The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-11-24
GOVERNOR WILL
TAKE HIS TIME
In No Hurry to Join the Crusade
Against Insurance Companies.
WRITES ON THE SUBJECT
REPLY TO REPRESENTATIVE OF
500 NEWSPAPERS.
WRITES ON THE SUBJECT

Governor John c. Cutler yesterday re-
piled to a letter from A. w. Hopkins
of Cleveland O., who signs himself as
manager of the Newspaper Enterprise
association. representing over 800 news
papers. and asks the governor to join
in an insurance crusade. The letter OF
Mr.. Hopkins follows:
Recent revelations in connection with
the insurance trust show concluslyely
that It IS the practice and policy OF
great corporations 10 maintain and eX-
pend a defense fund for the purpose
of influencing legislation. BriberS only
exist where men can be found to accept
brides.
Il am writing TO you as the represen-
tative of over 800 prominent newspapers
and ask you:
will YOU refer to this criminal and
un-AmerIcan practice in your next mes
sage'
subject and how do you think the
grafters can best be detected and pun
ished!
eral government should control life in
II ask you for an early reply. as its
publication may influence legislation at
Washington
What the Governor Says.
Governor Cutler replied to the letter
yesterday as follows;
II am in receipt OF your cOmmunica-
Llbii OF lilt tkil ltolss lNlEl4illS " AllC
insurance investigation now being con-
Quoted in New York. l observe that
you speak of certain matters as being
facts and assuming their substantial
ton you proceed from these premises
to certain conclusions. ] respectfully
call your attention TO your reference to
the insurance sl. trust bribery ETC. ana
reading of the evidence offered has
failed 10 convince me that such trust
exists, or that a defense fund is neces-
bib -
a fund To protect the interest of policy
holders against unfair and harmful leg
islatiOn, may not only be advisable but
absolutely necessary; but to impute bril-
berry to those who use it is another mat
ter. Has the testimony so far proved
bribery?
u wish you to understand. however.
that if it should develop that bribery
has been committed or even attempted,
no one can be found more willing than /
To condemn the criminal and un-Ameri-
can practice. But has ii not occurred
10 you that the advice Of Chairman
Armstrong of the investigation commit
tee is sound. that the public and the
insurance officers in the various states
shall suspend their judgment until All
the facts have come out, and the COM
mittee has made its report:
Il am in favor of the strictest laws
consistent with true freedom, for the
control and supervision of life insur-
ance. If grating is proved ] think
the grafters will be punished under the
criminal law now on the statute books
The matter is before the great state of
New York and / think that we can
trust the officials of that state to DO
their duty
1T may be we'll for the government 10
take the matter of insurance under its
supervision. l have no opinion 10 offer
on that subject just now.
You may count on me to assist in
every way in checking any tendency
towards fraud bribery or corruption. in
the insurance business or in any other
line. But / think calm and cool judg-
ment should prevail and the facts be-
come fully known before drastic action
is taken or recommended.