The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1909-01-28
WAY BEGIN SUIT
TO RECOVER BACK
INSURANCE FEES
treasurer DAHL ASKS GOVERNOR
FOR THOROUGH PROBE OF
DEPARTMENT.
HAS LAW BEEN VIOLATED?
No Record of Former Commissioners
Having Paid Over Fees to the
State Treasurer
PROMPTED BY BEEDLE INQUIRY.

MADISON, Wis. Jan. 25-[Special. ]
Another sensation in the projected in
surance department investigation by the
Legislature was sprung today, when
State Treasurer \. IL. Dahl sent a let
.er to Gov. Davidson, recommending
hat If you order an investigation by
he Legislature of the insurance depart
nent, that you extend the investigation
10 cover the records of former commits
Sioners, to the end that proper steps may
De taken to recover what is due to the
state
Should the Legislature decide that
what is due To the state" are the fees
hat have been collected and retained
oy the commissioners, past and present,
II addition to salaries, the amount To be
recovered may amount to hundreds Of
thousands of dollars. Treasurer Dahl III
liS letter promises the governor that if
The investigation should show that the
ices have been illegally retained he will
maintain an action in the name of the
state, to recover the amounts due the
state.
Seven Have Had Office.
No one kDows how far back the meth
)d of retaining the fees by the commits
sionerS extends. The insurance depart
nent was organized in 1878. and after
1881 the Office was made elective. The
seven men who have served the state as
insurance. commissioners, are:
?. l.. Spooner. Jr...............1S1S to 1887
Philip Cheek, 1887 to 1891
WILDER NJ. Root. 1891 to 1879
William \; Fricke. 1870 to lS9S
4ull tIJohanh ........,.......ls 9S 10 l9o,t
Leno NJ. Host. :................l9 1903 to 1907
.ieorgc l.. Bcedle. ..............l9O1 49,.
The letter of State Treasurer Dahl to
he governor follows:
TO His ENcellency. j. O. Davidson, gov
arnOr of Wisconsin. Sir:-Sec. 1872 OF tn
-, Wisconsin statutes of 1898 provides as
follows.
The commissioner of insurance shall make
daily payments To the state treasurer of all
fees and taxes received and shall on the
drst day of each month report III detail
the receipts of his department during the
preceding month to the governor. secretary
II state and state treasurer, together with
urer.
The attorney general in an opinion rem
lered under date of January -, 1909. with
reference to the charges made 10y Mr..
Waite, against George f.. Recde, commits
sioner Of insurance, says in part:
The presumption is that all fees ana
charges belong To the state and are payable
into the treasury, and any official ana en-
ployc claiming the right to retain such fees
in addition to charges. must b" able 10
show an explicit law relative to said right.
1t would appear from the section OF the
statute above quoted. namely, that All
'ees collected 10y the insurance department
shall be paid over to the state treasurer
and the opinion of the attorney general
hat the presumption Is tbat an ices ana
.hargcs belong to the state that the
state Is entitled to a recovery Of the fees
collected ana retained by former commits
,iouers Of insurance. fail to find in the
books or records of this department the
payment of such fees by the commissioners
If several years past, / would respectfully