Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1901-09-26
cHuRcH's LANE EXCUSES.
Insurance Superintendent Explana'
ton That Don't Explain.

ENTITY dissects Supt. Church's alleged
explanation that we reprint its com.
ment:
W. V. Church, the kansas insur.
ance commissioner, has made in the
Topeka Capital defense against the
charge that he is misconducting the
affairs Of his Office with respect to So
called examinations" Of foreign in
surance companies. The defense is
that these examinations are not in
conflict with the letter Of the law;
that the law gives discretionary pow
er to the commissioner; that when he
takes notion to examine an insurance
company, that settles it. No one has
charged that the Kansas commission
er is in violation of the letter OF the
law. The charge is that he has vio'
lated the spirit Of the law by conduct
ing uncalled for, unneeded and Who'll
" worthless examinations Tor the
purpose Of giving a fat JOB to some
country politician. The Kansas law
requires that the commissioner shall
have reason TO believe that an insur-
ancc company is unsound or has
made false reports before he Is
authorized to make an examination.
In the course Of nearly column OF
explanation in the Capital, Commits
sioner Church has not asserted, or
even intimaled, that anyone had filed
complaint against any company
which be has examined, or that he
was possessed Of information that
aroused his suspicious. He has made
or caused to be made large number
of examinations, and the inference
must be, under a fair Interpretation
of the law, that he had reason to be-
lieve that all of these companies were
in an unsound condition. II Mr..
Church wants to satisfy the public
mind, let him present the complaints
or the reasons which created in his
mind suspicion.
What ever excuse or extenuatlon
there might have been in this explain
alton by the Kansas commissioner Is
wholly annulled by deceit which he
attempts to practice. "lt is my pur'
pose" be says, "to treat insurance
companies with fairness, but the de-
partment and the people are entitled
to know about their condition; mol
should we wait for company's fail
ure before making an investigation.
Here it is the evident purpose OF thu
commissioner to make the people be
lieve that the Kansas department il
performing real service-that it il
gaining an accurate knowledge Of The
condition Of an insurance company
by one of its two-day examinations
And in this Mr.. Church insults TIT
intelligence Of the Kansas public FOL
it certainly is widely known and ap
preciated that it would be impossible
for one man, no matter how expert
to examine a single department ii
any insurance company in two days
and come away with definite informa
ton. The Marion county amateur
sent out by Commissioner Church
could not in two days check up on
little book in the office OF a large in
surance company, and, as a matter o
probable fact, neither could the bes
insurance expert that ever lived.
The point is that the so-called ex
aminations made by the Kansas de
partment are wholly worthless, ant
they are known to be worthless b.
every intelligent Kansan. So ia
from protecting the policy holders il
Kansas from any policy loss at tn
hands of an insurance company, the.
serve in the opposite way il the.
serve at all. What happens in ever,
case is this: The examiner come
out of the insurance office with III
more information than be had whel
he went In, or at least with no NOR
than the company chooses to CIV
him. So, having no information
showing the bad condition Of com
pany, and being under the clrcum
stances wholly unable to detect it, h
must make favorable report, II b
makes one at all. In other words, a
insurance company might be rotte
from its roots up and the Kansas e'
aminer would never discover it, an
his report would show that it wa
sound to the core.
Commissioner Church cannot affor
to be impudent or defiant. Neitht
..Ja.ao 80 dnGooon ,u;ll onrva