Los Angeles herald., 1906-07-19
DECLINE TO SERVE
POLICY HOLDERS
FOUR MEMBERS OF ADMINS
TRATlON TICKET WITHDRAW
They Declare That They Were Nom.
mated Without Their Consent
and They Send Protest
to Albany
BY Associated Press.

BY Associated Press
NEW YORK, July 1S.-Four members
of the International policy holders
committee of the Mutual and New York
Life insurance companies, who were
yesterday included in the New York
board of trustees list named by the
Mutual Life Insurance company trus-
tees as an administration ticket" to-
day declined to permit the use of their
names in this connection. On their
behalf protest was forwarded to Otto
Kelsey, state superintendent of insur-
-, ance at Albany, by Samuel Untermyer
counsel for the policy holders organiza-
tion.
Despite this protest however, 1t was
stated by the counsel for the Mutual
trustees that they had right under
the laws to nominate whom they de-
sired and requests for Withdrawals
would not be considered after the men
once had been selected.
Among the policy holders committee
are Judge Gray of Delaware, General
Tracy of this city, Colonel Shook of
Tennessee and H. N. Higinbotham of
chicago. All Of these gentlemen today
sent kilograms to Mr.. Untermyer de-
claring that they were nominated with
out being consulted and without their
consent.
Acting for the policy holders organ
ization Mr.. Untermyer today sent to
Albany a protest against the manner
in which the lists of policy holders in
the various insurance companies have
been filed. He says the companies
have failed to give the proper addresses
in many instances and have been guilty
of wilful evasion.
Cat Let Out, Says Peabody
When Mr.. Peabody, president of the
Mutual Life Insurance company, was
shown Mr.. Untermyers protests he
said
Il am not surprised, but / am afraid
the gentleman has let the cat out of
the bag. Perhaps his solicitude that
there should be a good board is not as
great as his solicitude that the control
of affairs shall pass out of his hands.
/ certainly shall not go to him for in
formation on the subject of propriety.
We believe that Judge Gray, General
Tracy Colonel Shook and Mr.. Higin-
botham, moving their criticism of our
administration, were men we'll fitted
for trustees.
"They had signified their desire for
the change and expressed themselves
freely as to the character of that
change, and we felt and still feel that
we had a perfect right to place their
names upon our ticket. To speak of
our doing so as a breach of propriety
is nonsense.
The trouble, in my Judgment is
that Mr.. Untermyer is not altogether
the dsinterested public benefactor he
would have the policy holders under
stand He made up list calling them
by tfe high sounding name of the in
terna,ional policy holders committee
and asked them to meet in New York
1t is absurd to say that they were
delegated to this work by the policy
holdrs. No one could by any possbil-
ity lave reached the policy holders in
sucl numbers as to secure any proper
mandate from them. We know perfect
ly veil that their commission came di-
red from Mr.. Untermyer, who per-
soIally solicited them to accept places
on the so-called policy holders ticket
Tie gentlemen upon the committee un-
6lUbtedly were moved by high purposes
AID felt that they were doing their
dlty, but when | tell you that of their
twenty-eight members who constituted
The committee not more than eight
were policy holders in the Mutual Life
Insurance company it is clear that
they are subject to the charge of tend
ing to some one else's business"
"Embodies High Graft"
John Dewitt Warner of counsel fol
the International policy holders COM
mittee said today that the administra-
tion ticket is about the most deserving
of defeat and easy to beat that could
have been named.
LAS it stands he said, lit embodies
the high graft contingent of the Nc
Curdy regime, while it shows the white
feather of suppressing Rogers. A full
opposition ticket will be promptly Sc
lected and a campaign commenced tc
restore the Mutual Life to it's position
as a great insurance company and StoI
it's career as a financial pool for the
system"