The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1925-05-14

Madison, Wis. - A. d. Smith Of,
Viroqua introduced a resolution in the
assembly here today, asking that
charges be made by w. Stanley Smith,
state insurance commissioner, in a I
letter to Attorney General Ekern be
considered by the assembly as a COM
mittee of the whole on Thursday,
May 81.
Commissioner Smith, in his letter
questioned the attorney generals
moral and legal right to advise the
senate" on the insurance bill.
The resolution states that "the /
charges made by Commissioner Smith |
against the attorney general are ex-
tremely serious, involving the integri-
ty Of our government"
The resolution was referred TO the
rules committee and Speaker Herman
Sachtjen ordered the resolution and
the letter from Mr. Smith to tho att
taAney general GaSmad on the records.
81 FRANKLY believe that you are
biased end preiudiced and chal-
lenge your moral or legal right to ad-
wise the senate on this bill without
full disclosure, as provided by law, OF
the Interests you represent" .Mr.
Smith wrote in his latest communion
ton to Mr.. Ekern The assembly to-
morrow will take up the question OF
hearing the attorney general and i'm
surance commissioner air their differ
ences under a resolution by Assem-
blyman A. E. Smith, Viroqua. An eff
fort to bring the matter up today was
defeated yesterday.
Commissioner Smiths Letter.
Commissioner Smiths letter to the
attorney general follows:
"On the 29th day of April, 1925, you
appeared before the senate sitting as
a committee Of the whole, in opposi-
ton to Bill IT'S S, being the revising
and recodifying the insurance laws OF
this state, prepared and sponsored by
the insurance department, and de-
signed to increase the efficiency Of the
department and the effectiveness Of !
state supervision and control of a
rapidly growing business of many
manifestations and considerable ruth
lessness to the general public in some
of its branches.
"You are the attorney general Of
this state and formerly insurance
commissioner, and the senators had a |
right to expect from you an unbiased !
opinion and to give that opinion due
weight in arriving at their final judg- |
ment of the merits Of the bill. They
had a right to expect your judgment
to be as free from bias or prejudice
as a judgment rendered by our SUI
preme court. If you we're biased or
prejudiced, you should have frankly
told them SO and why.
zone of the fundamental reasons OF |
the existence of our anti-lobbying I
laws is to bring the lobbyist out in !
the open as to the interests he repre- /
sents so that Legislators know what /
weight to give the arguments pre-
sented
Biased and Prejudiced.
IT frankly believe that you are /
biased aAd prejudiced and / challenge /
your moral or legal right to advise
the senate on this bill without full |
disclosure, as provided by law, of the I
interests you represent.
al had no opportunity to reply to
your very general attack on the bill
and therefore l am addressing this
open letter to you so that the senate
may be fully advised in the matter.
The following are some Of the reasons
for my belief and the basis on which
/ challenge you for cause:
81. You attended the national con-
vention Of the Insurance commission
ers, in August, 1928, in behalf Of cer-
tain insurance interests, and you were
at that time attorney general of Wis
consin. l attended this convention as
insurance commissioner and saw you
there.
80 You attended the national COM
vention Of insurance commissioners at
New York, in December, 1928, in be-
half of certain insurance interests,
and you were at that time attorney
general Of Wisconsin. / attended this
convention as insurance commission
er and saw you there.
%. You attended the national con-
vention of insurance commissioners
at New York, in December, 1924, in
behalf Of certain insurance interests,
and you were at that time attorney
general Of Wisconsin. attended this
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