Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1904-03-02
POOR MAN, BILL
VETOED BY GOV. DAVIS, ALLEGED
SPECIAL CHAMPION OF POOR
MAN.
Refused to Allow Bill! to Become Law
Fixing Penalties en- Derelet In
susance Companies.
WHAT POOR MAN SAYS ABOUT IT

Gov. Davis poses as the poor mans
friend and the enemy of the trusts,
but as is we'll kncwn he has never
done anything for the poor man nor
has he ever done anything against the
trusts. In fact he never fails to do a
good turn for the trusts whenever he
gets the opportunity. The following
from the Little Rcek Democrat shows
clearly hcw Davis stands as to the
poor man and the trusts:
The question is often asked, who
| furnishes the thousands of dollars
spent by Gov Davis in his present
| campaign? He claims that he is the
foe of the trusts and insurance COM
panies and that they are all fighting
him. Does his record sustain him? At
the last session of the legislature Sena-
ter Gotham introduced bill, senate
bill 145, providing that in all cases
where loss by fire or death occurs
and the insurance company liable
therefor shall fail to pay the same
within the time specified in the policy
such company shall be liable to pay to
the holder OF the policy, in addition
to the amount of the loss, II per cent
| damages and a reasonable attorneys
fee. The object of the bill was to
prevent insurance companies from
compelling the poor man, whose prop
erty is destroyed by fire, or the poor
widow in case of her husbands death,
to accept a much smaller sum than
is due, by threats of a lawsuit. A
poor man whose home cr shop is burn
ed or widow whose only legacy is a
policy On her husbands life, will al
ways prefer to lose Is or 20 per cent
of what is justly due rather than be
put to the expense of paying lawyer
his fee and of lawsuit lasting two
or three years. Senator CCtnam's
bill intended to prevent this injustice
by making the insurance company pay
the lawyers fee and also 12 per cent
damages for the delay if the insurance
company has no valid defense but re-
fn hn inc,..
cheap settlement. The bill was
promptly passed by the senate and
house, but 10 and behold, when it was
presented to the governor this friend
(?) Fl the poor man and foe CD of the
insurance companies, he vetoed the
bill and thus prevented it's becoming
law. He may have been actuated by
pure motives. Nevertheless his veto
will cost the people of this state fifty
thousand dollars a year, and put that
much into the pockets CT his foes, the
insurance companies. What better
governor do the insurance companies
want than Jeff Davis? They care
nothing for what he says on the stump
but they are glad to have a governor
who would promptly veto all bills pass
ed by the legislature to protect the
people against their unjust exactions
Next to having an attorney general
who openly boasted that he would not
prosecute trust if formed in the
house yard with a brass band, they
want a governor who will veto all
measures in the interests of the peo
pie and against the corporations.
Where can they find another such
friend as Attorney General and Gov.
Jeff Davis?
ONE WHO WAS FORCED TO COM.
PROMISE.
The Bill Referred To.
A bill for an act providing for the col
lection of damages and attorneys
fees in suits for the collection of loss
arising on fire, life or health insur-
ance policies.
Be it enacted by the general assembly
of the state CT Arkansas:
Section l. In all cases where a loss
occurs and the fire, life or health in
surance company liable therefor shall
fail to pay the same within the time