Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1907-02-04
FIGHT ON BLANCHARD LAW
Insurance Companies Begin Campaign fol-
Repeal of Iowa Insurance Law.
APPEAL TO SMALL PoucYHOLOERs
Attempt f. Made 10 show that
the Statute Beneats Large
Holders at Their
Expense.
lFrom a stafr correspondentl

paign for the repeal of the Blanchard law.
Pamphlets and circulars are being distrib-
| uted to the members of the general as
| sembly with view to creating an impress
sion that the Blanchard law is operating
TO give the big property owner insurance at
a low rate, while the small property
owner must pay a high rate.
| The Blanchard law was enacted some
years ago and prohibits insurance COM
panies from combining to Ak rates OF In
| surance. II has not been in operation but
a year or less because of the fact that the
insurance companies fought II and carried
It to the supreme court Of the United States
This took several years. There it was de-
clared TO be constitutional and since then
It has been In force and effect.
! Furthermore, since then the rates on
insurance in this and other large cities
of the state have been considerably lower.
both to the small property owner as well as
to the large according to testimony given
the last summer before the Legislative In
surance commission.
| The circulars put out by the insurance
companies declare that the Blanchard law
ought to be repealed. that It makes in
surance commodity" subject to "dicker
between the property owner and the COM
pany." ''just as though its cost was fixed
and known" II endeavors to quote Presi-
dent Roosevelt in defense OF its arguments
that the Blanchard law ought to be re-
pealed and offers as a sop a provision Civ
ing the property owner the right Of appeal
to some commission from rates fixed by the
insurance companies.
state Normal as Example.
The State Normal school. which this ses-
sion is asking for an appropriation of but
$4,000, while the State Agricultural college
and the State university are each asking
for amounts up in the vicinity of 100000
is being held up as an example Of business
administration and an argument that the
legislature should enact a law consolidating
the business management OF the institu-
lions under one board of control. In 1902
the general assembly enacted . law levying
tax Of i-1O OF mill on the dollar for the
benefit of the State Normal. to be used
for the purpose of erecting new buildings,
and " of mill 70 the State university
and V to the Agricultural college. This
gave the State university and Agricultural
college each about $4,000 year and the
State Normal about $4,000 year. The nor
NAL has as many students as the other in
situations, but since the voting of the
millage tax It has built all its buildings
out OF that tax and had money left with
which to equip them. while the other two
institutions have every session asked for
special appropriations with which to build
new buildings and equip others. The trus-
tees Of the State, Normal are confident that
at the end of the next hve.year period, to
which the legislature has extended its
lmillage tax, 1t viii have it's buildings
erected and equipped for all time to come.
The management of the other institutions
A.
this session for $4,000 for the Agricultural
college and S29S,0O0 for the State university
J for buildings. Representative Jones OF
Montgomery, who led the fight for a single
board for the institutions in the Thirtieth
General Assembly, maintains that the State
Normal shows good business management
while the others do not, and that there will
not be good business management of the
others unless there is single board Gre
ated He will undoubtedly lead the fight
for the single board in the house at the
coming session. The example OF the State
Normal. which has buildings nearly as
large and commodious and is caring for
quite as many students as the other insti-
buttons, is causing some of the members
of the legislature to do some deep think
Ing on the matter of state appropriations
"Baby Farm EVIL
The baby farm evil is causing the
members of the legislature some deer
thought. White of Story. DeMar of Davis
and several others are giving some special
attention to the problem and the methods
OF handling the subject 1t is not at all i'm
probable but there will be bills introduced
that will rescind the policy established al
! the last session of disseminating appropri.
/ ations to private institutions. institutions
such as Benedict Home in this city that
have been caring for such cases as seeh
the maternity homes, received annual ap
2 preparations. Last session a bill was en-
acted gradually diminishing these appropri
4 ations with the view to totally discontinulnl
them. Now It is being advocated that tn,
D legislature should prohibit anyone doing
maternity hospital business and SHOULD
grant state support to the charitable in
stitutions that have done that work with
, close state inspection. It is claimed tina
when private parties open maternity home,
the fact that the mothers desire secrecy
gives an excellent opportunity to the pro
prietors to levy blackmail, and the desir,
TO make money soon leads them to at
tempt It.
e Women Delay Measure.
Prominent women who are championinl
}, the movement for woman's suffrage In tn
y state, such as Mrs Mary Coggeshall anC
= Mrs. A. H. Weber of this city. win leav
next week to attend the convention in Chi
L cago of the national organization OF tn
movement Interest in the matter of press
ing the resolution before the Iowa legisla
! ture will be allowed TO delay during tn
: five days Of the convention in Chicago. I
h is expected that soon after that time tn
2 resolution submitting the matter to a vot
4 OF the people in Iowa viii be submitted fl
both houses here.
o Oppose RefOrmRtOry.
s On the ground that II the state estab
!, fishes a reformatory at the penitentary a
- AnamOsa for prisoners between the ages o
q IS and 80, il will remove ali the best elias
Is OF laborers from Fort Madison, Leaving
only the hardened criminals there tn
. manufacturers employing convict labor 4
s Fort Madison are here to oppose the in
Is determinate sentence and state reformator
= law The same interests were here las
year to lobby against the measure. Tn
! measure was defeated and they have hope
I Of defeating It this session. though Il can
n not be said that the defeat OF the measur
D at the last session was due TO the argu