The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-06-02
The Forthcoming Frick Report.

Tn the letter addressed to Mr.. ALEX
AMBER on April ~ by Mr.. FRIck, as
chairman Of the investigating committee
of the Equitable directors, the scope OF
the proposed inquiry was thus defined:
-We intend to Investigate tho entire manage
n,ens of tho society. Tho Information We receive
from you and through you from all the other onncers
Of tho society and heads OF departments Will DO
thoroughly analysed and tested. and In addition
VIC also intend 70 make separate and independent
examinations Of our own and BY our own experts.
Our work viii DO thoroughly done"
In the same letter several specific
lines of proposed inquiry were stated
by Mr.. Prick. Under head number 8
he called upon Mr.. ALEXANDER for the
following information:
"a Also statement Of all dealings since Jan.
1, 1900 Of any kind by which any broker or brokers
or nrn or corporation or individual has sold to or
for the society any stocks. bonds or securities. or
property of any kind. including all the so called
underwritings by tho society. and here elvo tho
name of tho broker or arm or corporation or indi
yidua-the property sold to or for the society what
tho society paid or received for tho same. to whom
led and what became OF the property and under
writing.
II In any way any employee Onclna'ng omcefs'
directors and trustees of the society received any
compensation or beneht from any such transaction
pasase state who the employee was. what he re-
ccfved. for what no received II. who paid II to him
and what oi,oer OF the society authorized him 10
sooeiyo It.
If In any way any onlcer or director or trustee
or employee of tho society has by reason Of, anu
because no was In. such relation 10 the society re
ccived from because of any such transaction any
money other thing of value, please give US bis
name, what he received, when he received 1t and
from whom no received It,"
Atolerably comprehensive prospectus
May the results justify it!
Yet, Notwithstanding the foregoing,
rumors were current yesterday that the
report Of the Frick investigating COM
mittee, as read on Wednesday to the di-
rectors, contained certain passages and
disclosures which majority OF the
board, in the interest of the Equitable
society, might decide to eliminate be-
fore giving out the document for publ
cation, if they vote to publish it at all.
The only interest of the society is In
an absolutely unreserved revelation Of
what has been going on within its man
agement. Any other interest making
for secrecy, suppression, mitigation or
evasion of the truth in any particular is
a private, personal interest, not coinci-
dent with the welfare Of the Equitable
Life Assurance Society, but antagonistc
to it and destructive of it. The directors
are in no sense the court before which
this case is being tried. They them
selves are on trial. Any director who
should vote to withhold from the public
for the alleged benefit OF the society,
any fact discovered by the auditors and
experts of the Prick committee would
be voting a confession.
HYDE, ALEXANDER, TARBELL, HARRI-
MAN, SCHIPF-what is the interest, con-
venience or comfort of any individual,
connected in any capacity with the man
agement or msmanagement of the
Equitable, in comparison with the in
terests Of the six hundred thousand poll
cyholders and their right to know. the
whole truth of the business?