Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-09-27
HARDING HELPED INSURANCE INTERESTS.

Mr. Harding's record in the leSisla-
ture has disclosed the reason for the
united support which he has received
in his campaign from the fire insurance
interests of the state. II seems that IT
was Harding himself who introduced
in the thirty-third general assembly
H. f. 1872, which would have repealed
the existing law prohibiting insurance
companies or their agents combining
as to rates This has long been the
goal of the ambitions of the insurance
lobby. When the Blanchard law was
first enacted it was fought up to the
United States courts and failing there
| the insurance interests had sought to
have the law repealed.
Harding's bill went to the insurance
committee of the house The gossip is
that w. c. Hayward was secretary OF
state and his son seeing an account or
Harding's bill in a newspaper called his
fathers attention to it. The secretary
of state then tipped 1t off to the house
committee, which killed Hardings bill,
but the intent and purpose of Harding
to favor the insurance interests APP
peared quite clear in the bill which he
introduced In it's title the bill was
designated as
IAN act to repeal sections 1854. 1850,
1855 and 1851 of the code and to enact
substitute therefor
Section 1854. which Harding sought
to repeal, made 1t unlawful for two or
more fire insurance companies or
agents to enter into any combination as
to rates or commissions. This is the
orux Of the Blanchard anti-combine
law which the insurance interests had
fought for years. Harding was the
house member who was willing to
father a bill which would have accom-
plished their purpose and they have
been for Harding ever since.
Section 1855 of the code authorized
the insurance commission to summon
vail Guy ciiiNSi ia el6SiS "a GA
insurance company suspected of vio-
lating the anti-combine law and to de-
termine whether the person is guilty
of violating the law and to revoke the
company's license in case 1t had vio-
lated the law. Harding tried to repeal
this section.
Section 1856 of the code gave to the
person insured who had complained
and to the insurance company a right
of appeal to the district court and
Harding sought to repeal this section.
In the case of this effort, the result
OF which would have delivered the in
suring public over to the tender mer
cies of the insurance companies, il was
the same as in his vote for the public
utilities commission bill in that the
public escaped from Harding only by
the votes Of other men who defeated
him. The public utilities bill gave to
in the state a perpetual extension OF
its franchise and took away from the
people at home who paid the rates all
authority in fixing rates by giving that
authority to state commission. The
bill got by the house but was defeated
in the senate and now public utility
magnates have contributed to Hard
ing's Campaign fund. II they should
succeed IN obtaining a public utilities
commission to AK rates their friend
Harding. if elected governor, would ap-
point the commissioner Likewise
with the insurance interests. They are
contending now that the new law per-
mits combinations as to rates but
Emory English, the insurance commits
sioner, holds that it does not II Hard
ing were governor he could appoint
another insurance commissioner.