The Minneapolis journal., 1902-08-28
STEVENSON rs HOT
Secretary Of Masonic Insurance Com
pany Writes the Governor.

YANKTON, S. D.-The headquarters OF
the Western Masons' Mutual Life Asso-
citation has been legally moved from Yank-
ton to Los Angeles, California. The asso-
citation has long been incorporated under
the laws Of both South Dakota and Cali
fornia. Some years ago the articles of the
Dakota corporation were amended,s so as to
give it power to transact all its business In
another state.
All the records of the association are in
Los Angeles and the interest bearing as
sets are all In safety deposit vaults there.
In addition to prominent California Ma
sons the following will remain directors:
w. G. Scott, Winnipeg; F.. ]. Thompson.
Fargo; w. H. Edmunds, Yankton; D. II.
Wheeler, Omaha, and Judge w. D.
Wright, Denver.
Gilbert F. Stevenson, the secretary, long
resident of Yankton, has addressed
letter to-. Governor Herreid in which he
abuses the state officers and condemns
the insurance laws. He says in part:
"a gang OF newspaper brigands have
manipulated the laws of South Dakota SO
that self-respecting insurance corpora
tiOn can no longer remain In the state.
The law gives the insurance commissioner
power to destroy any insurance company
that has manager who does not agree
with him politically. He has power to
take all the assets Of a company to Pierre
at any time. Should he embeZZle the
funds the company would have to look
to his bondsmen. The state Itself does
not guarantee the safety Of the funds, or
In any event it is a sovereign and cannot be
sued. The insurance commissioner
is generally the editor Of some
small weekly newspaper and does not
know the first principles of insurance.
Insurance companies are not creators
Of wealth but equalizers Of losses. South
Dakota Is the only state that blackmalls
every fire insurance company out OF from
$500 to $500 a year. A people that Will
permit of such laws should be deprived OF
| the benefits Of fire and life insurance.
This association has a by-lay that pro-
vides that II any state charges it more
than $25 year for the privilege OF doing
business therein the sum SO charged shall
| be apportioned among the members resid-
| ing in the state and collected as annual
dues. Notwithstanding the fact that two
attorney generals of South Dakota have
declared that the law exempts this asso-
citation from the 2 per cent tax, your ap-
pointee, the insurance commissioner, has
| caused us to levy a special assessment on
the South Dakota members to pay taxes,
or fines, for ten years back.
| This association has done more to adj
vertise South Dakota than anything else
in it and leaves it because of unjust laws"
| PtPESTONE, MiNN.-Professor j.
Homer Grunn, the distinguished pianist;
will depart from Pipestone on Sept. Is on
"a trip to Berlin, Germany, where he will
spend year and half. He will devote
| himself to three subjects, German, theory
and composition, and piano.-On Tuesday
| next the schools of the city will open for
the fall term. The list of instructors is
as follows: F. E. George, superintendent;
Edna Holbrook, principal Of high school;
high school instructors, Emelyne Voor-
| hees, Anna Deem and E. Grace Green.
| Graded departments: Amy Smith, Har-
| riet Book, Lucy Colder, Myrtle Howard,
Nellie Sutter, Elizabeth Smith, Edith
| Whitehead, Leila Curl, Gertrude Carl
son, Mabel Dodge, Minnie Henry, Franta
Soule, Jessie Walkup, Maud Walker.-H.
D. Sanford entertained a party of old
settlers for ex-Mayor L. H. More, who is
I visiting here, after having moved to
Gentry, Ark. Abaut sixty guests were
present y