Perth Amboy evening news., 1905-10-18
NJ 'CURDY SAYS
HE WILL NOT
TELL SECRET
Mutual Life's President Becomes
Angry at Questions Of Mr..
Hughes and Refuses tOAnswer.
SAYS is GOING TOO FAR
Hughes Wants to Know Why Sal
aries Increased While Div
idendS Decreased.

NEW YORK, Oct. IS. = President
Richard A. McCurdy of the Mutual
Life Insurance company was on the
griddle again before the legislative
committee on life insurance, and, pur-
suant TO his policy not to become en-
tangled with Chief Inquisitor Hughes,
he refused to answer many questions
which the committee believed Il $780,
600 a year officer ought to have been
able and willing to answer offhand.
While he was on the stand letters were
read from prominent policy holders
showing how in the last twenty years
the dividends to policy holders had
steadily decreased, while the salaries
had rapidly increased.
President McCurdy would offer no
explanation of this, nor would he adj
init knowing anything about the money
paid out to various persons upon the
recommendation of Andrew G. Fields,
superintendent of supplies. He did not
even know, he said, that Fields for
many years had maintained house in
Albany for the entertainment and en-
lightenment of legislators whose friend
ship the company wished to retain.
BY the time recess was declared one
of the members of the committee had
reached the conclusion that if "Presir
dent McCurdy don't know any more
than he pretends to know he wouldn't
be worth S25 week"
Chairman Armstrong was asked what
the committee intended to do about
President McCurdys refusal to give
any explanation for the large increase
in salaries with the corresponding de-
crease of dividends to the policy hold
ers, and Chairman Armstrong said:
"When the legislature is in session it
could punish for contempt any witness
who refused to answer Il question ma
terial to the matter under inquiry. 1t
is a misdemeanor to refuse to answer,
and If we were not able to obtain the
information better from some one else
and if we did not think that President
McCurdy's refusal to answer was more
significant than any explanation he
could offer we might lay the matter be-
: fore the district attorney and ask that
Mr.. McCurdy be tried for misde-
meanor, as provided by law in such
cases. But | am inclined to think that
the committee will draw its own con-
cusions from President McCurdy's ret
icence in these matters and that from
other officers of the company we will
get the facts. and the facts in this case
will be far more eloquent than any
disquisition by President McCurdy."
Mr. McCurdy became slightly petu-
liant once or twice and said to Mr..
Hughes, "You are trying to make 4
fool out of me-" He charged the com
mittee and its counsel with perverting
the real purposes of the inquiry as CON
templated by the Legislative resolution
constituting the committee and accus-
ed Mr.. Hughes of summoning his own
witnesses solely to discredit them be-
fore the public.
Mr.. Hughes showed to Mr. McCurdy
voucher for the payment of $1,000 to
William A. Ericke, formerly insurance
commissioner of Wisconsin, and let
ter from Charlton 7. Lewis, an attor-
ney of Madison Wis. The letters stat
ed that Mr.. Fricke would accept re-
taner Ito see that the interests of the
Mutual Life should come to no harm"
in that state. Mr.. McCurdy approved
the voucher, but could not remember
the details.
voucher for payment in 1903 Of
So, 100 to s. s. Olds for professional
services in matter of Michigan" one
third of which was TO be paid by each
of the three big insurance companies,
next came up.
Mr. McCurdy said:
'Mr. Lewis told me he had spent one
winter in educating the minds of the
legislators of either Michigan, Wiscon
sin and Ohio with regard to certain
legislation affecting the insurance COM
panies. He proceeded to the capital of
the state and discovered the residences
of political godparents, the relations
and neighbors of the legislators 1t
meant journey after journey up and
down the state and the inducing of
men to go who would expect their ex
penses and something else.
'Then he went to Washington and
spent some weeks getting acquainted
with the senators and congressman
from that state He got on a friendly
footing with them so that he might
speak to them of the damage the legis
lation would do the insurance business
and got letters from them back to the
legislators in the state assembly. For
this he received $4,000 for his own
services and expenses for travelling and