The Washington times., 1906-02-09
LAWSON ARRIVES
CONFIDENT THAT
VICTORY IS HIS
Declares Insurance SyS-
tenn Is on the
Run.
CAMPAIGN BY PROXIES
Bostonian Sure He Controls
Sufficient TO Win the
Fight.
CAMPAIGN BY PROXIES

We have the fight won-the system
on the run When the annual meeting
Of the New York Life is held IN April
the country will see some of the fastest
scurrying It has ever had the privilege
OF Witnessing It will be performed BY
Messrs. Rockefeller, Rogers. StiIlman
ct al. and might properly be called
/ Getting from Under
As breezy as the unconventional West
from which he has Just come. Thomas
", Lawson. Of Boston, sat in the draw
ing room OF his private car, Isolanthe,
at the Pennsylvania station this morn
ing. and talked with a reporter Of fhe
! Times OF the progress IN the fight for
control OF the big insurance companies
ne IS now Wag3nS- he was fresh from
conferences with Governor Cummius OF
Iowa and Governor Johnson Of Mime
sofa, and the whole atmosphere of the
man spoke the blithest confidence ia
himself. his star. and the future,
" hen the reorganization 10 WIllcn
look forward IN entire confidence, mas
been perfected, said Mr.. lawson, II
viii be found that between $It3.gJV,v59
and So, ,090. 90 has been stolen from Inc
policyholders OF the New York Life and
The Mutual Life. Il viii be the duty OF
the new board of directors TO trace the
methods and the persons by whom these
1efaicatiOns have been committed, "a re-
Gus policies and send the guilty perpetra-
tors o. the hideous wrong 10 the prison
where they belong"
sIr. Lawson stoppee long enough "a
take long breath and rearrange his
thoughts. He said himself ne is so fuiI
If the insurance subject after twenty
enc months Of daily and nightly stTug-
giles with lis intricate problems that
when he begins TO talk he scarce knows
where he Will end.
Stxo~o Caumitee Chairman
He has been scurrying about the coun-
try in his car, DeTfecting the COMMITTEES
OF distinguished men. to which ne VIII
turn over the proxies Of policyholders in
the Mutual Life and New York Life
which he has collected The committee
now approaches completion. and within
few days its membership R-iH be def !
riteIy announced. It viii be headed. Mr.
Lawson says. by man so distinguished /
in the public life OF the country that the /
very announcement of his name viii
carry CONSERVATION and dismay into the
ranks Of the opposition.
The committee. In anticipation Of the /
ADrtl gathering. viii begin at once a
campaign OF activity. It viii appear be- Il
fore the New York General Assembly, 1
where il viii ask for the enactment of {
'hree laws. These it viii be contended. /
are absolutely Just in themselves ana d.
dictated by every consideration Of fair
ness and right
Public opinion will assure their pas
sage said Mr.. Lawson. "and their
enactment viii clineh the control Of tho
two big companies BY the policyholders. .
represented by the committee I have
been instrumental in forming"
The present charter OF the New York
Life provides that only one-fourth Of
the board Of directors shall be elected
at each annual meeting The general
assembly VIII be asked to amend tbs
charter 50 that a majority OF the board
viii be chosen IN April This viii be
asked Of the assembly on the ground
that never before in their history have
the poiCyh0lders of the company had
any real opportunity of expressing their
preference with a knowledge Of the facts
before them.
To Cancel Old Proxies.
The second law. the enactment Of
which Will be urged. viii cancel all
old proxies now In existence which hays
been given for some other purpose than
that Of the impending meeting. The
third law viii nullify all proxies which
have been secured and collected bv- ths
expenditure Of the polieyholders' money.
These laws" said MI Lawson. will
place the controlling forces in the COM
pany in the same position as to proxies
az everyone else who cherish a fad for
collecting them. Heretofore nobody
could collect proxies except by the eX-
penditure of two or three hltldred thou
sand dollars. Consequently nobody diu
collect them save the officers of the
company using the company 5 money!
Obviously this is a species of fraud; OBJ
viousiy IL is unfair. ] don't think there
fG
an end TO j.
Il started 10 collect my proxies long
ago. 7 have them When the insur-
ance investigation closed IL was induhi-
table that / held the control of the two
cou1nanies proxies of whose policy
holders I had sought. While the inYes-
figaJiOn was in progress the powers be-
hind the screen could DO nothing. buE
as soon as it ended they began 10 act.
~ campaign FOR proxies was al once
begun. Agents were instructed 10 get
proxies-and 10 get them by hook OF
crook. Principally. by crook. I infer
from the method Of their Interpretation
With the campaign for proxies went q
campaien fcr nery business. Policies
were sold at any price, so long as tho
Dolicyholder was willing 10 give an ir-
revoeabIe proxy with his application.
Dangerous Risks Taken.
risks of All kinds. however danger
Gus. were aceepted-with the same mod
fSA DfVflHb- " ny AfADN u otiS man.
who recently has taken policies aggres
eating hundreds Of thousands doll.
who has applied for insurance I'm the
past aud been refused twenty-seyeR
times He IS 4 consumDfive and con-
sumption has been IN his family for
three generations.
Getting proxies. however. in view Of
the public ACQUAINTANCE with conditions,
was not as easy fer the companv's
agents as il has been They reported
some of their diculties to the home Of
flee and were instructed to advise policy
holders. who would give them proxies