New-York tribune., 1912-02-25

was covered by the regular salary oi '"'
counsel 10 the department
Perhaps the most spectacular pIo'eee'"S
NJ the Uotchkiss administration was '"e So
called yellow Pup" investigation Inv
name grew on it from the fact that 'le
Hughes investigation OF life insurance was
caIIod the yellow Dog" probe, so the
TTotcbkiss investigation Of fire insurah'e
corna to he known as the 1elo" IuP
nrobe That inquiry grew out OF an eN-
,,,t,atinp oC the Phenix Insurance COM
rapv Of which the late George Z. Sheluoh
~, ,b.r nresident. That examination
r,ade as of September 80. 1909, was the
SIC, ovaniration OF the PheniN In tWent!
,,po vears When the preliminary exam
| ination began, I'm August OF that year, 'ne
rresident OF the company came 10 MI
IIotchNss with a request that the 'Ndl'
iration he deferred until January l'IV'
The Superintendent refused to interrupt '"e
| schedule OF his department. ana "ithlh an-
other dav the examiners reported the hhu
i,, NJ cartain documents which gave inc
&c, milling of the mess OF corruption "hlch
,ras sf,erward barred. The documents ana
letters examined pointed so plainly 70 'he
c,,rrrieinq revelation which followed that
rIotcbLise ordered his men TO seal up
,,.or,,thiro" and that was practically what
was done H..
II had been taken for granted up TO iha'
Tina that the exposures of the Hughes In
vestigation had taught the insurance neiu
generally the lesson that the days or cor
ruption were over, but the hotchNisS u"
| ,.os,iration which followed demonstrated
that even after the scourge OF l'Vo ,"e''
wore many men vino had failed to learn
the lesson. 40,
| Lacking over the exposures or the l''-
lou pm" probe, and particularly AT te
rutbre,s nlblicity which characterized IT.
NJ tIo,chltiss admitted that many thlhss
| .,aro .xnosed 10 the glare Of public knoWi-
,d,, u,b,cb could not have been 80 eHposeh
~ ,,or. adherence 10 the powers spe-
| ,ioo.u,. b.stoyed by law upon the lnsur-
orco Donartment MIR Hotchkiss "ouIo
never openly admit this fact during 'n'
rrorress Of the investigation; IN fa'| w
combated the point when 1t was ra'sed D!
ATTORNEYS for men who were subp%nacd 70
appear before him
In view of that stand, he vas asked tc
explain his motive for handling the hre III
surance investigation by the publicity pro
| ,rar,r,e idea which he followed, an idea
which caused men in the insurance field tf
| cbristen him "Headliner Hotchkiss. The
nonicker amused the former Superintend'
ont lie admitted the justice of II, admit
tod that II was the only method by which
no could get at the corruption In the hr'
irsurance field and admitted that without
tho headlines" his investigation would hav,
fallen fiat.
81 handled that matter on the pupliclI
proeramme idea" he explained. so ina
ths companies would understand that th'
d.v for the, use of money. paid either I,
LAWYERS or lawyer lobbyists legislatiS,
la.-nts or others, ia getting OF preventing
Irws had forever passed The public dis
,,..,,,,- uf the large sums paid for thes'
pmroses. aud the exposures Of the easy
marks which some company on'eis ha'
b.en did much To accomplish TINS result.
| The former Superintendent smiled remi
niscentIy as he ran over the immense sun
maid by the Phenix and other companies
aud associations OF companies 10 william
n Eucklev. the young lawyer whose In
come ran up TO At least 2"Vp IN inc mrs
wear after he was admitted 10 III" bar an'
I thai f,or, legislative "Orn alone.
81 courted that publicity" Mr.. Hotchkif
added. with the deliberate purpose "f ron"
ing tho r1bIic conscience, ~ cleansing 'h
atn,osphere and ~ impreSsing "n the com
nanies that desirable or necessary legisia
ton could always be obtained With the dc