The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1943-12-03
POISONED CANDY FOR
DOPEY DUPES

The fire insurance gouge is almost
criticise the little farmers mutual
companies. They seem to be run
honestly. At least all their surplus
stays in Montana But, to the for
eign fire insurance companies doing
business here, we paid in 1912, $3,041,-
9O566. They paid us back 3S per
cent of this, i.e., $1,166,51661. The
proportionate of gouge is about the
same for thirty years.
When the jury terms are on in Sill
yer Bow county, the insurance pres
sure group carry on a campaign. They
tell the venire men and women that
jurors in this county have bad repu-
tation for bringing in verdicts against
corporations, and in automobile COLI
sion cases. The resulting truth is for
several years past, Silver Bow county
jurors have been the weakest known
in injury or death cases of any in
Montana. Yet, the poor prosecuted
liability insurance companies got
from Montana auto drivers, and other
liability insurers, in premiums, in
1912, 1,139,39S.25; they paid in losses
$243,296.77. Much of this enormous
profit results from tricky work of |
claim agents when loss occurs, and |
embracery of jurors if suit is brought.
The insurance companies control
the American Bar Association q am
a member). They invariably elect as
president and secretary of the Mon
tana State Bar Association, attorneys
for insurance companies. 1t would be
hard to do otherwise. With the ex-
ception of my associate, A. c. Shone
and myself, Thomas c. Cotton of Bill
lings, there is no lawyer in Montana
who, on principle, refuses to serve in
5urance companies.
(In my youth I defended many burg
ars, horse thieves, etc. On my thir-
.ieth birthday 1 decided to quit that
inc. I have been offered attractive
ees from insurance companies, but
he same notion about defending burg
ars impelled me 20 years ago to re-
use to work for insurance COM
,anies.)
For fifteen years there has been a
persistent effort to abolish the plan
~ which employers pay insurance
to underwrite their work I
mems compensation. 1t has failed )
70 sadly paraphrase Lincoln, Mon
ana is a government of the insurance
by the insurance racke- Z
GERS, for the insurance racketeers.
n premiums for workmen's compen- L
alton in 1912, the racketeers receiv-
d 81,521S3. They paid the unfor-
217,500.18 Their tricky claim agents d
ave in these cases often delayed pay is
tents until starvation compelled the .
ictim to accept any cheap swindle in y
Ill settlement. Is
The insurance companies are the .
ecline is subject of national com y
tent in all the liberal press. Mon y
ina is the most corporation ridden 8
ate in the union, except Delaware, =
Test Virginia and Mississippi. The &c
of the numerous old strong y
ontana lawyers of rs years ago is IL
oparent all over the state. No man ~
IN teach law long at Missoula I'M
SIS he specializes his pupils in how y
tie up property of rich folks from 'i'
tting the courts settle estates, CON
ibutory negligence assumption of
SIX methods of evading taxes, etc. p
nd thus the Bar kills off itself The -
,ople do not trust bar that is tut &c
ed how to defeat all the common 81
ovid that seek the enforcement of I'll
cir plain rights. III
Two years ago, four high school IL
b