Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-11-20
MERRY FIGHT WITH
INSURANCE MEN
Effort Will be Made to Have
the Legislature Pass Bill
Creating Department
COMPANIES WILL OPPOSE IT
BECAUSE of Changing Conditions in
Auditors Office Insurance Mssnates
Change Their Attitude - Have No
Fear of Incoming State Auditor-Roe
Will Retire.
Special to Times Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines, Nov. 20.-On the first
day of the legislative session in Jan
uary bill will be introduced in the
senate by a leader Of the majority TO
create office of an insurance commits
sioner to be appointed by the governor
and subject to the approval Of the sem
ate That such an office will be cre-
ated is practically certain; that it will
be fought by the insurance interests is
certain, and that they believe they can
defeat it is shown by the manner in
which they are making up the force to
handle the insurance department under
the present law.
Two years ago the insurance inter-
ests were very anxious to have COM
missioner. The real fact is that they
desired to get the business out of the
hands of Auditor Carroll and his
force. When the story was started that
would be either Carroll or the head Of
the insurance department Mr.. Roe, the
desire of the insurance companies for
a new office suddenly waned. When
the new auditor started in to make up
his office force he decided that William
NJ. Lewis, long in the insurance de-
partment looking after the securities.
should not be retained. Pressure
which could not very well be ignored
had been brought to have Lewis place
for another. Then Mr.. Bleakly notified
Ole Roe that he would retain him in
the office in the insurance department
until April, or long enough SO that 9th
ers could get onto the ropes. There
was intimation that Mr.. Roe did not
care to remain unless it was permanent
ly; but the insurance interests laid it
down absolutely and finally that Roe
should not be retained permanently in
charge of the insurance department.
Hence it is probable he will not re-
main after the expiration of Carrolps
term.
Mr.. Roe and Mr. Lewis have handled
the insurance department during all OF
Mr. Carroll's term. Mr.. Roe is an in
surance lawyer remarkably well versed
in the intricacies of the subject. When
the insurance combine got from Judge
Mcpherson decision that the Blanch-
ard antl-compact law was no good, 1t
was Mr.. Roe who insisted upon hav-
ing the case taken to a higher court.
When it was reversed and the insur-
ance people were compelled to disband
1s,s hon n,,1 tn faN 20
the penitentiary they were very Wroth.
Mr.. Roe and Auditor Carroll have
worked in perfect harmony and in the
past six years the department has set
many precedents which if followed will
maintain the high position of Iowa in
the Insurance world. But this policy
has net met the approval Of the insur-
anre reor!e
The magnitude of the business
handled in sne insurance department is
but little understood. There is in pos
session of this department securities in
the form of mortgages or bonds
over s13,O0O,o00. This is the
of the insurance companies.
The state looks after this as carefully
as IL 1t was all due the state. 1t re-
quires constant vigilance to keep this
security list free from weak spots.- A
very little change I'M policy, relaxing
the rigid insistence upon perfect pro-
lection for all policy holders, would be
a dangerous proceeding tho it might
be much desired by a company. Iowa
now stands very high as a state we'll
guarding the interests of the policy
holders.
The humorous editor of the supreme
court reports got in bit of work this
week. The case was that of Mansfield
VS.. Mallory, in which the plaintiff sued
for salary at SIS per week for engaging
at Buffalo Center in training four pom
les and a goat The defendant denied
the wage understanding but the court
decided he ought to pay. AS to wheth-
er or not the plaintiff really trained the
ponies and the goat or his skill was
worth the SIS per the court was not
to say. But witnesses sober
ly assured the jury that they saw some
Of the ponies 'teeter-tottering, some on
a pedestal and some waltzing.' and
would answer questions while the
goat would ride a board platform
to horses back Wnen prop
er precaution had been taken to secure
the goats feet by strings passing thru
holes. in the platform The court is
not prepared to say as matter of law
that these remarkable accomplish
ments are not without a market value.
and that the plaintiffs service in this
field of advanced education Is not
worth all he claims for it,
Two Iowa men were in ST Louis
this week and in public addresses took
a dip into big subjects. One was Sena
tor Dolliver who spoke before q citi-
zens' industrial association and from
reports apparently touched upon some
delicate problems Of sociology. "The
world is all right" he is quoted as
saying. "and you can't make me be-
Iieve that applied Christianity doesn't
at its face. We are coming to one great