The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1920-10-25

and requests the adoption of the
Rmendmnt. | contend that the Fra
ternal Congress of Oklahoma does not
represent the desires or the best In
terests Of the members OF the bene-
ficiary fraternal societies in okla
homa. 1t was organized from the top
to serve the selfish ends OF certain
head officers OF certain societies which
IL is claimed are represented in said
Fraternal Congress. | propose to show
that ii would be against the public
good and the interest Of fraternal in
surance societies IN Oklahoma for the
amendment to be adopted. Real re-
forms come from the bottom, as in a
tree the vital currents Of life come
up through the roots, the body, the
branches, the flower to the fruit. They
do not come from the top
What is the FraternaI Congress Of
Oklahoma? How is it composed? i?
What is its purpose? No camp or
lodge elects delegates to attend its
meetings. About four years ago w. A.
Fraser, SOVEREIGN Commander of the
/ w o. W., was IN Oklahoma City, and
a few of his henchmen and a few
others got together and organized
\ what they called the Fraternal Con
( gress OF Oklahoma. They are high
sounding words, it is true There is
no basis OF representation or fixed
! time of meeting for said organization
/ and only few attend its called meet
4 ings. In the facts herein given you
will see the sinister purpose of the
organization.
Members of the Legislature Deceived.
The Fraternal Congress OF okla
homa gave banquet to the members
oil the Legislature in the Lee,Huckins
Hotel Tor the purN0sc Of boosting" a
certain proposed law and the said pro.
posed amendment to our Constitution.
OF course the rank ard file of the
members belonging to the several fra.
ternal societies concerned knew moth.
ing about the meeting or its purposes,
but contributed the money which the
head ocers used to pay the expenses
Of the banquet, contrary to the prin-
ciple, Taxation without representa-.
tion is tyranny" Members OF the leg
islature evidently believed that the
Fraternal Congress of Oklahoma rep.
resented the members of the several
societies concerned In this they were
deceived, as the facts hereinafter dis.
closed will show. The Legislature
merely submitted the proposed amend
ment to the people for their ratifca.
tion or rejection Several members of
the legislature who voted to refer the
proposed amendment to the people
will vote against the same.
Object to Convert into Old Line Com.
panies.
The laws of the various states rec.
ognize two lines or types OF policies,
one for profit and the other for mutual
protection. Sec 3, OF Art. 19 of our
Constitution exempts insurance com.
panies which are not conducted for
profit, and insuling only their own
members Gratemal societes), and all
of which the interest of each respect.
lively shall be uniform and mutual,
from certain burdens imposed upon
old line foreign life insurance com.
panies Foreign life insurance com
panies, organized for profit, are per.
mitted to write different types OF in
surance, and they are required to pay
to our state $500 per annum, $500 for
each agent and two per cent on prem.
iums collected in Oklahoma. For the
year 1919 the New York Life Insur
ance Co. paid to our state on prem
iums collected, after deducting divi.
ldends, S2I543S4. Other companies
paid large sums to our state Frater.
nal insurance societies which write
uniform and mutual policies, only
pay $500 when permitted to do bust.
ness, and do not pay anything on pre-
miums collected. 1t is the object of
the proposed amendment to LAY down
/ the bars" so that fraternal societies
can write different types of policies,
This is admitted in the affirmative
argument l agree that that would be
the effect of the amendment if adopt
ed. Instead of all new blood going to
support one type OF policy the en-.
Z eI gies and prestige of the fraternal so.
cities would be scattered When the
Woodmen Of the World began to write
TYPES of policies other than the one
which had been built up by the old
members, the rates on the old mem
bers were increased. 1t was probably
contemplated that with many of the
old members forced out Of the society,
lit would still go on with the same
Officers at its head. The rates were
greatly increased and at the same
time the Sovereign Commanders sal
ary was increased from $12,500 to $25,.
000 per year in addition to large sums
allowed for expenses. Remember that
such man was the moving spirit be-
hind the Fraternal Congress of Okla.
homa, which urges the adoption of the
proposed amendment. Let us mem.
bers think for ourselves. When we
see our interests betrayed, let us act
for our common good. To allow fra,
ternal societies to write different
types of policies would be fruitful
source Of fraud. In that way they
could, under the guise OF fraternal
society, write old line insurance. After
writing one type of policy for awhile,
the unscrupulous could use the pres.
tige of the society in fostering another
type of policy, and as the old policies
are supported by new blood from new
members the rates would be greatly
increased or be unable to pay the old
policies at death. Members, when
they are too old to take out other in
surance, find they have no insurance
or the rates are so increased until
man cannot carry their insurance.
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