The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1912-12-20

It was with a feeling of consider
able pride, yet pride that was wholly
pardonable, that the officers of the
Pioneer Life Insurance Co., greeted
their many guests at their second an
nual banquet to their agents at Pi-
rie's hall last night, and told the citi-
zens of Fargo and the friends of the
company what were their accomplish
ments during the last year.
1t was a representative gathering
of business and insurance men from
Fargo and various North Dakota and
Minnesota points that sat down to
the elaborate annual feast which was
arranged with the greatest care and
was perfect in all minutia of it's ap-
pointments.
With Governor elect Hanna, vice
president of the company, as toast
master and a galaxy of prominent
speakers comprising prominent state
officials from North Dakota and Min
nesota and business men whose
names stand for solidity and for the
upbuilding OF the northwest, it was
a programme replete with rare and
spicy wit as well as one crammed
with facts about Fargo's pioneer in
surance company, that followed the
elaborate repast.
Governor elect Hanna's Talk.
Preceded by a quintet of voices
composed of the Company's agents
who rendered several pleasing seleC-
tions, the governor elect was greeted
on his first public appearance back
home and since his recent election
last month, by a storm of applause
from the large number of his ad-
mirers who were present
I,n
and welcome you all to a banquet
given by a company whose officers
have worked to make this state pos
sible for many years." said the gov
ernor- elect in opening his remarks.
we little appreciate the power of a
life insurance company, but 1t is one
of the biggest financial institutions
any state can possess, and the Pioneer
Life ought to grow to be one of the
| biggest financial institutions in North
| Dakota and help build up the
state
Farm mortgages are the safest in
vestments of the life insurance com
papies and the. present farm fndeht-
1 edness of North Dakota is $4,000, 900
which means about $S,000,000 going
out of the state annually in the way
of interest. The assessed valuation of
the state is $270,000, 900. about one
third of which goes out in interest"
In introducing the first speaker of
the evening, who was Mayor Sweet,
Congressman Hanna said he would
call upon a gentleman with whom he
! became especially well acquainted
during the late campaign
Mayor Sweet Witty.
The mayor never appeared to better
advantage than last night and made a
most favorable impression on the
| whole assemblage, as he kept the
crowd in a continual uproar of laugh
ter. The mayor said he had been re-
feTred to by his recent poIitical ad-
versary as distinguished" but that he
| felt it should have been "extinguish-
ed" AS there was no special subject
assigned to him he said he supposed
| it was thought he could speak to bet -
| ter advantage if he had none and could
therefore be in better position to
entertain himself-er / mean you,
he corrected himself hastily.
II myself used to be in the life in
surance business when i was the ir-
repressible office boy in the Chicago
branch of the Mutual Life Insurance
Co. of New York. There washed the
| windows. swept the floor and polished
up the handle of the big front door.
In time | became a collector and how
vividIy | recall the men on whom
then called to collect their premiums,
many of whom have become historic
figures in the world. There was
Marshall Field. Higganbotham, P. B.
Hutchinson, Rob Lincoln and Melville
Fuller, the late chief justice. And in
our Office was one of the brightest
actuaries l ever met. His name was
Geteau, brother of the assassin of our
president"
The mayor said in those days above
the doors of nearly all business houses
there were signs which barred ped
dlers and life insurance agents." but
now that conditions were changed and
a life insurance representative couldn't