Weekly Jeffersonian, 1907-01-10

The opening of the New Year was notable be because - cause because of the number of important laws which then became effective. One of these con consisted - sisted consisted of certain features of the insurance law, which gives the death * blow to the abuse of deferred payments. As the law stands now, all new business written must be on a basis of an annual opportunity for policyholders to . get the benefit of any profits which may have ycrued, and to decide for themselves in what form vkey will accept the benefit of these profits. The anti-pass feature of the railroad rate law went into effect, efforts may be made by the present congress to modify its provisions. The Pure Food Law, designed to make labels tell the truth, has put the grocers and druggists, particu particularly, - larly, particularly, in a state of mind. There are some commod commodities - ities commodities of which they do not know the constituent parts,, and they do not* know just what labels to adopt. Denatured alcohol went on the free list, and light and power, thanks to this reform, should henceforth be considerably cheaper. H It M Two Notables Indicted For Forgery. The courts continue to mete out even-handed justice against those who have violated the law in connection with insurance companies. George Burnham, Jr., counsel and vice-president of the Mutual Reserve Fund Life Insurance Company, was and guilty of grand larceny and sentenced to ve two years in State's Prison. On December an application for a cei rtficat- of reasonable doubt was denied, and evidently he will have to take bis punishment. During the last week of the year, Geo. W. Perkins, former vice-president of the New York Life Insurance Company, and a partner in the film of J. Pierpont Morgan & Co., and Charles S. Fairchild, secretary of the treas treasury - ury treasury under Cleveland, and later president of the New. York Security & Trust Company, a sub subsidiary - sidiary subsidiary company of the New York Life, were in indicted - dicted indicted by the grand jury in New York for forgery in the third degree. It was developed during the Armstrong investigation that, in order to evade the insurance laws of Prussia, which was about to bar the company from that country on the grounds that many of its securities were in the nature of industrial stocks, a transfer of these stocks was made from the insurance company to the Security & Trust Company. This transaction was entered in one instance as a sale, in the other instance as a loan. Fairchild and Perkins are charged with having been a party to the. misleading entries. The grand jury took occasion to state that these men had not profited personally by the transaction, and that, ip reality, it had been of benefit to the stockholders. This supplementary presentment was in the nature of an extenuation, but it will remain with the trial jury to settle that point, and there are demands that no mercy shall be shown them. * H M Ambassador James Bryce. .The appointment of Hon. James Bryce as British ambassador to the United 'States to succeed Sir Mortimer Durand, has-met with favorable comment all over the country. There were various rumors as to the cause of the recall of Sir Mortimer, and those who are alert for the human interest in every event, lost no time in discovering that the perni pernicious - cious pernicious activity of a certain lady, high in diplomatic circles, had been making mischief. It seemed to be agreed, however, that while an able man in every respect, the retiring ambassador lacked that

were: that it had removed Liberal judges and fill filled - ed filled their places with Moderates; that it had ap appointed - pointed appointed Moderate municipal officers in Liberal com communities, - munities, communities, instead of leaving the choice of them to the people, and that it had interfered with and conrolled the conduct of elections. All this might have been avoided if the Cuban Congress had en enacted - acted enacted the laws required by the Cuban constitution. But, for one reason or another, they failed and refused to do so. The present commission will see to it that these grave defects in which lay the germ of insurrection, are remedied. « < n Insurance Presidents Organize. In the meantime an association of life insurance presidents has been organized in New York. Ten of the fourteen presidents who attended the first meeting voted in favor of the adoption of a con constitution - stitution constitution and by-laws, the others being excused from voting until they could consult with their boards of directors. They have until January 15 to vote by mail, and the meeting adjourned until January 17, when an executive committee will be chosen. The objects of the association are set forth as being the improvement of the life insur insurance - ance insurance business by the inauguration of better prac practices, - tices, practices, with the aim. so they say, of finally'increas finally'increasing - ing finally'increasing dividends, and, thereby, reducing the cost of life insurance to the policy holders. It was an announced - nounced announced that one policy of the new association would be to present publicly the merits of life in insurance - surance insurance wherever the interests of policy holders are assailed. U M H Gotham's Forgotten Tax Claims. Owing to the gross neglect and mismanagement which have prevailed in the tax department of the city of New. York for several years, the transpor transportation - tation transportation system, surface, sub-way and elevated, has been allowed to fall behind in the payment of sums due the city to the extent of practically $25,- 000,000. Claims against the street railroads have

adaptability - perhaps it nyg% be called good fel fellowship - which - lowship - which fellowship - which would appeal most effectively to the president. Mr. Bryce, who has been chief sec secretary - retary secretary of state for Ireland in the Campbell-Ban Campbell-Bannerman - nerman Campbell-Bannerman cabinet, was offered a peerage on his re retirement, - tirement, retirement, but this he declined, preferring to come to America with the Democratic name which he has made illustrious as the author of "The Ameri American - can American Commonwealth." The retirement of Mr. Bryce from the Liberal cabinet is a decided loss to the government, and there is much speculation as to who will be his successor, particularly in view of the part he was destined to take in making a fight for home rule in Ireland. Young Winston Churchill has had his eye on the place, and strong pressure has been brought to bear to secure for him the appointment, which would give him a seat in the cabinet. This he does not have as a mere under-secretary of state for the colonies. But the present indications are that the place will go to Augustine Birrell, who, as president of the board of education, has been the leading champion of the education bill. it it it Revising Cuban Laws. Provisional Governor Magoon, of Cuba, has, at last, signed the decree appointing a commission to revise the laws of the island. The commission will submit to him the draft of an electoral law, new provincial and municipal laws, a law defining the organization and functions of the judiciary, a civil service law, and, also, laws on such other subjects of great interest as may be referred to it by the provincial governor. The commission is headed by Col. E. H. Crowder, of the judge ad advocate - vocate advocate general's department, and Major Blanton C. Winship, of Georgia, is a member. The first meeting was held on Thursday of last week. This action means that long steps are to be taken to towards - wards towards making home rule in Cuba a success. Three of the real grounds of the Liberal insurrection against the Pajma administration last summer