The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1905-10-20
SAID HE SUPERVISED
Vt IN A GENERAL WAY
His Lack of knowledge Of Insurance
Law Was Surprising to the
Listeners.
LAWYER HUGHES SHARP PROBE
Produced Some interesting Facts, 5ut
Many Answers OF "a Don't
Know"

of the affairs of his company, so far as
details go, was shown by Richard A.
McCurdy, president of the Mutual Life
Insurance Co., in his testimony before
the legislative investigating committee
this morning The witness fioundered
and waved his hands despairingly as
Charles e. Hughes asked him question
after question relating to the business
of the company.
At one time the witness, after a
series of II don't know" answers, de-
livered himself of the following:
II am president of the company. l
am not the actuary; neither am | the
head of the supply department or a
lawyer in the employ of the Mutual
Life. | supervise all departments In a
general way, and that is all that q
president Is required to do"
Mr.. McCurdy, however. showed a lack
of knowledge of insurance laws and
matters which occurred as recently as
last year. which surprised everybody.
He was asked concerning various sums
paid to lawyers and others, men en-
ployed to look after legislative affairs
but he did not know anything about 1t.
, A point which Mr.. Hughes laid great
stress upon was the fact that In 1903
William Barnes, Jr., chairman Of the
executive committee of the Republi-
can organization of the state, the son
of man in Aubany, employed at va
rious times by the Mutual Life to look
after legislative affairs, wrote letter
to Mr.. McCurdy in which he said In
part:
my father has received his hon.
orarium from all the companies this
year except the Mutual Life. AS 1t is
the custom for all the companies 10
send him this on July 1, he would like
to receive check from you"
Attached to. the letter was a receipt
for $666.66.
Referring to the word "honorari-
um," Mr. Hughes asked the witness:
"Is 1t the custom of the Mutual Life
to pay men money not because of any
services rendered, but because of the
high esteem In which 1t holds them?"
"No; 1t never was"
"Then, what Is the meaning of this
letter."
81 don't know. | don't believe that
the word 'honorarium was intended to
be used in the sense by which you de-
fine it." 5
Mr., Hughes then took up the matter
OF the enormous expenditures for sta
tionery and supplies for the last six
years. as follows: 1889, $473.523.84;
1900, $5S1, 1921; 1901. $519, 9,750.3O; 1902
$627. .9s423; 1903. s68O,94S.S5; 1904
s601, ,1O1.21.
'Did you ever stop to realize that the
expenditures of the Mutual Life fol
supplies were much greater than those
of any other company"
mot in that way. On two occasions
however, objected to the large sun
spent for stationery and looked Into
the matter"
81 notice that despite your objec'
tions the expenditures appear to go on
increasing"
"Well, there might have been grea
deal more If had not objected"
"Who is Lysander w. Lawrence?"
"He is member of the firm of l.. w
Lawrence & Co., printers and station
ers, who have place in our building.
"How long has the Mutual Lift
bought stationery from his firm?"
about 25 years"
do you know his brother, Dwight
eyes"
'He is the clerk of the senate. ism,
her" .ry s4''
II belieYe So"
Don't you know that the printing
and stationery supplies for the Mutua
Life has always come from two con
Germs, the Globe Printing Co. and thu
Lawrence frm?"
II have heard So"
do you know that Lysander w
Lawrence is treasurer of the Glob'
Printing Co. and Andrew G. Fields |.
also connected with itT'
II don't know"
isn't 1t fact that Lawrence & Co
and the Globe Printing Co. are practi
cally the same company"
IL don't know"
After continuous probing on the par
of InQuisitor Hughes. he succeeded IL
getting Mr. MeCurdy to admit tina
Andrew G. Fields. who has receives
thousands of dollars from the Mutua
Life for legal expenses in Albany, ac
cording to witnesses, is In California
The committee has been especially
anxious to have Mr. Fields as a wit
ness, but up to today they have beer
unable to locate him. When Mr.
Hughes asked Mr. McCurdy wher
Yields was the former said that h
had seen him last summor. but did no