New-York tribune., 1872-12-09

Have any of generation the hardhood 10 con-
tend ourmedcal science is 30 perfect our sanitary
regulations so complete, physical condition 80 vastly
improved that human life is henccforth safe from all the
dread calamities that have afflicted in other
olimee and periods Has the angel OF DEATH who year
by year spreads his wings the hot blasts OF Eastern
climes, become so enfeebed that be may never more
wing his desoatDg flight the waters to our West
ern land Have all the diseases that flesh Is heir TO
so subsided that we may have no more fear OF cpl
denies or any disturbance Of the measured ratios OF
mortality which companies have known during the
first quarter OF century OF their existence IL would
be very gratifying TO be able TO be positive that we
had reached such hacyon days But 1t seems rathera
reckless for old life insurance company totake
to predicate its future action vain hypothesis
Our human experience is often fallacious. II any
man had declared Is months ago that the great re OF
London which occurred in 1885, would some day DO out
ranked by great confagration In some American CITY,
he would have been scofed at as silly aarnist Our
civil conditions were different, our facilities for sup
pressing fires 30 perfect that would certainly have
derided such suggestion. But what IL our experience
nowf In October, 1871 more property was destroyed
by fire at Chicago than was lost In the great nre OF
London and in November Of this year the welbuilt
City OF Boston, the solid Of all our American Cities
has suffered fire loss not much short OF that at Chicago
Can cholera yellow fever plague in any form never
sweep over aganl Very fervently we hope that we
may have passed the days OF such terrible visatons
but we should not overeonfden to cast aside
all precautions. Now and then. unhappily, we ma
that disease is 10 the air Such chemical atmospheric
changes take place TO destroy vegetable ana animal
life as the locust destroys the green herb and the
growing gran and all science is bafed Let us not
repeat the folly Of the foolish virgins. We must not
burn our lamps so low that we cannot replenish them
when more light is demanded.
The general financial interests Of the country have
been greatly exercised from to time during the last
few years. by the apprehension Of sudden return to
specie payments. That fear has been alayed by the
wise conservative action of firm Government Yet
even sudden return specie basis could work no such
general disaster in financial and mercantile circles as
the reduction life insurance rates to unsafe basis
would produce in life insurance business.
There many thousands Of active able, intelligent
citizens engaged In the OF life insurance, as
agents and otherwise throughout the country and to
all persons the proposed reduction of life rates
will bring serious disturbance. financial business
that has supplied a payment of twenty-five million
dollars this year amongst widows and orphans in this
country needs to be meddled with very cautiously.
Every mutual company that has up TO the present
period attempted to conduct life insurance on the low
rate plan has grief In every field the laborer
ia worthy of his hire especially in the arid soil of life
insurance. The work will not be dOne-eannot be
done--upon maudlin humanitarian pretenses. Life In
surauee has to be paid for: officers agents, doctors
and cerks must get their living out of the business
they give their time TO it, and Mr. Winston and his CO.
trustees had better lay by their 0XnuZZles unt tney
reach the happy land of Utopia where every one will
do everything every body for love and affection,
without any vulgar reward In dollars and cents, and
virtue only will be its reward We fear that ii Mr.
Winston persists the propagandsm Of this threatened
crusade he will work positive injury to the per-
manen interests OF the Mutual Life than to that OF any
other organization in the business 1t does not strike us
as fair to the old hgh-rate pocyhoders OF the company
TO let In what may comparatively called "pauper
Glass; to partake of the advantages OF the accumulated
assets of the old members II it be urged that the con-
trbuton plan OF dividend will regulate all this and that
really the new pOcyhOl the low rate plan VIII
have no the proceeds of the present large
accumulation of ftyfve millions, then 1t may be said,
on the other hand that this large accumulation Is OF no
advantage policy and that they would be
Just as we'll of elsewhere.
Again, the Mutual Life has been all through its sue
cess career advocate OF the all cash plan
in life Insurance. and has actually by its splendid exam'
ple persuaded the leading note companies to forego
their very equitable credit practice which furnished In
surauce cheaper than even the Mutual Life can now az
ford to offer it, but still maintained contingent reserve
potent enough in the event of any greater disaster
Now with the form of competition proposed by the
Mutual Life, all the controversies of the old cash and
credit plan will be revived and the note companies must
return TO their old credit customs T1e game will not
be worth the powder the Mutual Le and we sincerely
trust its officers and trustees will reconsider the matter
and wholly abandon the dangerous project.