Untermyer, Samuel, 1858-1940

Charles A. Peabody, president of Mutual Life, and Alexander E. Orr, president of New York Life, play poker with Samuel Untermeyer. Each is holding a handful of “Proxies” in one hand and a pistol in the other. Caption: A quiet game of freeze-out in life insurance gulch.

comments and context

Comments and Context

In the aftermath of the lengthy, detailed, and juicy investigations into the insurance industry in 1905, undertaken by the New York State Assembly and eventually managed by attorney Charles Evans Hughes, the practices of Big Insurance in America were a hot topic, and would be for years to come.

Ralph M. Easely responds to Theodore Roosevelt’s recent article, “The Standard Oil Decision – And After.” finding it relevant and true even if it had been written prior to the decision on the American Tobacco Company case. He remarks that, should the United States compete with foreign countries, “it cannot be hobbled by restrictions like those imposed by the Sherman Anti-Trust Act.” Easely encloses a leaflet issued by the National Civic Federation and has marked paragraphs relevant to his discussion of trust regulation, though he remarks that Seth Low has not yet named the sub-committee it refers to. Easely closes by congratulating Roosevelt on his recent “whack” on those who fight for peace at any price, comparing Roosevelt’s views of international peace and his own on “industrial peace.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-06-02

Eben Weaver Martin discusses Theodore Roosevelt’s idea of giving the Bureau of Corporations power to fix commodity prices and control output when unlawful monopolies control them. He believes there needs to be a thorough system of national control preventing monopolies from organizing while removing the “powers of evil” of existing ones.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-01-31