Albuquerque citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1907-1909, 1908-12-04
He WAS PRESIDENT
OF THE ASSOCIATION
Presidents of Life Insurance Com
pdnieS Meet In First Annual
Session and Express
Regret at Death
of COmrdde

New York, Dec. 4.-By word of
mouth and pen many high tributes to
the worth of the late Grover Cleve-
land as citizen and statesman were
paid at the memorial exercises which
formed the first session of the second
annual meeting of the Association OF
Life Insurance Presidents in this city
this morning. Mr.. Cleveland's last
field of public activity was in connec-
tion with the work of tnat organiza-
tion, he having been its chairman and
general counsel from the date of les
formation until the time of his death
on June Gath of this year.
The presidents and other executive
officers of life insurance companies
from all over the United States and
Canada and many insurance commits
sioners from the states and provinces
were present to do honor to the man
who had proved such a bulwark of
confidence to the policyholders at
time when life Insurance was under
fire.
Chief among these who spoke at
the memorial exercises were Hon.
Paul Morton, president of the Equit-
able Life Assurance society and for
mer secretary of the navy under
President Roosevelt, and John H.
Finley, Phi. D., president of the Col
lege of the City of New York. Mr..
Morton's father, ]. Sterling Morton,
served in President CleveIand's cabi-
net, while DR.. Finley is preparing the
authorized memoirs of Mr.. Cleveland.
Letters of tribute from Adlai E. Stew
enson, vice president during Mr..
Cleveland's second administration,
and from several of the surviving
cabinet officers of the late president
sormed an impressive part of the
program. Charles A. Peabody, presi-
dent of the Mutual Life Insurance
Company of New York, presided at
the exercises.
During the course Of his address.
Mr.. Morton said:
Mr.. Cleveland came into the life
Insurance situation late in life--some
years after he had twice been the
victorious leader Of his party and the
chief executive of this great nation.
At that time he was easily the first
citizen of the country
His advent first as trustee of the
Equitable and afterwards as chair
man and general counsel of this Il
ISOLATION met with the emphatic ap-
probation of the American public be-
cause everyone knew that in no way
would Grover Cleveland wink at any
Wrong-doing, or in any way be con-
nected with mal-administration. He
was a grand old pilot taken on board
a very important ship that was n
danger among the rocks, and at once
all on board were paCified and con-
ridence fully restored
"As chairman of this association
ne added character, dignity and
probity to our cause, and he accepted
che position more on account of its
being a great public duty than for
any other reason. He became in
JenseIy interested i'm the study of life
insurance and its benefits and was
greatly impressed with the fact that
I is one of the best institutions Of
civilization.
Grover Cleveland was most con-
scicntious man He never for ono
, moment hesitated as to what was
rignt and what was wrong. His cour-
ge in doing right was no less than
mis- courage in denOurcng wrong. Mr.
Cleveland was a patriOt-nOt a par
tisan. His love of country was great
r than his love of party. If his own
conscience told him a thing was right
ne acted and took the consequences.
He never did things because they
were eXpedient. His creed was that
honesty was the best expediency in
The long rum"
Mr.. Morton related an incident IL
lustrating Mr.. Cleveland's regard for
economy even in comparatively small
matters. In a letter addressed to M.
Morton on October l, 1905, Mr..
Cleveland wrote: Il believe you ex-
pect to send a statement to each Of
The Equitable policy-hOlders. Can
the trustees send something in the
same enclosure and thus save eX-
pense"
An example Of the conscientilus-
ness of the late president and Of his
taithfulness to his employers was
contained in another letter to MT.
Morton, written on February 19,
1907. I'm which Mr.. Cleveland said: Il
want very much to go TO South Caro-
ina for ten days or two weeks as
soon as possible after my return from
chicago. / can see my way clear TO
=