Omaha daily bee., 1910-03-23
Witness States Offer Was Made to
Pass the Measure fo- yment.
Sullivan Says All is and
Shows Little c. =
LEGAL EXPENSE" UNI - 3.
"OccasiOnnI Incidetals" AlSt 4
Into by Insurance Commiss ,aer--
Conen ThOws Light on elm
fIuenced Legislation.

NEW YORK. March 22-The name OF
s,atc Senator Timothy d. sullivan. famil-
ary known as "Big Tim figured briefly
In the fire insurance inquiry today when
George h. Seward. president of the Fide-
ity and Causuality company. testified that
- representative OF big Tim" offered I'm
N&1 Of 1892 20 take off bllT' objection
able to the company for consideration
Of $4,000. Sullivan who came to New York
tonight from Albany. apparently does not
take the charges seriously.
Stewards testimony. he said, was more
hearsay and does not concern him. The
bill became a law IN 1882. Elijah r. Ken
nedy, for years a lobbyist at Albany for
The New York Board of Fire Underwriters,
was back on the stand today and through
William Hotchklss, state insurance super
intendent, developed interesting testimony
Of incidents in years gone by. including
an alleged offer of a one-time assembly
man, named Towue, to kill a bill for
consideration Of $4,000 No testimony was
adduced to show where Mr.. Towne is at
present.
Further COIIusIOn Alleged.
Besides his reference TO big Tim" Sui
ivan Seward intlmated that there has
been collusion in FORMER years, between
the state Department of Insurance and
certain life Insurance companies.
The Grady reinsurance bill, which, as
shown yesterday was passed after three
foreign companies had spent a large sum
for the purpose figured in the testimony.
When Kennedy was on the stand he was
asked why II was that Former Governor
b. b. Oden, after vetoing the bill recalled
It and approved it.
The re-insurance companies wanted the
bill, and they mad powerful friends" said
the witness.
ny ho were they?"
Il am thinking OF one in particular. He
was very prominent man. He is dead"
lie asked to be excused from revealing
the name and Mr., Hotchkiss did not press
him.
t.f, Illegal Isx DenNes.'A
The big bills paid year after year by fire
Insurance companies under the compre-
hensfve head Of legal expeiG,es" with oc-
casional 'incidentals" again were under
,Xamination.
Mr.. HotchlSiss was anxious to find out
what the causes were which led to the
member of the board of fire underwriters
In 1904 to write letter in which the state
ment was made that bill affecting rein
surance had been bought through senate"
In that year.
The superintendent is also seeking to
light on the expenditure of tens of thous-
sands Of dollars which 1t now appears the
companies contributed in 1901 and several
successive years to combat unfavorabe leg
lslation and help along bills in the pas
sage of which they were interested.
The reinsurance bill Of 1904, which is stlll
law was the object OF especial solicitude
on the part OF its examiner.
e.. a, 7. Correa, vice president Of the
Home Fire Insurance company, was on
the stand again today Through his testi-
mony the activity Of the insurance men in
Influencing legislation were brought up to
few months ago
Mr.. Hotchkiss forced Mr.. Correa to admit
that his company had made an erroneous
statement in it's annual report for 1904 to
The state insurance department.
.Other Companies Implicated.
De casualty companies were brought di-
reSyay into the inquiry with the appearance
as a witness Of George f. Seward presI-
dent of the Fidelity and Casualty COM
gany
For years." said Mr.. Seward, "the in
surance and casualty companies have been
harassed in every part of the country by
Insurance departments and by strike bills
N4AN ~ baAio HiNAOhuSSu " AS6i9AaNplS WIN
were not well informed"
Mr.. Seward told Of an attempt to force
him 10 pay $4,000 for killing bill ad-
versely affecting casualty companies.
"A man named Brown" he said "tele-
graphed to me from Sing Sing that he
wanted to see ME.
II went In response 10 the telegram and
saw Brown at Sing Sing prison.
This man Brown said to me:
Tim sullivan win put this bill off for
NcCCc'"
What did you repiy?'
i told him l would give my reply in a
telegram TO Mr.. Sullivan. My reply was:
M Seward says YOU can go to - "
MI Seward testified that Tim sullivan
who man named Brown had represented
would put Off the bill for $4,000 was
"Bg Tim sullivan.
You mean Big Tim Sullivan, the pres-
ent senator?" asked Mr.. Hotohkiss.
Big Tim, he said. Il didn't Lpov,
there was any other He was persistent,v
active"
The hearing adjourned until Il o'clock to-
morrow