The news & observer., 1905-12-29
ANDY HAMILTON CORRUPTION
FUND.


secure the attendance of Alexander
Hamilton. the lawyer employed by the
three mammoth New York insurance
companies "to look after legislation
before the Investigating Committee.
But he has sent a. statement over the
sea that throws some light upon the
methods employed by these grating
insurance companies. Here is the SUBJ
stance of his statements:
1. He worked underground with
secret agents to kill or pass laws as
the insurance companies desired, and
in this secret" work s720.550 has
been spent since 1889. He says he
paid in cash and has no vouchers.
That fact. if there was no corrobora-
tive evidence, would be enough to
show that these companies have been
using the money of policy-holders for
purposes of legislative corruption.
Honest methods are not afraid of the
tales that check-books tell.
2. The sum of sS3.100 was paid for
"retainers and newspaper articles in
one year." and "a large portion OF
this expense was occaSioned by an at
tempt to create public sentiment
throughout the United States in favor
of national supervision Of insurance,
and for the same purpose $4,000 was
spent last wear. There are newspapers
that sell their editorial columns. as
there are legislators who sell .thel1
votes but it seems that fewer editors
could be bought or they sold out at
less figure than legislators.
3. In addition to these two corrup-
ton funds an additional $1,1O3,92O
was spent for legal services from
1901 to 1905. Of course a small por-
ton of this fund was legitimate, but
the bulk Of 1t was but another name
for spending money to control leSisla-
|tion.
If the authorities of New York do
their duty, some of this corruption
fund. which was really filched from
policy-holders, should be recovered,
and certainly most Of It can be traced
TO the hands that received. Nobody
who has grain of sense believes that
Andy Hamilton is unable to tell TO
whom the money was paid. He ought
to be made to tell or put in stocks un-
til he does tell.
But the chief lesson to be learned
from these discoveries is to warn the
public against a continuation of such
corruption in other forms. These gi-
gantic insurance companies are still
in the hands of the same sort of men
who have been misusing the money
and corrupting legislation. They Will
try to hide their tracks, but Morton.
better than Alexander, so far as re-
bate giving and the like are concerned.
He has already told the Manufacturers
Record that newspapers that print
1.-The evils of life insurance" can get
no advertising. Soon you will find
that the three big companies. and
their little imitators will be spending
big money to subsidize newspapers and
to procure the publication of articles
that will minimize the evils and oppose
you will find money spent for "re-
tainers" used to elect legislators who
will be agents of the insurance com-
panies rather than representatives of
the people. If these companies have
spent ten million dollars in the past
five years TO make public sentiment
and control legislation when the peo>
pie were asleep. how much will they
not spend now that the people are
alert and determined to stop the
have been detected in the great inSur>
ance companies? The man who thinks
the men at the helm care anything for
the crimes they have committed ex-
cept the exposure. knows little of the
spirit of the men in charge of these
companies. Some other Andy Hamil-
ton is even now getting his desks in
a row to prevent the necessary legis-
lation which all the States are consid-
ering. and they will pass out money to
prevent such legislation during the,
next few years. And unless the people
are alert, they will succeed in pre-
venting effective legislation. OF course
they will use their money more for
"adVertising" and legal expenses
than for "secret service" and securing
newspaper articles but it will be the
same burrowing method of corruption
Will the people. having seen the evils,
permit them to continues?
ANTT-CIGARETTE IEAGIyE