South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1922-06-18
A.A.A. DELEGATES
WITHDRAW FROM
The ASSOCIATION
Claim Insurance Agencies Re-
sponsible for Step Taken
by Members.

WASHINGTON, juno 1T.-POwer-
full insurance agencies, which failed.
with the aid OF "A few dlsgruntled
office seekers. 10 obtain control Of
the American Automobile assn a.
St Louis. were largely responsible
for the withdrawal Of a few dele
cations and the attempted formation
OF a new organization, according 10
officials OF the A. A. A. This conten-
ton is borne out by an editorial in
the National Underwater, the leao-
ing insurance magazine. which gives
credit 10 the following insurance
agents: J. A Giberson. Of Alton. Ill.
b. Haywood Hagerman and Frank
Furgason. Kansas City. No. Edward
A. Winter, of Cincinnati and Percival
+. Knowlton, Of Ashtabula, o., for
the break which led the Illinois
Ohio and Indiana state associations,
with few scattering clubs, 10 with
draw from the A. A. A. meeting.
Start New Association.
These interests Immediately start
ed the formation Of another ma
tional organization, called variously
in their literature the National Au-
tomobile assn and the American Mo-
florists ass n. and Immediately began
issuing attacks on the A. A. A. claim
ing II 10 be a "commercialized con-
Germ" dealing in insurance, notwith-
standing that they knew at the time
that the A. A. A. does not handle in
surance.
The grounds for the bolt were that
the Chicago Motor club had not been
legally elected TO membership ana
that it's delegates should not be seat
ed. This was disproved at the meet
ing. by the minutes of the executive
board meeting at which the Chicago
club was legally admitted and az
which representatives Of several Of
the fllibustering clubs were present
and agreed. The protest, like that
against the Ohio State assn, charged
with classifying its accounts in paying
were both ignored and both delega-
tions seated.
Claim Twelve States.
The boilers Immediately began to
claim detection Of II states from the
A. A. A with a total membership Of
anywhere from 500, 600 10 100000
members. AS there were not 40O,-
600 members in the A. A. A. st the
time, the validity Of the claim is
obvious. The men VIII bolted the
meeting were the representatives Of
the Ohio assn, the Ilinois State assn
and the Hoosier State Automobile
assn, with one club from. Kentucky
and two clubs from Missouri. The
utmost strength the boilers register
ed upon the convention floor was SO
delegates And while these few
leaders are talking so confidently
about forming a new ass n. 1t is
significant that neither they, nor any
Of the members of their clubs, have
resigned from the A. A. A. They are
still members Of the American Auto
mobile assn.
Insurance Not Favored.
"It appears significant" said D. II.
Lewis, acting executive chairman Of
the A A A. that these men
should charge the A. A. A. with
'commercializing itself. inasmuch as
the a. A. A. does not now and never
has sanctioned insurance as a fea-
ture Of its national organiza ton. 1t
has no jurisdiction as to what its
affiliated clubs may do.
I'VE do not believe that the gen.
eral membership OF these clubs is
behind the men who are planning
new so-called national organiza-
ton, and we will take 20 action un-
til we have definite assurance that
these clubs have finally withdrawn
from the A A. A. The American
Automobile assn is too big and too
strong to be hurt by the withdrawal
Of these men. and it Will continue
n the future, as 1t has in the past.
to be the champion Of the motorists
of the nation in city, state and ma
IL