The Mankato free press., 1909-01-22
CHARGES OF UNFAIR TACTICS
MADE BY R.J.HALL OF MORRIS
Attempting to Harm the Farmers Mutual
Insurance Companies.

The annual meeting of the State
Association of = armers' Mutual In
surance Companies held at the old
capitol building, st. Paul, on the
18th and l4th, was one of the best
that has ever had. There were more than
one hundred and thirty-f five delegates
in attendance, besides many farmers
interested in the work. The first
days work consisted of the discus
sion OF subjects of interest to the
different companies and was very in
terestlng and brought out many good
points of the work that the farmers
companies are doing. Anyone not ia
miliar with the work these companies
are doing would be surprised to know
that there are over one hundred in
the state with an average insurance of
over two million dollars for each
in force. The business of
company i'll force. The business of
this association was taken up on
wednesday forenoon and the subject of
endorsing the Farmers United Town
ship Hail Insurance company which
has been supported in the past and
endorsed by the mutual fire companies
was considered This was brought out
by the resolution "Shall we continue
the Farmers United Township Hail
Insurance company as member of
the state association, and to be recog-
mzed and endorsed by this associa
tion?' When it was explained that
the name of this hail company had
been changed by the new management
of the association, the proposition was
voted down emphaticalIy.
Sharp Talk by Hall.
Following the rejection of this reso-
ution, r. j. Hall of Morris gave Il
very emphatic and scathing account
of what he termed the Swallowing
of the Farmers United Hail Insurance
company by c. T. Cook and r. L..
johnson of Mower county. Mr.. Hall
stated that an Accommodation mem
bership,' sufficiently strong to out
vote the opposition came into the
meeting of the Farmers United Town
ship Hail Insurance company on Mon
day forenoon and proceeded to do
the routine business of the company
without the secretary's report of the
preceding meeting, or any of the
books or papers of the company and
pushed the business through before
the other members of the association
arrived at the meeting or could be
sent for and gotten there to protect
their interests. He accused the new
of obtaining control of
the company for the purpose of US
ing it for the private gain of the
instead of for the good
of the members of the association as
had been run i'll the past. In a very
scathing arraignment of Mr.. Cook
and Mr.. Johnson, he accused them of
being the wreckers of the old Mu-
tual Town Dwelling Insurance COM
pany which went to the bad under
their management. In his history of
what he called strangling of that COM
pany, he gave an account of the
officers coming in to the annual
meeting with an error of nine hun
dred and one in the numbering of
policies issued and the secretary had
drawn pay for these nine hundred
and one policies, seventy five cents
each, that were never issued. Mr.. ID.
p. O'Neill of Thief River Falls TO-
lowed Mr.. Hall in very strong
speech supporting Mr.. Hall in every
respect and adding some more inter
esting details.
Resolutions Adopted.
The following resolutions were then
presented and unanimously adopted: