The Minneapolis journal. [volume], September 21, 1905, Image 1

About The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939

Image provided by: Minnesota Historical Society; Saint Paul, MN

                
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TODAY'S SFOBTING NEWS WILL BE FOUND ON PAGE 8 ff^
Minneapolis Merchants
TJw* The Journal most because it
gives them best
results.
PRICE TWO CENTS.
HUGHES PREDICTS
MORE SENSATIONS
Hew York Insurance Inquiry Is
Expected to Develop in
Interact.
PERKINS, THE MAN OP
TWO JOBS, ON STAND
New York Life's Vice President*
Partner of Morgan, Is Again
Quizzed.
New York, Sept. 21.The probing of
the methods of life insurance companies
was resumed today by the legislative
investigating committee.
Before the day's proceeding were be
gun, Charles E. Hughes, counsel to the
committee, said he believed that facts
of more importance and greater inter
fft than any developed thus far still
femain' to be brought out.
"We have not yet reached the meat
t this inquiry," said Mr. Hughes, "in
fact we have only started it."
Perkins Again a Witness.
George W. Perkins, vice president of
the New York Life, and a partner in
the banking firm of J. P. Morgan &
Co., was a witness again today. He
was asked to produce the check for
$800,000 given to J. P. Morgan & Co.
by the New York Life for $800,000 of
bonds of the Navigation syndicate
These bonds were sold by the New York
Life to J. iPerpont Morgan & Co., at
the close of the calendar year, Dec. 31,
1903, and bought back on the next busi
ness day, Jan. 2, 1904. The check was
offered as evidence.
An accompanying check for $266, Mr.
Perkins said he did not know about,
but would look it up. The check of
J. Morgan & Co. for $800,000, pay
ment for the bonds, also was asked for.
Mr. Perkins then presented a state
ment of the New York Life Insurance
company's joint accounts frtom 1897
to 1905.
Perkins Changes Reply.
Mr. Perkins also presented a number
of other financial statements that had
be*en requested. Then he said:
"Mr. Hughes, I think I have every
thing you asked for. I wish to make a
correction on the records. I think you
assumed the obiect of the navigation
syndicate transaction between the New
York Life and J. P. Morgan & Co. was
to enable the former to reduce their
holding* temporarily from $4,000,000 to
3,200,000. You asked whether our pur
pose was to report $3,200,00Q instead
of $4,000000. The record as furnished
me records me as answering, Yes, sir.'
I wish to correct that. I didn't mean
that. I don't mean it.''
""You mean to say 'N'?" asked Mr.
f[ mean to say 'No, replied Mr.
Perkins.
Held to the Subject.
Here Mr. Perkins tried to take up
another subject, but Mr. Hughes would
not dit the witness proceed, but said
he woud come to that later. He asked
Mr. Perkins to produce all certificates
the New York Life held on Dec. 31,
1903, showing its participation in the
navigation syndicate and ne particular
ly wished to know what instrument or
certificate the New York Life deliv
ered to J. Morgan on that date.
I wil be glad to furnish the infor-
mation'," said the witness.
Among the pint accounts Mr. Hughes
found a participation of the New York
liife Insurance company with C. T.
Wing & Co., in which, on the purchase
of railroad bonds to the sum of $1,780,-
000, the New York Life received a
profit of $32,705.
I The witness did not know what prof
its C. T. Wing & Co. got in' the tran
saction.
"From this account it looks as if
the New York Life put up all the
money said Mr. Hughes. "Do you
know whether_that is true or not?"
j^i I do not. am
noaccounts
the bookkeeper,
bu" I presumeI the are cor
rect.'*
Paid Out a Million.
Mr. Perkins was temporarily ex
cused and Milton Monro Madson, a
bookkeeper of the New York liife, was
called. He identified extracts" from
the books of the New York Life show
ing that in the Wing & Co. account, the
New York Life paid oul $1,700,000.
Some bonds weer withdrawn by the in
curance company leaving $1,280,000
bonds in the joint account.
Mr. Perkins was recalled and said:
"We went into this transaction to
et these bonds as cheaply as possible,
fear sir, that your are under the im
pression that we went into this busi
ness so as to let others make money
out of the action, but that is not so.
Hughes Demands Facts.
"We will skip the motive," inter
rupted Mr. Hughes. "Let us get at
the facts. I do not wish to discuss
the matter at all you you. Let us have
the facts."
"All right, sir."
"Did the New York & Security Trust
company buy any bonds for your com-
pany?" asked Mr. Hughes.
I cannot say, for that was four
years before I took charge of the
finance department of the company."
Mr. Perkins said that in 1898 the
New York Life took $2,100,000 of Chi
cago & North-Western 3 per cent
bonds in ioint account with Goldman,
Sachs & Co., a portion of which was
sold with a profit for the life insur
ance company of $13,740.
Losses to Be Shared.
Bookkeeper Madison was
recalleshared !r testified that the profits were
by the life insurance company and
Goldman, Sachs & Co., and that if there
had been a loss it would have been
equally shared.
Mr. Perkins again took the stand and
said that in another joint account with
Goldman, Sachs & Co., the latter com
panies bought the bonds amounting to
$1,490,000, and that the New York Life
Insurance company carried them until
they were sold. The profits were di
vided, each receiving $12,184.
It was shown that the profits of the
New York Life from 1899 to 1901, in
clusive in joint accounts, were $388,382.
Why Bonds Are Bought.
Testifying regarding another bond
transaction, Mr. Perkins said that Gold
man, Sachs & Co. bought the bonds
an
Continued on 2d Page, 5th Column.
INSURANCE SCANDAL TO
GAIN HUGE PROPORTIONS
S
PANAMA WANTS TO
JOIN COSTA RICA
Isthmian Republic Tires of Inde
pendence and Seeks An
nexation.
United States Pledged to Main
tain Independence of Pana
ma Republic.
New York Sun Special Service.
Washington, Sept. 21.-The republic
of Panama, which came into existence
two years ago as a result of the inter
vention of the United States, has be
gun preliminary negotiations with the
republic of Costa Rica for annexation
by that country.
This news has just reached the state
department in an official dispatch from
Consul General Lee, who is stationed
at Panama, and is regarded as of con
siderable importance to the United
States. The state department will bring
the matter to the attention of the pres
ident in order that he may define the
policy which this government shall
adopt. The dispatch of Mr. Lee is
meager. He says he understands the
public opinion of Costa Eica to be fa
vorable to the union.
Costa Bica Favors Idea.
Minister Calvo of Costa Eica admit
ted today that the public opinion in his
country favored the annexation of Pan
ama. He said:
Should annexation occur, the American
people need not be assured bv a repre
sentative of Costa Rica that my country
will do nothing which is In any way
harmful to their Interests. Annexation
would be advantageous to us because it
would double our territory, would enable
us to increase our credit, and assure to
us a more powerful position in Central
America.
Annexation woulcL be advantageous to
Panama, because we would be able to ex
tend to that country our laws of hygiene
and health, which would result in stamp
ing out the bubonic plague and yellow
fever, our education system and our ad
vanced ideas generally.
The United States and other countries
would be benefited thru the develop
ment of Panama. Our people are in such
an enlightened state that order and tran
quility exist, and during the time I have
been accredited as minister to the United
States there has not been a single com
plaint to your government of a denial of
Justice to an American or other foreigner.
I think this will be considered more
creditable when It is known that we have
an immense amount of foreign capital, in
cluding American, invested in Costa Rica.
Wajr to- Canal Sought.
While the minister did not say so, it
is apparent that Costa Eica's ambition
is to acquire by this means land com
munication with, the Panama canal. The
territory of the republic now has only
water communication with Panama and
Colon, and in order to build a railroad
to either of these ports it would be
necessary to obtain a right of way un
der foreign jurisdiction, with all the
vexations accompanying a changed sov
ereignty.
Costa Eica earnestly favored the con
struction of the Nicaragua canal by the
United States because that waterway
would have run along its northern boun
dary. It was a great disappointment
that that route was not adopted.
Why Panama Is Active.
The quickness with which the govern
ment of Panama has soured with the
idea of independence is due, from^ in
formation received here, to various
causes. The officials had expected that
when the United States began to build
the Panama canal a stream of gold
would flow into the country which
would make every one of them a rich
man.
The United States has pursued the
policy of spending most of its money
within its own borders. There has been
no opportunity for the extensive graft
which is possible in the other republics
of Central and South America, because
under article 10 of the treaty between
the United States and Panama, the lat
ter is prohibited from imposing any
taxes upon the canal or anything ap
pertaining thereto, or the officers and
employees of the waterway living in
the cities of Panama and Colon.
The government also is estopped from
levying contributions or charges of a
personal character of any kind upon
any individual in the service of the
canal and railroad and auxiliary works.
Lost "Right" of Revolt.
The United States found it necessary
to act firmly in suppressing the insur
rection which the commander-in chief
of the Panama army had organized, and
it thus took away from the people of
the republic one of the most cherished
rights, that of revolution, which the
Latin-American can possess.
There has been a conflict between
Panama and the United States over the
authority of the latter in open ports in
the canal zone, the effect of which
Panama claimed would work hardship
upon the tradespeople of Panama and
Colon.
In brief, the government and people
of Panama seem to have come to the
conclusion that they have independence
in name only, and thev believe that by
annexation to Costa Eica they will se
cure greater freedom.
United States' Consent Necessary.
But objectionable as American inter
ference may seem to Panamans, it will
be impossible for them to effect a union
with Costa Eica unless the United
States consents. By article 1 of the
treaty between the United States and
Panama, "the United Statea guaran
tees and will maintain the indepen
dence of the republic of Panama."
Both Panama and Costa Eica there
fore will have to obtain the approval
of this government before the consoli
dation can take place.
The area of Costa Eica is 23,000
square miles, while that of Panama is
32,380 square miles, so that the great
er republic would have the area of
55,000 square miles. The population of
Costa Eica is about three hundred thou
sand. The people of Panama are not
as well educated as the Costa Eicans.
They are poor and wretched, and num
ber about four hundred thousand.
Panama is rich in agriculture, min
erals, timber, animals and ivory. These
resources are hardly developed not at
all in comparison to those of Costa Eica.
THREE BROTHERS WED SISTERS
St Joseph. Mo., Sept. 21.-William
Kastor of Chicago was married last even
ing to Miss Cecilia Bearman of this place.
Two brothers of Kastor are husbjands of
two sisters of the bride.
STATE LOSES IN
ITS SLIVER CASE
Mineral Lease Law Held Consti
tutional by Judge Dibell
of Duluth.
Special to The Journal.
Duluth, Minn., Sept. 21.The state
mineral-lease law is constitutional, says
Judge Homer B. Dibell, in his decision
filed in the "Virginia sliver" case to
day. He also holds that Mabel Evans
obtained her lease in a proper way,
and that no conspiracy or fraud has
been proven also that George A.xFlynn
and I. C. Patterson have no interest
it, and never had.
The state brought the action to set
aside a lease granted Mabel Evans for
the iron land question. In the course
of the action Attorney--General Young
raised the point that the mineral lease
law, under which thousands of leases
have been issued, and several mines
are being operated by large interests
and under which the state has received
nearly a million dollars in royalties
and feeSj was unconstitutional. This
brought into the case a large array of
legal talent representing mining inter
ests that would have sustained great
losses if the law was declared invalid.
The raising of this point caused the
question as to the Evans lease to be
come secondary and really insignifi
cant. The attorneys for the interests
holding leases claimed that the law was
valid under an original construction of
the constitution and under the prac
tical construction given it by the state
and its authorities. Judge JDibell sus
tained both of these contentions.
The court also finds that Pearl H.
Smith never made an application for
the land orally or written, and was,
in fact, an ppponent of the state claim,
inasmuch as ne was trying to locate the
land with scrip.
Whatever he was trying to do, the
court says he was not trying to get
a lease. The decision is a very ex
haustive one, tracing the idea ot
leases of land from the early ages down
to the present time.
HELD AS KING OF
ALL BIGAMISTS
Atlanta Prisoner Is Believed to
Be Witzhoff, with Record of
125 Marriages.
!New York Sun Special Service.
Itfew York, Sept. 21.In all probabil
ity Dr. George A. Witzhoff, bigamist,
with a record of 125 marriages in which
he has figured as principal or witness,
has been caught at Atlanta, Ga.
Lawyer Benjamin Franklin has re
ceived a dispatch from the Atlanta
chief of police, which says: "Man ar
rested here answers description of
Witzhoff, who is wanted in New York
for bigamy
Franklin will send a recent photo
graph and a full description of Witz-
While searching for a Chicago em
bezzler named Gus Bobbs, the Atlanta
police ran across a man calling himself
Gehlstein, who was living with a pretty
woman from New York. Gehlstein an
swered completely the telegraphed de
scription of Witzhoff and the police im
mediately arrested him.
Fergus Falls, Minn., Se'pt. 21.Bar-
ney Munson, a saloonman, convicted of
selling liquor to minors, was fined $50
and costs today, amounting to $85. N.
Nelson pleaded guilty to the same of
fense and was fined $25 and costs.
THURSDAY EVENING,^SEPTEMBER 21, 1905.
5tr.
if
WILLIAM H. BAILY,
Who Has Been Missing Since Last Eve-
s' mng. s*
WELL-KNOWN MAN
DROPS FROM VIEW
Wm. H. Baily Disappears During
Homeward Walk from a
Wedding.
William H. Baily, for many years a
well-known business man of Minneapo
lis, has suddenly disappeared.
Last evening he went with his
daughters to St. Paul's church, Bryanf
and Franklin avenues, to attend the
wedding of Miss Lillian May Williams
and Albert Gluck. After the ceremo
ny his daughters went to a reception
at the home of the bride's parents and
Mr. Baily left them at Franklin and
Hennepin avenues, saying that he
would walk to their home, at 140 Lau
rel avenue. Since then no trace of him
has been found.
His daughters, upon arriving at home
at 11:30, found that he had not re
turned. Searching parties at once
started out to look for him and the
police were notified, but thus far all
efforts to locate the missing man have
been unsuccessful. The police have
been untiring in their efforts. The
arks and all the avenues by which
Baily might have strayed from his
route have been searched over and over
again. The wife and daughters are
greatly worried over the disappearance
of the husband and father and Mrs.
Baily's health, always poor, has suf
fered severely under the strain.
I is thought by many that Mr. Baily,
who is 70 years of age, may have been
attacked with a Budden 'sickness and
have been unable to find his way home
in his dazed condition. There is a
strong probability ij*at he may have
been taken in for the^ ni^ht by some
one who noticed his* dazed condition
and feared for his ssjfefcjc* Mr. Baily
has never been subject to Tainting or
similar attacks, and aside from occa
sional trifling absent-mindedness, has
always been, full possession of his
faculties.
FOT many years Mr. Baily has been
in the real-estate and loaning business
at 203 New York Life building, and
has been a prominent officer of Wes
minster Presbyterian church. He has
two daughters, the Misses Caroline and
Ella Baily, and a son, Henry Baily,
a lawyer, who occupies offices with his
father. The family live at 140 Laurel
avenue, flat 3.
When last seen Mr. Baily, who is
a man slightly below average height,
with a full white beard, was attired in
a black suit.
MADMAN CREMATES FAMILY.
Madison, Ind., Sept. 21.On Beatty
Eidge, in Switzerland county, last
night, George Ford, who is believed to
be insane, cremated his wife and three
children by setting fire to the house in
which they were asleep. All four per
ished in the flames.
DECAPITATED
IN AN EXPLOSION
Two Killed and Several Injured
in Boiler Accident on the
Highway.
Special to The Journal.
New Market, Minn., Sept.
men were dismembered and
killed by the explosion of a
engine toiler on the highway two and
one-half miles east of this place at sun
set last night.
Another man will lose his sight ffom
fearful scalds about the head and face.
Three others have injuries, principally
scalds, and two horses were killed.
