THE PEOPLE EXPERTS
The People's Experts The Facts About Wisconsin's Commissions Their Cost and Service to the State What are the facts about Wisconsin's commissions? In the campaign just ended, the combination of...
...And in the election, November 5, Wisconsin voters upheld their commissions...
...Burke, Democrat, was re-elected...
...The life insurance laws limiting the premium which may be charged and the expenses allowed are strictly enforced...
...These societies are now getting in a position to make their insurance absolutely sound, and in this respect the state of Wisconsin is far in advance of other states...
...Through this means thousands of dollars have been saved to the policy-holders of this state...
...If the plans are unsound, they are shown that also...
...Every company doing business in Wisconsin is required to tell its policyholders how much of its surplus it sets apart for its policyholders and how much for the dividends of stockholders...
...What follows is his account of the Dairy and Food Commission, and the Department of Insurance: IV.—DAIRY AND FOOD COMMISSION THE Dairy and Food Commission cost the state $49,051.36 in 1912...
...Davidson, Standpat Republican, was defeated by a Democrat, M. K. Reilly...
...In the campaign just ended, the combination of Stalwart Republicans and undemocratic Democrats controlling the Democratic party raised the outcry that there has been in Wisconsin an "enormous increase in commissions and their expenses...
...mere devices for making places for "job holders...
...The forms of policies and contracts are scrutinized with a view to making them both understandable and fair...
...The Commission stopped this and now the good reputation of Wisconsin's butter and cheese is estimated by leading dealers to have increased their value at least one cent a pound...
...When in the senate he labored earnestly and ably in bringing about the passage of Wisconsin's "model" railroad commission bill...
...The first duty of the Department is to protect the insuring public against loss through the insolvency of companies...
...The Department of Insurance insists that policyholders shall know the exact facts in regard to their insurance, and, with the campaign of education that is now on, the people of Wisconsin are learning to insist upon an insurance that is solvent and will pay out to every policyholder...
...In this office, and previously as Republican state senator, he made a consistently progressive record...
...The state encourages the formation of new sound companies and every assistance is given by the Department looking to this end...
...This increased value is almost solely due to the thorough inspections of the Dairy and Food Commission...
...JAMES A. FREAR, elected Congressman from the Tenth District, is at present Secretary of State...
...A part of this, however ($127,027.18), was collected as agency for towns, cities and villages for the support of fire departments and the reduction of fire risk...
...They were denounced as a "burden" to the state...
...It also has charge of the state insurance for public buildings and the granting of life insurance and annuities by the state through the Life Fund...
...Everywhere in the nation voters and legislators are turning to Wisconsin for guidance in establishing agencies of government that will really protect the public against the exploitation of Business...
...He is a conspicuous champion of good roads and popular education...
...V.—THE INSURANCE COMMISSION THE Department of Insurance has supervision over the business of all insurance companies, including fraternal societies...
...The collection of taxes in addition to fees from insurance companies for the year 1912, amounted to $873,311.85...
...The plans adopted are the societies' own plans...
...The special interest-serving publicity bureaus sent this campaign "dope" far beyond the confines of the state...
...JAMES A. FREAR E. E. BROWNE WISCONSIN not only pledged anew her devotion to Progressive Republicanism by placing the state government again in the control of the Republican party—she also sent to Congress a strong group of Progressive Republican Representatives...
...Is not this increased income and decreased expense of at least $10,000,000 a year worth far more than the Commission costs...
...In the course of the year hundreds of complaints are acted upon and in nearly every case a satisfactory settlement is secured...
...In fire insurance the Department is aiding in a legislative investigation looking to the doing away with discrimination in rates between large and small insurers, and between different localities, the reduction of profits where excessive, and the reducing expenses to the lowest point at which the company can give the best service, and to the doing away with a large share of the unnecessary fire losses...
...In his recent speeches Senator La Follette briefly summarized the activities and results of the Wisconsin commissions—which are simply the executive or administrative branch of government for carrying out the will of the people as expressed by the legislature...
...Every effort was made to discount and discredit the work of these bodies of experts...
...If the plans are sound, the insurance Department tells them so...
...Every holder of a dividend policy in Wisconsin is now entitled to an annual statement giving the actual earnings of the company and the amounts distributed to him in his dividend...
...No fraternal society is compelled to make any change either by the law or by any requirement of the insurance Department...
...Through this investigation dwelling house rates have already been reduced in a number of localities in the state, and the publicity which has been given to the over-charges which have been made to the dwelling house owner and smaller property owners will undoubtedly force corrections throughout the state...
...Wisconsin has the largest life and fire companies in the Middle West, and these are now stronger and better than ever before...
...Would you leave the protection of the people's food and drugs, their weights and measures, to each individual who is injured...
...Under the law enacted by the last legislature, this Commission has stopped the use of false weights and measures, and is already saving the people of the state at least $1,250,000 a year...
...Wisconsin's Two New Progressive Republican Members of Congress E. E. BROWNE, who was elected to Congress from the Eighth District, has a splendid record of service to the state and to the progressive cause as a Republican state senator...
...Nelson, Cooper and Lenroot, all of whom were leaders among the "Insurgents," were re-elected...
...The total expenses of the Department during 1912 for salaries and all other expenses, including printing and postage, amounted to $48,701.48, but the Department collected special fees from insurance companies, in addition to taxes, amounting to $70,118.20, leaving a profit for the department of $21,416.72...
...The law and the insurance Department then insist that when the plans are adopted they shall be lived up to to carry out in good faith the agreement and understanding and intelligent action of members and management of fraternal societies in Wisconsin...
...Or would you have all the people join together and hire these experts of the Dairy and Food Commission, who know how to detect the frauds and how to stop them by the power of the state...
...Fraternal insurance is being helped...
...All that is done is to help societies to get at the facts, and societies are then given absolute freedom to work out the problem of meeting their contracts...
...Losses to policy holders are now practically unknown...
...Morse, thorough-going progressive, whose district was merged into that of Congressman Konop, Democrat, was defeated by Konop...
...it is largely to their work that Wisconsin owes its distinction as "the model state...
...The truth is that these commissions are doing splendid service to the people...
...This means an increased income to the state of $3,000,000 on the enormous product of 300,000,000 pounds...
...The Department's duties also extend to the requirement of fair treatment on the part of the company, towards their policy-holders...
...Cary, another Progressive Republican, was re-elected—this time as the candidate on the "fusion" ticket, a combination of Republicans and Democrats formed to defeat the Socialists in Milwaukee by their united strength...
...Esch, who did not work with the progressives, was re-elected upon progressive representations and pledges, with the aid of really progressive Republican leaders in his district...
...Berger, Socialist, was beaten by the combined votes of the Democrats and Republicans thrown to Stafford, which means the return to Congress of a man with a long record in the House as a Cannon Republican, who ran this time as a Democrat (!) on the "fusion" ticket...
...Before this Commission was created, the Wisconsin butter and cheese industries were in a deplorable condition owing to the bad reputation of the filled cheese and low-grade butter that many unscrupulous producers were selling...
...The companies are required to give full accounting to holders of life insurance policies of the use made of their payments...
...Several new insurance companies have been organized which are offering sound insurance at as low rates as any outside company, besides keeping capital in the state...
...In just the same way the Commission has saved the consumers of the state fully $6,000,000 a year by stopping the sale of thousands of adulterated foods, largely imported into the state by unscrupulous producers of other states...
Vol. 4 • November 1912 • No. 47
