The Monmouth inquirer. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1865-1933, 1905-11-23
PLATT ON THE STAND.
Admits Having Received Cam
paign Contributions From Big
Insurance Companies.
M'CURDY MAY QUIT MUTUAL

mittee Is Considering Changes In
Corporations Personnel - Testimony
of odell, Depew and TarbelI-Harri-
man Denies Hyde's Statements.
New York, Nov. 22.-Tottering and
feeble, Senator Thomas c. Platt went
on the witness stand before the legis-
lative insurance committee here and
admitted having received from the
Equitable, the Mutual and possibly
from the New York Life Insurance
company hundreds of thousands of dol
lars for Republican state campaigns.
He admitted that the money was
paid to influence legislation at Albany.
He gave the lie direct to Richard A.
McCurdy, president of the Mutual Life,
who swore when he was a witness be-
fore the committee that he had never
contributed cent for political pur-
poses outside of the Republican ma
tional committees strong box.
Senator Platt's Uncertainty.
Senator Platts uncertainty, so far as
Mccall and the New York Life was
concerned, applied not only to the gen
eralities of state campaign, but also
as to any campaign of judicial officer
in this city or elsewhere.
yes" agreed the old man just as he
tottered down off the witness stand,
sit must have been that the insurance
companies expected quid pro quo for
their contributions. They never asked
me to do anything for them, but
think it must have been that they ex-
pected that they would be paid back in
protection for legislation"
Shades of the Tweed regime in New
York came back with Thomas e. Co
man, whose business was taking care
of the Equitable Life in departments of
the city government and having the
personal tax assessment of the COM
pany's officers reduced.
Second Vice President George e. Tar
bell of the Equitable Life followed
Thomas Conan, and he was asked why
he had had Conan interest himself in
the Tarbell tax assessments
aAll he did in my case' said Tarbell,
''was to make an appointment at the
tax office for me. l knew he was ac-
quainted with the city departments,
and that was why / asked him to do
what he did for me-
Outlay For illegal Expenses" Probed.
The investigating committee be-
gan probing the Equitable Life's out
lay for illegal expenses" and Inquisi-
|
through Assistant Registrar Samuel S.
McCurdy the fact that thousands of dol
lars paid out in this way were not
matters of record in the registrars de-
partment
1t is reported that Richard A. Nc
Curdy is to be removed from the presi-
dency of the Mutual Life Insurance
company. The special committee of
investigation, consisting of Trustees
Trnesdale, Auchincloss and Fish, has
under consideration a change in the
personnel of the management, and it
was because of this intention that the
committee refused to act on the offer
of the president to have his salary re-
duced by half.
ernor of New York, denied with en-
phasis that he had ever, directly or in
directly, threatened the Mercantile
Trust company, a subsidiary concern
Of the Equitable Life Assurance So
ciety, with hostile legislation, as charg
ed by Mr. Hyde
Testimony of Senator Depew.
Senator Depew denied all knowledge
of the Equtable's various yellow
dog" accounts and testified that, bal
ancing his losses against his profits,
his net gain during the twenty-eight
years since he became a director of the
Equitable had been only $1,319.16.
Mr.. Gage f. Tarbell, second vice
president of the Equitable, testified
that he had fought the practice of pay
ing men to influence legislation. He
tried to get the other two big com
panies to agree to stop it, he said. Mr..
Perkins and Mr. Mccall were willing,
but Richard A. McCurdy sent word by
his son Robert that the plan, although
ideal was impracticable.
In his testimony in the insurance
investigation Edward H. Hartman
denied emphatically the testimony
of James H. Hyde former vice presi-
dent of the Equitable Life Assurance
society, that he had urged Hyde to
effect a settlement of the suit of ex-
Governor Odell against the Mercantile
| Trust company He asserted that, on
the contrary, it was Mr.. Hyde who
had enlisted his friendly offices to try
to persuade Mr. Odell to consent to a
financial settlement.