The Irish standard., 1905-09-23
MORE REVELATIONS.

The revelations In connection with
| the investigation of insurance com
panies in the state of New York prob
ably do not greatly astonish the read
ing public. The only astonishing fea
! ture in connection with the testimony
given by the officers of the New York
Life Insurance Company is the frank
ness with which they own up to hav.
ing contributed $4,000 Of their policy
holders money to the Republican cam
paign committees in the last three
campaigns.
These officials justify their action
on the ground that in 1896 1t was
necessary in order to prevent the elec-
tion of Bryan to contribute sufficient
money with which to buy the election.
We wonder what the hundreds of thou
sands of policy holders in this COM
pany think today of their investment.
1t matters not to which party the con-
tributions were made. What right had
John A. Mccall or any other officer OF
the New York Life to take the money
of policy holders and contribute to the
Republican, Democratic, Populist or
Prohibition party? Men controlling
insurance funds are in effect trustees
called upon to execute one of the most
sacred trusts which could be consti-
tuted. We can imagine what thou
sands of policy holders who have en-
trusted all their savings to this insti-
tuition in order that their families
might be secure after they are gone
will think about the execution of the
trust by the officers of the New York
Life. Life insurance has become one
of the real necessities of this age.
Thousands upon thousands of wage
earners and professional men in par
ticular have put every dollar which
they could spare from slender incomes
into one or another of the great insur-
ance companies, never dreaming that
these institutions would ever become
the adiuncts of any political party.
What, for instance, would father who
happened to be a Democrat, and who
does not believe that the policies Of
the Republican party work for good,
what would such man say upon
learning that portion of the pre-
miums paid by him had been used for
the purpose of perpetuating political
policy to which he was firmly and I'M
alterably opposed? And yet that is
the situation that thousands find them
selves in today.
If John A. Mccall has a right to con-
stitute himself, without any authorize
ton from the policy holders of the
company, the conservator of their
political belief he has an equal right
to appoint himself the director of their
religious conscience. With brazen eff
frontry these officers say that they
care not what the policy holders think
of their action. We believed we were
doing right in contributing sufficient
| money with which to debauch the
citizenship of the country. 1t was
necessary to defeat Mr.. Bryan. The
end justified the means. II Mr.. Nc
Call has a right to decide for his pol
icy holders the way that they ought
to vote he has an equal right to decide
to what church they should go, for
the safety Of his company depends not
only on the financial responsibility Of
| policy holders but also upon their
! moral responsibility. Mr.. John A. Nc
Call would, therefore. according to
| his reasoning, be justified in contribut.
ing large amounts of money to this or
that church or board of foreign mis-.
sions
1t is time for the unbought citizen.
| ship of this country to rise in it's might
and snite these whose chief business
for years has bccn the securing OF
wealth at the expense CT debauchetl
citizenship. 1t is not question OF
the virtue or lack of virtue of this OF
that political party. The Republican
party happens to be the beneficiary OF
corporation contributions because the
Republican party is a part and parcel
of the system. If the Democratic
party stood for the same policies II
would receive the contributions and
it's managers would no doubt receive
those contributions as freely as have
the Republican leaders. Judge Parker
was right last fall when he charged
the Republican National Committee o.
extorting large sums from the large
insurance companies. It will be re
membered that his charge made few
days before election drew forth tar
and what some newspapers called ;
crushing reply from President Roose
welt. Judge Parker did not have a
hand the actual legal evidence at tn
time and the voters of the countr,
evidently believed Roosevelt or els
they cared nothing about the truth O
falsity of the charge. for they went t
the polls in overwhelming number
and voted for Roosevelt. Now come
George W. Perkins, vice president q
the New York Life Insurance CON
: pany, and under oath admits that hi
} company contributed $4,000 to the r.
*