The Washington herald., 1907-01-11
LETTER TO MR.. DRAKE
Resolution Asks that Copy
Be Sent TO the House.
AUTHENTICITY NOT DENIED
Asserted at white House That There
Was Nothing Secret About 1t, How
cIRres Harm Has Been DOne-"Re-
markabIe," Says Leader williams.

Representative J. T. Robinson. Of
Arkansas, offered in the House yesterday
a resolution calling on President Roose-
welt for information regarding his letter
to Insurance Superintendent Drake, of the
District Of Columbia in which the plan
to enact State laws limiting the salaries
Of officials Of life insurance companies
was opposed. The letter was printed in
The Washington Herald yesterday morn
! ing
! The text OF the resolution follows:
BE it resolved. &c, That the President
of the United States be, and hereby is
requested to inform the House of Repre-
/ sentatives, if not deemed Inconsistent with
/ the public interest, whether in November
| 1906, be wrote a communication to Hon
Thomas E. Drake. superintendent of in
| surance, District Of Columbia. condemn
ing as invalid and improper legislation
limiting the amount of salaries which
| life Insurance companies may ,ssv their
officers; and if he wrote such letter
that he furnish the House with a copv
/ of same also whether he authorized said
| Drake 70 send copies Of said communica-
]
GERS I'm any State; and if so. whether he
requested said Drake TO send the same
conditioned that it be received and held
as confidential"
The purported letter from tho preef-
dent IN respect 10 the proposed limiting
I OF salaries Of life insurance officials con-
sututes such very remarkable thing
for President Of the United States TO
write, said John Sharp Williams. Demo-
cratic House leader, last night. that I
think there must be some mistake."
Letter Was Genuine.
There is no mistake about the autbep-
tcity Of the letter however. il was ad-
mitted az the White House that ir had
I been sent 10 Mr.. Drake. and that Mr.
Dr'ke had transmitted it 20 State insur-
anee commissioners with the consent Of
the President
''I observed the statement that such a
letter was sent ont under the ban Of
sec 'ecy. said Mr.. Robinson. in explaining
his resolution. III the President did not
write the letter. the public viii be made
10 suffer as much as If DE had done SO. bv
reason Of the fact that the insurance Off
ciais ot many States have been informed
that he has done so. For this reason Con-
gress and the general public ought 10
nave the information which the ras0lu-
tiou seeks
AT this time, when legislation affect
ing the matter is pending I'm forty-oue
States. and before Congress. / can hardly
believe that the Chief Executive w8uI5
attempt TO prevent such legislation bv
the secret exerti0n Of his personal or Of
fetal influence. This matter is Of vital
importance 20 the public. and / believe
the representatives, u the people ought to
be encouraged. both iu State and national
legislation, 10 protect the public from the
exrravagant expenditure of funds in
which SO many Of them are directly in
terested.
Morton Referred To.
And it may be- a matter OF interest 90
some 20 recall the fact that former
member OF The Presidents Cabinet is now
the president Of the Equitable Life In
surance Company. and IS publicly under
stood 90 be receiving a salary of $4,000 "A
year
III the President wrote such letter.
secretly OF publicly. it would be a mani
festly improper thing for him 20 do Such
ana effort TO influence the States and 10
control State officers is peculiarly sig
niucaut 40 this time. when many are de-
clariug that the States. by reason Of their
failure 10 exercise. the police powers re-
served 10 them by the Constitution. have
forfeited, in some degree, the public re-
spect, and that the powers Of the Federal
government ought TO be extended 10 the
sphere now occupied by the State govern
meuJ The danger Of extending the Fed
oral power may well be illustrated by the
secret exercise Of the power and influence
in this matter"
At the White House il is stated that
there was no secret about the letter Mr
Drake by virtue of his position I'm the
District government, was regarded as the
Presidents representative among the
State insurance commissioners Mr.
Drake also says there was nothing mys-
ferrous about the letter and that the
situation does not warrant any excite
ment.