The Washington times., 1905-02-21
BENEFIT TY
IS AF DRAKE
Wants Scalp Of Insurance
Commissioner.
CHARGE OF FALSE REPORT
Drake, However, Maintains His Posi-
ton and Denies Allegation of
Secretary Pennington.
CHARGE OF FALSE REPORT

The Royal Benefit Society charges
Thomas E Drake, District Insurance
| Commissioner, with prosecuting the So
eiety and circulating reports meant to
injure its business.
In a letter To the District Commission
ers ID F. Pennington. secretary of the
society. announces the intention of pre-
ferring charges against the Insurance
Commissioner with an eye to his re-
moyaf from Office. No action has been
taken by the Commissioners owing TO
Commissioner Maefarlands absence
from the city. the insurance department
being under his supervision.
The specific charges against Mr.. Drake
are that he has circulated reports that
he has refused the company a license,
while the company has not applied for
one; that he is engaged in writing let
tiers TO various insurance departments in
an attempt to get them to interfere with
the company's business or to refuse the
company license and that in other
ways he has been acting in violation of
the law.
ing by all means he can to crafty his
personal animosity by spitefully using
! us contrary TO all principles of equity
and Justice
Against "precipitate Action"
The Commissioners are requested not
| 10 take any .preeipitate action" affect
+! ing the society at the request of the Su-
perintendent until the officials Of the
company have completed an investiga
/ ton through which they hope TO remove
Mr.. Drake from office. The complaint
closes:
| Any suggestions you may have TO
make with reference to the presentation
| OF the charges in the request for his re-
/ fnoyal viii be eheerfully complied with.
| Not hearing from you, we shall proceed
/ upon such lines as we think agreeable TO
| your board and will present testimony In
/ such legal way as 10 be positive proof
Superintendent Drake Stands Pat.
/ Superintendent Drake maintains his
position in the matter. He denies the
/ statement that the society did not app
| ply for a license. and says he has proof
of the application in his office. The re-
fLsa1 of his department TO issue the
/ license had the effect of prohibiting the
/ company from contracting new business
| in he District, though 1t was still al
lowed to protect its former contracts
The application and rejection took
place in January, according to Mr.
Drake. the application, ne says, was
refused for violation OF the District III
/ surance laws, the Royal Benefit Society
having been organized as q fraternai
| bencfit society and having continued IN
| business as an industrial assessment So
| ciety-
Sharp Letter to Drake.
The officials OF the company have
framed a letter which they have sub
rnitted to the Commissioners with the
/ announcement that a copy Of it will be
sent personally 10 Superintendent
Drake to whom it is addressed. at the
time the company's annual report is
Submitted. The letter says in part:
You will note that we have stated in
this report that the reason we are COM
PEELED 10 furnish it in this manner is
because You, in utter neglect of your
duties as required by the code. have re-
fused to furnish us blanks. You have
Eassun1ed to refuse us blanks on which
| TO make our annual report because you
claim that we are outIawed and with
out any rights to do business, because
Of your refusal to furnish a license,
for which We never applied, and which
we would not accept from you unless
/ forced to do SO by a court Of highest
| sesort. We entirely repudiate your
| right to request us TO apply for IL
cense We assert that you illegally re
| quested this society in December. 1902
| TO apply for a license, and that because
rnent made a clerical error in filing up
the blank as a matter OF form. In no
| way made legal your illegal act.
Accusation of Spitework
Furthermore. we accuse you Of hav-
ing spitefulIy and with manifest inten-
ton of injuring our business, written
your letter Of January >. 1865, refusing
us a license for which We have not APP
Piled and would not accept from you,
land that yous have done this for the ex-
| press purpose of circulating damaging
/ reports Ia the newspapers as basis
for communication to other depart
| Tnents, seeking TO have them refuse us
a license, thus destroying our position
IN said communities, as well as de-
stroying the society and It's business.
kindly address all of your future
| corresp ondence to the Royal Benefit So
ciety. and not TO any OF its several
counsel We Will refer the coFrespon-
deT7ce to our counsel Of own Volt
ton. We Furthermore call your atten-
ton to the fact that your non-accept-
! ance of this report or return Of tbs
same shall give us good grounds toI
I the institution of personal suit
against you We are resolved that II
| we are 10 be ruined by you. We will gf
down lighting instead Of taking any oil
your future actions in a mild manner"