The dead men are Ole Hagen, a
farmer and owner of the engine, and
Andrew Gilbertson, who was working
for Hagen.
Hagen was decapitated and his trunk
horribly mangled. He was married and
had a family of five, his age being about
40. Gilbertson was 45 and single.
Andrew Cryer is the name of a farm
er who will lose his sight. Oscar Tour
son, another farmer, was seated in a
buggy behind the threshing rig. and
was badly scalded. His horse was killed
and his puggy smashed to pieces. It is
difficult to understand how he escaped
alive.
George Gilbertson, son of Louis Gil
bertson, was also scalded, but not se
riously hurt. The tank tender, whose
name is not known, was blown fifteen
or twenty feet and seriously mjurea by
the shock. All the living are expected
to recover.
The engine was being taken under its
own steam to a near-by farm, where it
was to drive the machinery of a corn
shredder. It was of sixteen horsepower
and had been in use many, years.
The force of the explosion seemed to
blow out both ends of the boiler. Steam
escaped in all directions and pieces of
the boiler and machinery were found
in fields rods away.
21.Two
instantly
threshing
RECOGNITION HINT
FROM ROOSEYELT
President's Request of Report on
Scandia's Situation Points
to Action Soon.
By W. W. Jermane.
Washington, Sept. 21.At President
Boosevelt"s request a full telegraphic
statement the situation between the
governmentsf
of Sweden and Norway is
eing 'prepared in Stockholm.
I is believed in Washington that
President Eoosevelt's request is pre
liminary to his taking up the question
of recognition by this country of the
new government of Norway.
A request for such recognition is
expected to reach Washington very
quickly after the details of an agree
ment between the two countries have
been agreed to.'
I is predicted here that recognition
by the United States will come practi
cally at the same time with that by
other powers.
SOCIALISTS WOULD STRIKE
Stockholm, Sweden, Sept. 21.The
Tidningen prints a private letter from
Christiania, in which it is said that
the Norwegian government has sent
sixty cannon south by rail. Owing to
the circulation of mobilization sum
mons, many stores in Christiania have
been closed, all the employees having
rallied to the colors.
The Swedish socialist party passed a
resolution last night to declare a gen
eral strike, should war be declared, and
also to refuse to take up arms.
1
ROOSEVELT WILL RETURN
CASH TO CORPORATIONS
PREFERRED DEATH
TO THIEFS BRAND
Ella Kent Browns Herself
Way to Be Tried for Petit
Larceny.
Was Arraigned Yesterday.
Ella Kent was brought into police
court yesterday charged with stealing
a shirt and some other small articles
from Anna Berg, with whom she
roomed at 628 Fifth street S. She was
"arraigned in court and was allowed to
go on her personal recognizance until
tnis morning. She was on her way to
court when she was seized with the
suicide mania and in her despair
sought the river.
The girl was poverty stricken, had
no friends and but 4 cents in money.
She was so frightened in court yester
day that she nearly fainted and told
Matron Schaeffer at Central station
that she would rather die than to have
her name published as that of a com
mon thief.
The girl had no relatives in the city
and has always worked as a domestic
in boarding-houses. The body is still
at the morgue and will be kept until
relatives make arrangements for bur
ial. PACKERS' REBATES
COST BIG FINES
Four Officials of S. & S. Company
Must Pay $25,000 for
Offenses.
Chicago, Sept. 21.Four officials of
the Schwarzchild & Sulzberger Pack
ing company of Chicago, were fined
an aggregate of $25,000 by Judge Hum
phrey in the United States district
court here today. The fines followed
a plea of guilty to indictments charging
conspiracy to accept railroad rebates.
The defendants were Samuel Weil of
New York, vice president of the com
pany B. S. Cusey, traffic manager
Vance D. Skipworth and Chess E. Todd,
assistant traffic manager. Mr. Weil
was fined $10,000, the other three $5,000
each.
Life in Jeopardy.
