American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1874-03-07
COMMUNICATED.
MADISON Co., Miss, Feb. 20, ~.

z VA AOASON w. MISS, L on. ~, sf'
Mr.. EDITOR Upon returning
home last night after an absence of
three weeks, find that the ''gifted
actuary," who sings ink for that
1Oxl2 sheet, appropriately called
The Pioneer. has, after being i'll
labor for fifteen days, brought forth
a miserable abortion in he shape
of a reply to my article of January
LIST, aud while he displays ii little
ingenuity in diverting the at en'iOn
OF the public from the real points
at issue, it must be admitted that
it's principal merit is "a STRAIT story"
Inasmuch as this would-be SulOn
has not i'll any material point at
tempted an answer to my first arti-
Gle, propose now To dismiss him
and his little ''pass the hat around
concern" in as few words as posi-
BILE.
We had thought that even the
"rat-tail" man would be able to see
,chy We did not bore the public with
an examination and consequent
expose of bis "protound calcnla-
tiuns," SO called, and, III char ity,
We were disposed to pass 10y with
out criticism of the figures viii III
could only have originated With the
man who has the 'che-k" to set up
his views on such subjects in "ppo-
si.ion to Barnes, Wight, English,
aud GoOdsrll; but as hr repeats
that his figures are unanswerablr,
and nothing else will do this modest
Young man, let us examine them II
little.
In his first article we find Elm
class A, one pays for 3 deaths at
81. which equals SIG, and annual
tax, "a; total $40. b, in the End
class, pays for the same. 324. From
this it will be seen that actuary
Erwin has, with that cunning pecu~
liar to "ratters," omitted tho 81 an
nual tax on b, which will OF course
not be seen by blind men, (and by
blind nen mean those who con-
tinue to hold on to The delusion of
Cooperative humbugs,) and would
he pardOnable even in the ''Actuary'
but for the greater omission to in-
clude the Entrance Fees, $50 and
$25, which we think quile a materi-
al part of the cost OF the ''trick,o
and by which we find Mr.. A pays
$40 instead of $40, and B pays @43
instead of S24. But Charlie, the
modest calculator, says his figures
are unanswerable. Well, may be
he thinks they are.
Well, now, see the American
rates. Mr.. A, age 20 years, will
pay $12 40; b, age 80, pays 1925,
the former only saves S27.6O, aud
the latter S2S.75.
1 must decline to waste more
time, for "the play is not worth the
but as Mr.. Erwin intimates
that 1 would dodge the issue, l
should like to know OF him, why
he does not come to time on the
letter, copy of which l
have seen.
CANTON, Miss, Jan'y 5, 1874.
CHAs. NJ. ERWIN, Esq, Secretary CO-opera-
tive, etc.
DEAR RIA copy of the Pr
Oneer, edited by you and bearing
date Dec. Is, 1873, has been placed
in my hands. In this issue YOU
have seen proper to institute CON-
I'arison between the Go operative
A ssOciGtiOn and the american Life
Company, which latter l
have the honor To represent, and ill.,
AS you say 1--WE desire to
give the other side fair showing"
1 hereby accept the invitation, and
if you mean what you say, will
meet you in public discussion at
such time and place as you may
designate, and let an unbiased pub
lie decide the merits of our respec
tive systems. Yours truly,