The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-01-21
INSURANCE men
Dine TOGETHER
LIFE UNDERWRITERS HAVE
STATE OFFICERS AS GUESTS.
T. D. O'Brien, the New Insurance Com
missioner, Bespeaks Cooperation Of
the Agents In Maintaining Good
Reputation for the Static. VIVIAN
Tuyl Foretells New Insurance Con-
dition.

Eighty managers, agents and Office
attaches of old line life insurance COM
panies, with several guests, attended
the annual banquet of the Minneapolis
Association of Life Underwriters last
night at the Dayton tearooms. The
honor guests were T. D. O'Brien, the
new insurance commissioner, and G.. r.
Laybourn, chairman of the state senate
committee on insurance. w. w. Bard
we'll, chairman Of the house committee
on insurance, had been called unex-
pectedly to Chicago, The presiding Of
fcer was President V. H. Van siyke.
Talks were made by G.. R. Laybourn,
Kaufman, j. r. Meyers, T: D.
'Brien and B. II. Timberlake.
The new insurance commissioner was
introduced adroitly by Mr.. Van Slyke
after he had been the recipient of nu-
merous bouquets upon his selection by
Governor Johnson. His reply to the
welcome was short and contained no
intimation Of his policy save that he
purposed to learn the business thoroly.
He said that up to this time he had
been engaged in the practice Of law
and had been accustomed to talk and
not to be talked to. He illustrated his
present position by, the story of the
young man who asked a young lady to
don't know you.'' "You are taking
no more chances than T am,' replied
the youth; II don It know you.'
In a more sober vein Mr.. O'Brien
said that Minnesota had passed beyond
frontier conditions. A state with a
fair name was the great consideration.
He expressed the desire to have the
agents feel glad to cooperate with him
to that end, and said he would be as
glad to meet them later officially as he
had already unoficially.
The preceding talks had touched on
matters Intimately connected with in
surance legislation. Altho nothing was
asked of the insurance commissioner
and Senator Laybourn, the two off.
cials had excellent opportunity to grasp
the attitude Of the life insurance agents
as to present and prospective insur.
| ance laws.
Senator Laybourn referred briefly to
the, fact that no insurance Legislation
ago he had had charge Of the insurance
code, which passed the house and failed
in the senate. He hoped that the com
panies represented at the dinner woulc
be as solid and enduring as the rocky
hills of Duluth from whence he came
| Whereupon Mr.. Van Slyke gave vent
to the hope that Mr.. Laybourn would
see to it that the state got no rocky in
surance legislation. 49,,
J G. w. Van. Tuyl made thoughtful
address, embodying most Of the ideas
elaborated in other addresses.
With free public criticism and grea
deal of it, he believed there would b,
little danger from life insurance com
panies. Larger life insurance com
panies were Just about reaching thei
equilibrium. Life insurance was onl,
about sixty years old, and the compa
MES had been growing much. more rap
idly than they had been filing contracts
! In the future, companies will have worl
to maintain insurance. in force. TIL
public for the first time is going to max
a fair criterion of results, when tn
! companies reach the point that they ar
fulfilling contracts as fast as they ar
taking on. Life insurance work will
then take on new phase. : 49,
Mr.. Van .Tuyl expressed the satisfae
ton Of the insurance men In the wisdo1
Of the governor s choice of an insuranc
commissioner.
Those present were: -.
v. Il. Van Slyke, T. D. O,Brien, G. r. La,
bourn, J. E. Meyers I. Kauffmann c. W. va