Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1912-09-27

- 4
hand to a glass of some colored LIQUID
on the table, drank it, and finally adj
dressed Randolph Mason, speaking in
a thick, scarcely ineligible voice.
You see" he said, "how fatally
truthful my statement was. I could
not come to your Office. I shall take
but n more journey"
Randolph Mason nodded his head
slightly, as though in assent of some
trivial statement and in invitation to
proceed to other matters more impor-
tant.
h invalid continued:
Within the last day or two. I have
been going carefully over my affairs
under a sense of impending death. In
one matter / conceived myself to have
made a mistake, and I wish to correct
1t, II possible. You are aware of the
recent vicious public assault on the
insurance companies, a wave of hos
tile, rabid, universal sentiment. There
seems to be no particular reason for
1t. The movement is a phenomenon
recurring constantly in the history of
our civilization. l believe these pc
riodic storms of public opinion to be
organic and inevitable. All establish
ed institutions, no matter how excel
lent, are subject to such assaults. /
pointed this out ten years ago to the
bank officials of New York when a
wave Of sentiment threatened the es-
tablished monetary standard
He pulled his baggy form together
in his chair. AS he spoke, his voice
became somewhat clearer.
Nov, in all this investigation what
wrongs have been exposed? Indeed
none, outside of a few companies, ex-
cept that those in control of these
insurance companies had the use of
large sums of money and, not being
infallible, made sometimes question
able investments; and the further fact
that considerable sums were used in
politics. Why, gentlemen, everybody
knows that the average Assembly of
the State is composed largely of men
who scheme to extort money from COM
mercial industries by threatening them
with destructive legislation. The COM
merce of today is no better off than
the commerce of the middle ages. It
must still purchase immunity from the
banditti. Sometimes these highway
men can be fought, but usually most
industries have found it less expensive
to pay the toll. Consequently, no
higher injustice ear be imagined than
to hold o~f1eials of an insurance COM
pany responsible for such expendi-
lures. 1t is like shooting a captain
for handing I've his ships none to
pirates in order to save his cargo.
Why, there is not an Insurance COM
pany in America that could hold it.
self together for a year as a money
making concern if it neglected to keep
a representative at Albany"
Sir" said Randolph Mason, "this
statement is neither entertaining nor
instructive. Please come to the
point"
81 beg your pardon" replied the in
valid; Il am coming to the point. Five
years ago I foresaw the arrival of this
outbreak, there were certain signs
which I shall not stop here to dis
cuss; and I began to prepare my COM
pany for this era Of exposure. The
result of that labor is today evident.
My company stands almost alone with
a clean bill Of health. But the cost
to me as an individual would stagger
America If it knew. | have done the
labor of fifty years in five, and l have
expended every dollar that ! or M
family possessed to accomplish this
result.
eYou are not to imagine that during
this time the political banditti were
any the less threatening or avid l
fed them as usual, but, unlike q otn-
err companies, I paid this tribute with
my individual fortune. Now, then,
gentlemen. ! have come to the mat
ter in hand. One year ago a politician
of national reputation determined to
force my insurance company TO pear
the expense of his candidacy Tor a
high Office. He controlled certain v
nues of legislation, and threatened US
with a statute which would have Sc
questered the assets of our company
in a dozen different states, recalled
its investments, and left it no way
profitably to place its surplus funds.
It would have been, in fact, ruin I'M
der the guise Of law. In PLAIN
terms, his price was three nun
dred thousand dollars. I got nim
down to two. I had no longer any
money of my own, and ! would no
use that of the company. even TO
save it from destruction MY WE
owned this house. built with none
inherited from her father in England
we were both born>in Sussex. ex-
ecuted a mortgage on it directly TO
This politician for two hundred thou-
sand dollars. / took this chance with
NV. family and myself. felt sure
that this present wave OF insane ou.,
cry against insurance companies wouid
finally pass, and that when business
ouiet was again established coulo
rebuild a fortune"
Suo MON stoDDed. his tongue was