The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-11
INSURANCE BILL THREATENED.
SENATE STARTS TO AMEND MEAS
URB EXTENDING PERJURY.

Armstrong Said He'd Withdraw N i1 thC
Life Wa Taken Out Of It-ARAybs
Grady Wa Seeking to Find Out n q
General Attack Would ne euooossfuI,
ALBANY; April 1a.-esnator Armstrong,
the chairman Of the insurance inveetiGat-
ing committee, In tho open Senate to-day
threAbened to withdraw ono OF his oom-
mittee bills IL the Senate did not stop amend
ing It. He said that tho committee knew
the needs which the bills were aimed to
meet, and that IL the committees judR-
be withdrawn and the Senate could go
ahaad and pass It's own legislation on the
question under consideration
The bill which accustomed this outburst
from Senator Armstrong vas the one amend
ing the Penal Code, making moro oom-
prehensive the crime Of perjury and aim
ing especially to prevent false statements
by insurance officers regarding the inan-
cial management Of the companies. es-
recially in the ANIMAL reports filed with
the State Insurance Department.
Senator Grady succeeded in getting an
amendment into the bill 80 that 1t now
reads as follows:
'1n any prosecution for perjury that the
falsity Of the testimony or statement set
forth in the indictment shall be presump-
lively established by proof that the defend
ant has testified, declared, deposed or certi-
fed Under oath I'd the contrary thereof in
any other urittcn testimony, declaration
deposition, certificate, affidavit or other
writing by him subscribed
The Grady amendment was the insertion
Of the word written
The Senate argued for nearly three hours
over the Grady amendment, Senator Arm
strong insisting that tho insertion OF the
word did not strengthen the bill or clarity
It's terms, and that the only purpose OF
The amendment was delay.
On the rolloall upon the amendment
the vote stood 20 to %. leaving the deciding
vote to Lieut., -Gov. Bruce. The Lieutenant
Governor voted for the Grady amendment,
which carried 1t.
The adoption Of the Grady amendment
was the signal for Lou Payn's Senator,
Sandy Smith, ~endeavoring to amend the
bill further by inserting a provision that
would have prevented any prosecution
whatever for perjury for giving false state
nents. r
The Smith amendment wss 30 the effect
mat no ono COulO % 8UJuuBoQ HulCy Oh
perjury in having subsoribed to a state
ment that was false unless he had, upon his
own knowledge, signed q falBe statement.
This amendment caused Senator Armstrong
TO make his threat, and the Senators saw
hat they did not dare to go further and
consequently this amendment was beaten
by a vote Of 20 noes, Is ayes.
In view Of the fact that the Grady amend
ment does not change the purpose Of the
bill, impartial observers were wondering
whether his purpose was simply to get a
lineup OF the Senators, with a view Of as
tempt to make material amendments to
the general revision of the insurance law
reported by the Armstrong committee,
which is awaiting passage by the Senate.
Without discussion, the Senate passed two
Of the Armstrong committee bills which
already have passed the Assembly. They
relate to the giving Of rebates and the &C
QUESTION of real estate.
After the perjury bill had been amended,
Senator Brackett announced that when
the general amendments to the insura nee
law proposed by the Armstrong committee
came up In the Senat he was going to try
to amend them. He said that the amend
ments would provide: 90.
First-Iimit the nu mber Of directors. so
that there should not be less than fifteen nor
more than twenty-four. j believe that such
smaller board will prove much more effective.
SecOnQ-fOT Dlu any person VINO was n
Of any one of the three large COM
panies on the LIST day of Februay, 1905.
from eligibility as a director hereafter for
three years from the time the act takes effect.
Third-The list of pollcyholders should be
in separate volumes, one for each State,
possession OF country.
Fourth-Any person wilfully hindering a
rolicyholder entitled thereto from inspect
ing or copying the list, or monopolizlng its
,-a .ka,1I hn ,,,;lty ~ n pnt,I ~, n ma
Fifth-Forbid any officer, agent or en-
ployee from directly or indirectly soliciting
any policyholder for his proxy. and from
issuing circulars asking for proxies.
Make the lists Of policyholders to be
fled in the main offices twenty in number
of two. and in the separate j%urisdic-
TORS ten,