With the entering of the plea the
declaration was made that un'less at
least one of the cases is immediately
settled, the life of Sampel Weil, who
is vice president of the company and
is one of the defendants, is in jeop
ardy. He is said to be a nervous wreck
and fears were entertained for his life
if he had been allowed to continue uh
der the stigma of an indictment.
The plea was entered, it is declared,
after a complete understanding had
been reached between counsel tor the
defendants and Attorney General Wil
liam H. Moody. While in* Chicago the
attorney general was apprised of the
condition of Vice President Weil a'tfd,
it is said, agreed to the entry of a plea
of guilty with the understanding that
the jail provision of the law under
which the indictment was returned
should be waived and merely a fiWe im-
Jn
osed
mm- **M B|*Mh Attorneys X. K.
ss^s^*******^^ and J. Hwnete,
The same concession was made
the case of the other three defend
ants.
Why They Were Fined.
The, four defendants were charged
with unlawfully combining and agree
ing to solicit rebates for The Schwarz
child & Sulzberger company from the
Michigan Central, the Eock Island, the
Gran a Trunk Western, the Lehigh Val
ley, the Boston & Maine, and the Mo
bile & Ohio. Charges were made that
the defendants conspired with each
other in presenting supposed claims for
damages which were in reality claims
for rebates.
The plea made today (Thursday) does
not in any way effect the charge of in*
terference wini government witnesses
made in a previous indictment re
turned against Cusey and other
Schwarzchild & Sulzberger men.
The four defendants were in the fed
eral court building and all but Weil ap
peared, before Judge They
A We 1keedfflte*niedTrjrHumphrey. Atfm&jr^Wm--
AIE, TONiaHT AND FBZDAT OOOLEB TONIGHT. 1
$
on
Waded Into River and Died in
Plain Sight of Many People
on Shore.
With no money or friends to help
her in her distress, and a charge of
theft standing against her in the
courts, Ella Kent, 20 years oid, walked
into the Mississippi river near Central
avenue this forenoon rather than face
the verdict of guilty which she feared
would be her fate.
The girl sought her death near the
east bank of Nicollet island and almost
under the stone arch bridge.
Pedestrians on the bridge and work
men in the island factories saw the
young woman remove her hat at the
water's edge and wade out toward the
current. All were willing to sound
the alarm for the police, but no one
so much as wet his feet in an attempt
to save the crazed girl's life, altho the
water was but four feet deep where
she went down. She struggled weakly
in the water for a moment and then
..sank from sight. One man, employed
by the city on street work, ran to the
river's edge with a stick, which he
reached out to her, but it was too
short and he did not wade out to place
it within her reach.
In a few moments the police were
on the scene with the patrol boat and
the rescue work began. After a short
search the body was taken from the
water a few feet from shore.
In the crowd of spectators were
many women and several of these,
seized with hysterics, immediately
identified the dead woman as some par
ticular friend. Later they all re
tracted their identifications. The body
was removed to the morgue, where the
proper identification was made.
When the body was first taken from
the river a card was found which bore
the name of Miss Jennie Dixon, 412^
Seventh avenue S, and it was at first
thought that it was Miss Dixon who
was drowned. Miss Dixon, however,
came to the morgue and said she did
not know the girl, nor could she ac
count for her having the card.
Beginning October 1
There will he a re
Morning Bdi
The Journal?
egnlar St
ition of
16 PAGESFIVE O'CLOCK.
Sunday
Ul~Z. ""f^.
SECRET COUNCIL
AT OYSTER BAY
President and Chief Adviser*
Take Up Insurance Scandal
in Night Meeting.
POLICYHOLDERS WILL
GET THE MONEY BACK
Fat-Frying for Campaign Funds
to Stop if President Has
His Way.
New York Sun Special Service.
Oyster Bay, N. Y., Sept. 21.As the
result of a conference being held last
night at Sagamore Hill between Presi'
dent Eoosevelt, Secretary of State Boot,
Postmaster General Cortelyou, Senator
Lodge and Joseph H. Choate, former
ambassador to Great Britain, plans were
laid for the elimination of contribu
tions to future national campaign funds
by all corporations affected by national
legislation.
