The weekly true Democrat. (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1905-1912, 1905-05-05
LIZ INsuRANcE LRSsONs.

The recent exposures of the reckless
manner in which the trusted managers
Of great life insurance concerns have
made ducks and brakes" Of the accu-
INFLATED money Of the policy-hOlders
has had the effect of opening the eyes
of the patrons of these institutions, and
It is quite safe to predict that the pub
lie, henceforth, will be justly wary of
Investing" its surplus cash in the bot
tOmless Golfers Of the big life insurance
companies.
One sample illustration of the way
the money goes" is enough to empha-
size the object-lessOn which these recent
exposures have presented. A New
York paper declares that the highest
salaried woman in the United States, If
not in the world, is Miss Anna L.
Amendt, who is first assistant to Gage
E. Tarbell, who is second vice-president
Of the Equitable Life Assurance Society.
Her salary is said to be $4,000 year,
while she makes ION the side" about
$40, 900 a year writing policies. All of
which nice little honorarium - the
sum Is too big to be called wages or sal
ary-cOmes out of the patient policy
holders.
The latest view of the Equitable cpl
sode is the following from the Savannah
Morning News:
The impression is fast gaining ground
that while the Hyde and Alexander
factions occupy the foreground in the |
scrap that is going on for the control |
Of the assets of the Equitable Life AS |
surance Society the real parties in the |
contest are groups of financiers in and |
out of Wall street. 1t is claimed that |
these financiers have huge schemes on
hand most Of the time which make it |
necessary that they shall have vast |
sums of money at their command. |
These groups are finding that there is |
not enough cash in the strong boxes of |
the Equitable to satisfy all of them, or
else some of the groups are bent upon |
deprivinR other groups Of the financial |
ammunition obtained from that source,
thus retaining it all for themselves.
Some Of these schemes are pointed |
out in which it is alleged that millions
of Equitable cash has been loaned to
one group or another, with which to
fight it's opponents. OF course there is
money in these loans for somebody, and
while some of it may find its way into
the treasury Of the Equitable the far
greater part of it goes to other benef-
Charles.
1t is not probable there is anything
like actual stealing done, but there are
big commissions and fees which in the
course of year amount to millions of |
dollars. The cOnsciences of those en-
trusted with the money of the policy
holders are soothed with the thought
that the policy holders are loosing moth
fact that if there should be big losses
the policy holders would likely be the
sufferers.
Wonder has been expressed why it is
that the stock Of the society which leg
pays only 7 per cent, should
be rated to be of such great value.
There ceases to be any reason for won
der, however, when it is understood
how easily and in what quantities mon
ey can be made when there is control
IF almost unlimitable quantities of act
lal cash.
OF course, no one can predict with
any degree of certainty what the out
,ome of the scrap will be, but it is
pretty safe to say that as soon as it be-
comes evident that one side or the other ,
s certain to win, the whole matter will
lrop out of the public view. But as
ong as there is doubt the newspapers
will be full of the talk of the contend ,
ng factions. OF course the policy hold. ,
RS are bound to lose something, but
here is no probability that the contest
will go on until the society is actually