Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-27
FIGHTING A LEGISLATURE.
Feature Of Today's Session Of Finan-
cfera at New York

NEW YORK. July 27-An attack upon
the Pennsylvania legislatures last session
was the feature at today's meeting OF the
convention of the United States League of
Cooperative Savings and Building Loan AS
sociations. Addison b. Burk of Philadel-
phia, In an address on Fighting a Boss
Ridden Legislature" told Of methods which,
he said, were used by legislative commit
tees to defeat legislation on which the Penn
sylvania League of Cooperative Savings
and Building Loan Associations attempted
to secure a hearing; and then later in the
same fight, of the servile obedience by
which, at the bidding of boss, the same
legislators did everything in their power for
the Pennsylvania league. Mr.. Burk said in
part:
Life insurance companies had been en-
deavoring to form an alliance with building
societies for the sake of the very profitable
business the building societies could turn
over to them, and finally succeeded In get
ting several societies to adopt the insur-
ance feature. The banking commissioner
ultimately obtained from the attorney gen.
eral, however. an opinion that such con-
tracts were Illegal and void.
The life insurance companies through
their agents then went before the legisla-
ture and asked for the enactment of "A law
not only authorizing building societies to
make contracts for the insurance of the
lives of members but validating the con-
tracts already made. When the Pennsyl-
vania leagues representatives opposed the
bills they found powerful money interests
against Them and the bills were passed
through the senate and house committees
without being considered but were held up
by an appointment for a hearing of league
representatives before the house committee
The meeting was called for s O'Clock in the
evening. The league representatives were
not able TO find the committee room until
five minutes after s o'clock. In the mean
time the committee had met, ordered the
bills to be favorably reported and ad-
journed.
"A strong protest exposing the trick was
at once drawn up, but we were told that
nothing could stop the bills. In this emer-
gency we determined to appeal to the boss
himself. Israel w. Durham of Philadelphia.
He was in Florida when long telegram
was sent him explaining the situation This
was followed by letter signed by the
leagues officers asking him to stop the
legislation or at least cali his friends on
and allow the issue to be decided its
| merits
THE results of that appeal justified my
designation Of the legislature as boss
ridden In less than week after our let
ter reached Mr.. Durham 1t was in Harris
burg In the hands of one of the boss
agents. few days afterward the commit
tee that had so hastily approved the bills
had them recommitted and invited the
league representatives to appear before IT..
This time We were treated with the utmost
courtesy and the entire committee spent
three hours listening to the arguments for
and against the bills. The committee re-
fused TO take any action and thus legisla-
ton injurious to the building society cause
! was prevented. The league had won its
fight through appeals, not to the legislatu re,
but to those who ruled the Legislature"
l.. L. Rankin of Columbus, Ohio. read a
paper on Building and Loan Growth; Its
Benefits; How Obtained"