Omaha daily bee., 1910-01-22
TAFT TO INSURANCE MEN
Federal Statute Controlling the Bust
ness is Improbable.
MUST WORK THROUGH STATES
Chief Executive Says Most COnEress
Can DO is to Make Law for Dis
~ trIct that VIII Be q
Model.

WASHINGTON, Jan. N.-President IaIt
yesterday, addressing the annual meeting Of
the Association Of Life Insurance Presi'
dents, held out no hope for the enactment
Of a federal law to govern the companies
and advised the executive officers to bend
their efforts to secure uniform legislation
in the states.
1.-THE United States may not find in the
constitution the right to render uniform the
insurance business" said the president.
Certainly the supreme court seems to have
settled that question. And your only re-
course, therefore, is to secure such common
action by the states that the result will be
similar to a single federal act controlling
the business. .
The only function that the United States
can perform is to pass a model law in the
District of Columbia and show what con-
gress believes to be the best kind Of an
insurance law"
The association discussed plans for con-
servation Of the public health. DR.. Walter
Wyman, surgeon general Of the United
States public health and marine hospital
service; DR.. j.. NJ. Rosenau of the Harvard
Medical college and others spoke on the
subject.
Address of DR.. Dwight.
Life insurance companies or the united
States nave a vast mine Of original infor-
nation that could be utilized to promote
public health and they have also an army
Of 1901 900. trained men to make effective and
widespread use OF this information" said
Dr.. Edwin w. Wright Of Boston. For
more. than sixty years the life insurance
companies of this country have been stor-
ing up ammunition and developing an or
= -,kNzI" 4 . N-AHaVIxy NVoa1 manila
be almost sufficient in itself to turn the
tide in the battle for public health in favor
of the forces of scientific effort"
After stating that the forty companies
doing business in the United States, who
are represented in the Association of Life
Insurance Medical directors. ave $4,000
medical examinations and 10000 agents sit
uated In every nook and corner Of the
country. DR.. Dwight continued;
The only line Of medical endeavor with
which / am familiar, where errors may
be correctly checked up; where mistakes Of
diagnosis are proved without the assistance
OF the rarely permitted autopsy; where
treatment in the future may be definitely
based upon the results Of the past is that
insurance companies. For over a year a
committee Of the Medical Directors asso-
collective investigation OF the experience
OF all American life insurance companies.
Last fall we were Joined by a committee
OF the Actuarial society, and in October we
were so fortunate. as to be able to report
tina all OF the companies connected with
our two associations had agreed to join
in an Investigation, which, in extent and
Importance, has, 1 believe. never been
equRlled in the past and which, 1 believe,
will never cease in the future.
II this material is so arrange and tahu-
lated as to answer only those questions
which are Of immediate Importance to life
insurance the companies will gain much,
a value greatly beyond the cost, but rot
nearly all that they should, while the
public will gain nothing. II, however, a
broader policy Is pursued, a policy which
will add nothing or little to the expense,
but greatly to it's. possibilities, a mass of
material will become available, which. II
properly handled, will serve to settle once
and perhaps for all time-many of the
most ~Vexatious problems which are now
disturbing the minds of those most inter-
ested in public health and preventive medt-
cine. / believe that this Investigation will
he handled In this broader and more COM
prehensive way. 1t Is proposed in this
work TO cover the ground from 1870 TO 1910
and include the experience of all American
life insurance companies. A conservative
sumat OF the number of lives which will
be investigated is 5 100000.
It is perfectly possible to make all Of this
material available and to furnish a properly
controlled. vehicle for it's transmission to
your forces in the field, and through them
TO the people In every portion OF our coun-
try without an expenditure OF one dollar
Of a policyholder's money.