Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1909-01-27
BEEDLE PLEASED
Continued from page !.

tnlS question may De SoCJleQ as TO Un6
future by the prompt enactment OF
legislation providing that the state
shall pay all such expenses.
with regard to the other charges,
to examine the twelve pages of type
writing comprising the carefully pre-
pared opinion of the attorney general.
A copy of this has only reached me
through the courtesy of the press. No
copy of any charges has come to me
from the governor, attorney general or
the person making the charges. No
inquiry has been made of this depart
ment as to the facts.
1.-THE attorney generals opinion as
sumes the existence of all facts al
lleged in such charges and states that
no other statement of facts has been
placed before him from any source
and if such had been the case he could
not have considered it. The facts are
open to anyone and if any statement
had been asked for it would have
been furnished and the necessity of
proceeding on a partial and false ex
animation of the facts would have
been obviated.
1.-THE charge that $3.50 was paid the
department for expenses of an exam
ination of the Interstate Live Stock
Co. shows the injustice that may be
done by accepting such charges with
out inquiry. Wisconsin is the only
state requiring examinations before
the issue of license. The practice
has always been to make such examin-
ations as soon as the department could
practically do so. The application in
this case was made from the distant
state of Washington at the time in
E1907 the work of the department was
very burdensome and included fire.
quent hearings before the legislative
COMMITTEES and exhaustive prepare
tons therefor and the examination OF
larger companies in addition to the
routine work. The company removed
it's books to this state and the eXamin-
alton was had here. Of the amount
deposited, $241 20 was returned, $500
being retained to cover the fees and
expenses of examination. Before this
was disposed of, question was raised
as to the right of the company to re-
main in the state and on it's withdraw
al the $241.2O was returned to the
company after inquiry of the attorney
general and upon his advice that it
could not be held for the protection of
Wisconsin policy holders. No loss had
been experienced by any policy holder
in this state prior to the company's
withdrawal. It did only small bust
ness and more important matters OF
the department were given precedence
as they arose.
Even the charges filed show that
the mutilation of public records
charged to E. A. Ketchum, an eXamin-
en- was in the regular course of the
business of the department. AS no
claim is made that these records have
ever gone out of the possession of the
department it is difficult to see the APP
plication of section 1972B The facts
are that the use of these tax SEIZED
|
ent of the annual statement, was nee
essary in collecting back taxes with
held by foreign fire companies to the
amount of over $4,000. These seized
ules have always been returned to the
department and placed in the perma-
nent records as soon as the work was
completed. No papers or records
have gone out of the possession of thiv
department during my term other than
such as have been removed by the
person who made these charges.
The last charge is that Honorable
Charles Barker was employed con-
trary to law in the examination OF
companies. | was not aware that any
license had been issued to Mr.. Barker
by the department. Ten clerks are
employed to do the routine work and
about $4,000 licenses are issued annu-
ally l knew Mr.. Barker's company
had withdrawn from the state and that
he was not writing insurance. He had
served with credit in the legislature,
was an experienced and capable insuf-
ance man and was at liberty to do
this work. Mr.. Barker had made no
application for license and his name
was sent in by the company without
his knowledge or consent.
"No mention is made by the attor-
ney general of other matters included
in the charges fled | trust that
committee will be appointed with full
power not alone to go into all matters
mentioned in the charges but also all
matters affecting the business OF the
department and that such legislation
as may be found necessary will be en-
acted. If this be done disagreeable
controversy with discharged employe
will have served useful purpose am
the department will be relieved of the