The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-03-24
NO PROXY CAMPAIGN, SAYS ORR.
Untermyer Reiterates His Charges and
Speaks Up for Lawson.

Speaks Up for Lawson.
President Alexander E, Orr Of the New
York Life Insurance Company said yester-
day that the charge made by Samuel Inter
myer that 10000 or $50, 900 Of the policy
holders money had been spent in campaign
ing for proxies to reflect the present man
agement was untrue.
Il am informed by members of the execu-
tive department" said Mr.. Orr, that We
ave not sent out a single letter to a policy
holder asking for a proxy since the day on
which the Armstrong committee bills were
introduced. l think that was February %,
and l am reliably informed hat since that
date thsre have bssn no letters issued.
All that has been lone is that agents in the
regular operation of pushes have asked
for proxies, and this was lone absolutely
without any expense to the company"
Mr.. Orr also denied the charges made by
Thomas w. Lawson that the company has
been giving policies away in return for
proxies and that there has been a lot of
rebating since Mr., Orr became president.
Mr.. Orr said that he had sent representatives
TO Boston to make a thorough investigation
of Lawson's charges.
Samuel Untermyer, when he heard that
Mr.. Orr had denied his statements in regard
to the New York Life's proxy campaign
said:
If Mr.. Orr has been correctly reported. he
is sadly out OF touch with what is TRANSPORTING
in the chic executive offices of his company
in New York. Perhaps he would do well
to make a few inquiries before issuing further
statements.
Long after the Armstrong bills we're intro
l,oad into Tho IouiGlaflIra md 1uriDU tho
month of March the country has been flooded
with requests for proxies issued from the
branch agencies of the New York Life en-
closing stamped envelopes with the name Of
the agency printed upon them. These
papers have been mailed back to the com
mittee by indignant 'policyholders in great
numbers,
II would be a surprise to us to learn that
this enormous expense has been incurred
by the agents out OF their own pockets. II
Mr.. Orr will refer to the kilograms that were
sent, last week from the home office Of his
company in New York by Mr.. Buckner. the
vice-president, he will And that in those
kilograms MIR. Buckner urges the agents
TO renew their campaign for proxies.
II may be that Mr.. Buckner is also acting
on his individual responsibility and without
expense to the company. II so, 1t would
be quite a new departure. In the light Of
past events the policyholders may perhaps
be pardoned for being skeptical on that sub
iect. Possibly Mr.. Orr is drawing nice dis
tlnctions between requests for proxies that
are being conducted by telegraph and those
by letter. although we are satisfied that both
methods were diligently worked from the
head office until last week.
Mr.. Untermyer also denoun oed the
mutual companies for intimating that
Thomas W. Lawson is behind the inter-
national ~policyholders' corl-nittee, OF which
Mr.. Untermyer is counsel.
"The purpose OF the existing manage
ments OF the New York and Mutual Life
insurance companies in trying to connect
or identify Mr.. Lawson with the interna-
tional policyholders' movement" said Mr..
Untermyer, sis too transparent. Mr.. Law
son has no relations or connections what
ever, directly or indirectly, with the COM
mittee or with our movement. My own at
titude toward M. Lawson is we'll known.
Whatever may be our controversies or
other differences | am bound to admit
that in this life insurance business he seems
to nave acted from a com1endable public
spirit. For reasons of our own we do
clined to be identified with his movement.
az is we'll known, and that has continued
and will continue to be the attitude OF our
committee
Stuyvcsant Fish said yesterday that
he had not as yet committed himself TO
any existing po~licyholders' committee. He
added:
There will he more reason for an active
movement hooking to the election OF new
insurance directors when the Legislature
shall invalidate the proxies already given