The Washington herald., 1913-10-26

after the insurance Investigations took
place. the Mutual Life strongly urged the
passage of q limitation bill. and, because
of the popular feeling developed by the
exposure of the Improper practices OF
the comanies. this bill was generally APP
proved. Gov. Hughes adopted the sug-
gestion, such a bill was passed by the
Legislature, and Gov. Hughes signed it
This bill caused the three great New
York companies to reduce markedly the
volume of business they were doing; II
threw great many agents out OF en-
ployment, and materially curtaiied the
foreign business of the companies-which n
business was bringing annually con-
siderable sum Of money to this country
for investment. In short, the experiment
worked soibadiy that before Gov. Hughes
went out of Office one OF the very last
bills he signed was one that permitted
the life insurance companies to increase
their business each year by an amount
representing certain percentage of the
business they had previously done. This
in practice, within a few years. practi-
cally annulled the limitation bill that
had been previously passed. The expert
ment of limiting the size OF business, Of
legislating against 1t merely because II
was big, had been tried. and had failed
50 completely that the authors Of the
bill had themselves In effect repealed IL.
My action In refusing to try the expert
ment had been completely justified.
As a sequel to this incident ! got Mr..
Perkins to serve on the Palisade Park
Commission. At the time / was taking
active part In the effort TO save the Pail
sades from vandalism and destruction by
getting the States of New York and New
Jersey Jointly to include them in pub
lie park. 1t is not easy to get -respon-
sible and capable man Of business to
undertake such task, which is unpaid.
which calls on his part for an immense
expenditure of time. money, and energy,
which offers no reward OF any kind, and
which entails the certainty of abuse and
Misrepresentation. Mr.. Perkins accept
ed the position, and has filled II for the
last thirteen years, doing as disinterest-
ed, efficient. and useful q bit OF public
service as any man. In the State has
done throughout these thirteen years.
Clash with the Machine.
The case of most Importance in which
clashed with Senator Platt related TO
a matter of fundamental governmental
policy, and was the first step I ever
took toward bringing big corporations un-
der effective governmental control. In
this case ! had to fight the Democratic
machine as well as the Republican ma
chine, for Senator Hill and Senator Platt
were equally opposed to my action. and
the big corporation men, the big busi-
ness men back of both of them took
precisely the same view of these matters
without regard to their party feelings on
other points. What / did convulsed
people at that time. and marked the be-
ginning Of the effort, at least in the
Eastern States. to make the great cor
porations really responsible to popular
wish and governmental command. But
We have gone so far past the stage in
which We then were that now II seems
well-nigh incredible that there should
have been any opposition at all to what
i at that time proposed.
The substitution of electric power for
horse power in the street car lines Of
New York offered a fruitful chance for
the most noxious type OF dealing be-
tween business men and politicians. The
franchises granted by New York were
granted without any attempt to secure
from the grantees returns, in the way Of
taxation or otherwise, for the value re-
ceived. The fact that they were thus
granted by improper fayoritism. favor
itism which, in many cases, was Sc
cured by downright bribery. led TO all
kinds of trouble. In return for the con-
tinuance of these improper favors TO the
corporations the politicians expected i'm