ssoommsaded for passage. On March
Sesh (page ii8S a the house journsD IL
Wa passed by unanimous vote. 6uoh
reformors - Barry, Hull and Soderman
wsre there and voted 1os the bill. Tho
reason for the unanimous vote was that
Ne insuYNnos Doodle had bsen In dsht
% notoriously that any man voting
against che biil would have been marked
- moo ~ Q boodlss.
The lobby concentrated its efforts TO
defeat the bill in tho senate. Every
method Of delay was resorted TO. At
least one prominent clerk was bribed.
Money was offered to senators to get
th.m to delay or lose the bill. At one
time the one crooked clerk and one
boodling senator carried 1t away, and
were made Il disgorge only after the
senate had issued warrants for their
arrests.
In the senate, ~ in the house, all the
Doodle plans failed. The bill passed
with but one dissenting vote. and that
one senator was politically blaoklisted
for that act, and has never since been
allowed 10 hold ONCE.
But the old. line insurance people knew
what they were doing. They had do.
laysd tho finAl passage Of the bill until
tho Last day Of the session. They knew
what Governor Holoomb would do.
They know that h0 would wait until
afbsr the adjournment Of the Legislature,
when all danger Of passing ver hi
head was past, and then he would veto
the bill.
The record shows that ON April 9th
(page 1859 Of the house journsl). ths
bill wa presented to the governor by
joint committee. Until IL reached hi
hands It was carefully guarded to keeI
the lobbyists and boodlers from stealing
it. At that late day ono Of the clerk
was offered d 1000 II he would lose thu
bill or allow himself TO b held up ant
robbed Of it.
After the adjournment Of the lsgis
lature Governor Holcomb carried ou'
his part Of the contract. After numer
GUS consultations with Q LINCOLN lob
byist he vetoed the bill. For this actor
hi was able to give . decent 81
cuse, and left himself open to the stroni
suspicion that he had entered into
satisfactory deal with the boodlini
lobby.
The defeat Of this meritoraous bill Il
such . suspicious manner caused muol
indignation over the state and the mex
Legislature met with the determination
to pass a mutual insurance bill and pu
it through 40 early that q oowardly gov
ernor could not head il of. Jones Q
Nemaha on the 18th Of january, 1897
introduced house roll 1913, q bill eActl
similar to the Brockman bill, excer
that it had several more sections rela,
ing TO assessments and other matteri
which were also covered In the laws q
ready on the statute books. The BIZ
passed the house on the 18th Of Marc
by unanimous vote. 1t passed the SCI
ate on the I'd Of April with Just on
negative vote and was presented to th
governor on the 3D. of April.
For some reason not orally explainst
but which is pretty we'll shown up b
:. the records, Governor Holoomb held Il
bill until the 9Th of April, when he al
nounocd to the legislature that he ha
signed IL.
Now the sequel: That anne day Il
news was given out that q new insu
ance company had been organized und'
= the new law and that SilAs A. Holcou
was elected As its president. This sctis
had been taken before the bill ",
, signed and the salary Of the presidsl
was fixed At $50 per month. Commel
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