The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1912-10-04

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1t. The movement Is a phenomenon
recurring constantly in the history OF
our civilization. I 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 q
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 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 CON-
mercial industries by threatening them
with destructive legislation. The CON-
MERGE of today is no better of 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 can be imagined than
to hold officials Of an insurance CON-
pany responsible for such expendi-
lures. It is like shooting a captain
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 it.
self together for year as a money
making concern If 1t neglected to keep
representative at Albany
"Sir," said Randolph Mason, this
statement Is neither entertaining nor
instructive. Please come to the
point"
II beg your pardon" replied the in
valid; II am coming to the point. Five
years ago foresaw the arrival of this
outbreak, there we're certain signs
which 1 shall not stop here to dis
cuss; and began to prepare my CON-
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. I have done the
labor Of fifty years in five, and l haye
every dollar that l or my
family possessed to accomplish this
result.
"You are not to imagine that during
this time >the political banditt were
any the less threatening or avid. !
fed them as usual, but, unlike the 9th
or companies. paid this tribute with
my individual fortune. Now then,
gentlemen, l have come to the mat
ter In hand. One year ago politician
Of national reputation determined to
force my insurance company to bear
the expense of his candidacy for
high Office He controlled certain ave-
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
it's Investments, and left it no way
profitably to place It's surplus funds.
1t would have been, in fact, ruin un-
der the guise of law. In plain
terms, his price was three hun
dred thousand dollars. got him
down to two. I had no longer any
money Of my own, and would not
use that Of tho company, even to
save it from destruction My wife
owned this house, built with money
inherited from her father in England
we were both born In Sussex. l ex-
ecuted a mortgage on it directly to
this politician for two hundred thou
sand dollars. took this chance with
my family and myself. felt sure
that this present wave OF insane out
cry against insurance companies would
finally pass, and that when business
quiet was again established l could
rebuild a fortune"
The man stopped. his tongue was
beginning to get thick. He drank a
little more of the colored liquid from
the glass.
Il made tie same mistake" he con-
tinued, that the fool did in the para
ble This tremendous high-pressure
has worn out the machinery. I awoke
a month ago to the fact that l was
scrap iron. am barely fifty and yet
every organ is dying Of old age-ex-
hausted. l cannot live week.
The invalid must have seen an ex-
preston of Impotence or protest in
Randolph Mason's face, because he put
up his hand and hurried on.
II have been thinking over these
matters, with Death sitting here at
my elbow, and have come to the con-
clusion that have done a wrong to
those dependent on me. The Christian
religion puts the inf1del first in the
catalogue Of the condemned, and yet
he that provideth not for his own
household is declared worse. Every
sentiment of practical humanity
stands for the priority of that obliga-
ton. am about to die. and l have
in fact not two dollars to click to-
gether, except my salary, which will
cease at my death. More than that,
have taken my wife's estate-her
very bread and clothing-and used it
for the benefit of others. When the
breath leaves me, my wife and chill
dren go-where? You and I know the
sort of aid ones business associates