The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-08-14
Judge Charles F. Amidon Throws
Out Of Court Case Against a Re-
sponsible Home Company.
Minnesota Mutual Life Insurance Company
Receives Thorough and Vigorous Vindica-
ton at the Hands of the Distinguished
Jurist- Full Text of His Important De-
cision
To the Editor of The Globe:

| To the Editor of The Globe:
I do not recollect having before adj
dressed communication to the daily
press, but at this time the liberty is
| taken of thus calling the attention of
| the great number of readers of T h e
G 10 b e to a recent decision Of the
United States circuit court sitting in
| st. Paul.
During the past twenty-five years
| there has grown up in this state
| financial institution which today is one
| of the largest and strongest Of that
| class of institutions in the Northwest,
| and one which probably directly rep
| reseEt5 the interests of a larger num-
Der of citizens than any other. refer
| to the Minnesota Mutual Life Insur-
! ance company. From It's birth this
| company has been managed by a board
! of trustees composed of men occupy
/ ing foremost positions in the business
| world, and commanding the respect
| and confidencel of the public in the
| highest degree. It has grown from
| nothing to quasi public institution,
| having assets amounting at the pres
! ent time to nearly $2,000,000, and to
| which additions are rapidly being
| made. Not one dollar of it's funds
| has even been lost through misappro-
| priatiOn or bad investment. During
| it's entire history it has not litigated
to exceed sixteen death claims, and in
| those litigations, with very few excep-
tons. the company was sustained. II
! has paid in round numbers 100000
to the bene1ciafies of the insured, and
| it's files contain innumerable letters
from widows and orphans, thanking it
| heartily for prompt payment and
courteous treatment, In the fall of
| 1901 it qualified as an old line or legal
reserve company, and has taken a
prominent position in the ranks Of
companies of That class. The premiums
annually paid residents Of Minnesota
alone to foreign "old line" life inSur-
ance companies exceed $4,000 900, sub
| stantially all of which,, less $1,000,000
required to pay death losses, goes out
of the state. The Minnesota Mutual
is essentially a home company. It's
home office is in Minnesota. It's as
sets are largely invested in municipal
bonds of villages, cities and counties
of the Northwestern states. and in
first mortgages upon real estate there
in. The company's large force of Of
fee employees expend their salaries in
the state. It's expenditures in the state
for advertising and for printing and
stationery amount to many thousands
of dollars, as they do for postage and
for taxes, insurance commissioners
feets, rentals, .setc.
Work of Enemies.
Until within the last two or three
years the company's name was rarely
even mentioned in the public press:
but, Notwithstanding its clean and
-commendable record, during the past
three years 1t has frequently appeared
in print, usually in publishing to the
world most serious and damaging
charges contained in some court pro-
ceeding instituted, as, the company has
always claimed, for Interior purposes
and to cripple it and discredit 1t
among its members, and the general
public. Many persons have doubtless
hesitated to insure with a company
against whose officers such charges
were made; and on account thereof
many old men, and many then unin-
surable men, have dropped their in
Surance With the company, and de-
prived their wives and children Of
protection afforded thereby. Indeed,
there are numerous instances Of such
men who, frightened by those attacks
on the company, allowed their insur-
ance to lapse and who died within one
year thereafter! While the company
has successfully Withstood every one
of the vicious, and it's officers claim
mercenary. assaults, and has invaria-
bly, come out of the encounter victori-
Gus, there never has been a vindica-
ton so full, or an Endorsement so COM
plete, as that contained in the opinion
delivered by Judge Amidon, of the
United States circuit court, on Mon
day of the .preSent week, in the suit
of Iversen and. Wright against the
company.
The Minnesota Mutual Life Insur-
ance company is not operated for this
benefit of its officers; nor is it pri-
vate corporation managed in the inter-
est Of few stockholders. 1t is a mu-
tual company, owned by and in all re-
spects conducted in the interests Of it's
thousands of policy holders; therefore,
justice, fair play and the great i'm
portance Of the subject demand that
the members of the company and those
citizens which in due time would or
dinarily become members should be
placed in possession of the facts from
a source which cannot be questioned,
but which will inspire the confidence
and active support of the members,
and persons who are not but ought to
be, as well as the Endorsement and
recommendation of citizens of the
state who are always glad of an op-
pOrtunity to aid and promote the
growth of any worthy local enterprise.
In no way can this be done so effect
lively or promptly as by the pub1ica-
ton in full in the daily papers of
Judge Amidon's opinion, which I sin
cerely hope you may find room for in
the columns of I he G 10 b e. know
OF no item of news in which q larger
number of your readers have a direct
pecuniary interest, nor a subject which
insurance companies and fraternal So
cieties and their hundreds of thou
sands of members at the present time
deem of more Importance. Very re-
specially yours,
-T.gR. Palmer President.
st. Paul,s Aug. 13, 1902.
The full text of the decision by
Judge Amfdon follows, and is well
worth reading
The Decision in Full.
If it were not for the fact that I am
closely pressed with work, should be
glad to formulate my views in this
case in a written opinion. That, how
ever, is impossible. / am confident
that further study would in no way
modify myi judgment as to the correct
disposition of the case. The only adj
vantage it could have would be to fur
nish a more orderly statement of the
grounds of the decision than is posi-
BILE in an oral opinion.
At the outset the charges of fraud
and insolvency which are made in the
bill must be put aside; they are wholly
unsupported by the evidence On the
contrary this record furnishes entire
ly satisfactory proof that the Off
GERS of the corporation have through
out acted with perfect good faith and
in the exercise of an enlightened iudg-
ment. They have been actuated at all
times by an honest desire to promote
the interests of all the members Of the
association and to secure their COM