The daily sentinel., 1908-03-03
Fighting
For Life
VERY SENSATIONAL
Charge Made to Effect that
State Insurance Commis-
sioners and "0ld Line"
Companies Have Combined
to Kill off Fraternal Insur-
ance.

buffalo, N. Y, March 3.-That
state commissioners throughout the
country have Joined with the "old
line companies in waging a con-
certed warfare on the fraternal in
surance bodies and that the fraternal
system of insurance is doomed to
speedy extinction if adverse bills
prepared by commissioners are pass
ed by the state legislatures, is the
statement of Walter A. Rice, su-
preme secretary of the Order of the
IroQuis, which began it's national
convention today.
over the heads of the officials of
the fraternal beneficiary societies of
the United States forever hangs, like
the sword of Damocels, the threat of
adverse legislation" said Mr.. Rice
And the hand from which depends
this deadly sword is that of the state
insurance commissioner.
Back of the mighty, imposing
figure of the state insurance COM
missioner, and partially concealed
companies, urging him to cut the
slender thread and kill the fraternal
system.
In the early days of these socie-
ties, there were no state laws, nor
INSURANCE commissioners, and yet the
| pioneer societies conducted their
business as honorably, and paid their
claims as promptly, as at the pres
ent time when under close state su-
pervision.
About 1880. when fraternaI in
surance began to show unmistakable
signs of becoming one of our great
institutions, state laws gradually
We're enacted largely at the dictation
OF the old line companies under the
pretense of protecting the people.
Strangely enough the state in
surance commissioner always en-
dorsed any. legislation proposed by
the companies, and exerted his offic-
ial influence to secure its passage.
From the time when the state
insurance commissioner was first
called upon to supervise the frater-
nails, there Is a continuous trail of
abuse, Misrepresentation, and ad-
verse legislation.
Ever since the birth of the fra
ternal system in 1868, there has
been no evidence of fraud, corruption
or mismana cement to want the state
commissioners in their concerted
warfare upon it. On the other hand,
the fraternals by their magnificent
development have deserved and
should have received the support
and cooperation of insurance com
missioners, and not their opposition.
IF they are really bound by their
deep sense of duty as insurance COM
missioners to protect the people
against insurance frauds, they had
abundant opportunity to do SO by
investigating the old liners them
selves.
Eternal vigilance is the price of
the continued existence of the fra
ternal system. The commissioners
are now more antagonistic than ever
before.
"A prominent actuary predicts
that within two years all states will
require minimum table of rates to
be either the National Fraternal
Congress table or the American Ex-
perience table. The commissioners
are agreed upon the latter which
would place fraternals upon the ba-
sis of old line Insurance.: then would
easily follow valuations. legal reserve
and such other measures as would.
throttle fraternal insurance.
For whose benefit? The old
liners, of course.
Shall a great institution like the
fraternal system with nearly 200 so
cieties, 100000 members and 25.-
100000 people protected by it, con-
tinue to submit to the despotism, the
hostility, the injustice. of the insur-
ance commissioners? Shall we per-
NIT them longer to dangle over our
heads the sword of Damocles?
Let us create new office in each
state, the office of 'fraternal insur-
ance commissioner" to be elected
by the people. In that way divorce
the old line from the fraternal sys-
TEN. Let there be one commissioner
who shall supervise the old-line com
pan1es, and the fraternal commits
SiOuarS who shall snneryisa tho fra