There is a further authoritative ru
mor that President Eoosevelt insisted
last night upon the return of all ean
paign contributions made by life in
surance companies to the last repub
lican national campaign committee and
that his wishes will be carried out.
These radical and far-reaching meas
uresthe most momentous in the his
tory of the Eoosevelt administration
have been determined upon by the pres
ident, following the disclosures of enor
mous contributions of policyholders'
money toward the Eoosevelt campaign,
as disclosed by various newspapers and
brought out at the sessions of the life
insurance investigating committee at
New York.
Nightly Conferences.
Ever since the investigation began,
Postmaster General Cortelyou, who was
chairman of the republican national
committee, has been stopping at Hunt
ington, almost within a stone's throw of
Sagamore Hill, and almost nightly
conferences have taken place in the
president's library.
At these secret conferences the grad
ual unravelling by the investigating
committee of the_ mysteries of the
enormous political interests of the life
companies have been followed step by
step until radical measures were de-'
termined upon to forestall further dis
closures that might involve the admin
istration in a scandal of dangerous pro
portions.
Roosevelfa' Closest Friends.
Last night's conference is one tff
the most important ever held at the
president's summer home. The confer
ence included the four men considered
the closest and most influential friends
of the president. Senator Lodge has
long been known as the president's po
litical adviser.
Postmaster General Cortelyou's pres
ence at the conference as chairman of
the republican national campaign conv^
mittee can be easily understood.
Secretary Boot has a most extent
sive knowledge of the inner workings
of the great insurance companies, prob*
ably greater than any other member ot
the administration, while Mr. Choate'
knowledge of the legal means of carry
ing reform measures of such sweeping
and radical nature as conceived by the
president, is well known.
Came Almost Secretly.
These men came here quietlyalmost
secretlylate in the afternoon.
Secretary Boot, Mr. Choate and Mr.
Lodge arrived together, getting into
Sagamore Hill at dusk. Their names
had not been made public at the ex
-ecutive office, where callers are usu
ally announced beforehand. They re
fused to be interviewed, stating that
they themselves did not know the pur
port ftf their visit to the president.
They were driven at once to Sagamore
Hill, where they were met later by
Postmaster General Cortelyou, who
drove over from Huntington, where his
presence was not even suspected by
resideots of Oyster Bay.
Sensation Forthcoming.
The details are kept absolutely se
cret, but it is known positively that
that part of the president's forthcom
ing message to congress dealing with
campaign contributions will furnish a
sensational chapter of the president's
views on corporation contributions to
national campaigns.
He will recommend that legislation
be enacted prohibiting the acceptance
by national campaign* committees jt
any political party of contributions
from any corporation affected in any
way by congressional action.
This will apply only to life insurance
companies, but it is known that the de
termination of the president to bring
about this revolutionary precedent was
dictated by revelations in the life in
surance scandals which have already
directly connected the New York Life
Insurance oompatijy wit
campaign1
McCALL ACCUSES PABKEB
New York Life's Head Says Judge
Sought Campaign Funds.
New York, Sept. 21.Political con
tributions of the New York Life Insur
ance company were the points around
which the hearing before the legislative
insurance investigation turned yester
day afternoon.
President John A. McCall of the New
York Life Insurance company was the
ehief witness, and for several hours he
was subjected to a fire of questions by
ChaflesTl. Hughes, counsel for the com-
4
Contbrbed on %l Pace, 6th Column,
JSJB*
-=S i
iO
committee'sh stronrepublicatnxbogeth
the extent of more than $48,000.
To Return Contribution.
If the president's wishes are carried
out the entire amount of this contribu
tion will be handed back to the treas
urer of the New York Life, together
with whatever contributions, if any,
were made to the republican committee
by other life insurance companies dur
ing the last campaign. -*."i
The revelations made by George W.
Perkins last week, taken in connection
with the charges made last year by Al
ton B. Parker concerning Chairman
Cortelyou's levying of campaign assess
ments* upon corporations, nave stirred
the president to immediate action and
tonight's conference is the result.
The result of the conference, it is be
lieved, will cause a political sensation
that will be felt from one end of the
country to the other.
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