The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-09-03

brown eye, burning steady and clear
liks ships light ThS S,. last sI;r,I %niallns
ing ready 10 abandon its worthless
house.
The mea nodded to Randolph Mason.
For a moment he regarded me with g
curious glance, then he nodded likewise
TO me. The servant closed the door,
leaving The three OF us alone ana we
sa down opposite the table oesiae fS1n rne n,g
full In his face, | knew him now; from
his Autograph Oh various bond issues;
He was Richard T. Curtis. president OF
the Life Assurance company OF North
America, His ghastly physical condition
oppre ssed me- he was so evidently In
tended for Ali the vltalities OF life and
he was so evidently dying. 1 looked AT
the invalid's face with the sharp. steady
glance OF one taking stock OF what ,qua!-
ties yet remained vital The helpless
man aWoke no sentiment IN the bosom
OF Randolph Mason: he regarded MIN as
an engineer examines his mechinc, tap
ping on its wheels, as the elephant OF OF
n circus does q bridge, feeling II with
his foot. The strength remaining 10 the
sick man waa important not as a meas
ure OF life, but AS means To the solu-
tion Of a difficulty,
The invalid nut out trembling hand
10 a glass OF some colored liquid en-
the table, drank 1t, and hnally addressed
Randolph Mason speaking In thick:
scarcely intclllEible voice.
''You see" he said. how fatally truth
ful my statement was could not come
TO your office; shall take but one
more Journey
slightly, as though in assent of some
trivial statement and In invitation 10
proceed TO other matters more impor-
tant.
The invalid continued;
within tho last day OF two. | have
been going carefully over my affairs un-
der a sense OF impending death, In one
tsr,s f,,CI sl1f fE m
mistake, and | wish to correct II. "
possible You arc aware Of the recent
vicious public assault on the insurance
companies. wave OF hostile rabid. uni
vcrsal sentiment Thore seems TO be no
particular reason for IL The movement
Is phenomenon recurring, constantly IN
the history of our civilization, | pehcNe
these periodic storms OF public cplnlon
to be organic and inevitable. All estab-
lshcd institutions, no matter how cN-
ccllcnt. arc subject TO such assaults. |
bank officials Of New York, when wave
OF sentiment threatened the established
monetary standard
He pulled his baggv form together, in
his chair AS he spoke, his voice be-
came somewhat clearer.
Now. I'm all this investigation what
wrongs have been exposed! lndocd
none, outside Of few companies, cN-
cept that those in control Of these IN
surance companies had tho use OF large
sums OF money and, not being infaln-
bic. made sometimes questionable In
yestmopts: and the further fact that con-
siderable sums were used I'm politics.
WHY, gentlemen, everybody knows that
the average assembly OF the state Is
composed largely OF men who scheme
10 extort money from commercial In
dustrIes by threatening them with de-
s,ructive legislation. The commerce OF
today Is no better off than tho COM
merce " tho middle ages. 1t must still
purchase immunity from the banditti.
Sometimes these hiEhwaymen can be
fought but usually most Industries have
found 1t less expensive 10 paw the toll.
Consequently. no higher injustice can
be imagined than 10 hold officials of an
insurance company responsible for such
expenditures. 1t is like shooting d cap
tain for handing over his ships money
TO pirates in order to save his cargo.
Why, there Is not an insurance com :
pany In America that could hold Itself