New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-12-08
LIFE INSURANCE CONTRACTS.

After the breath has left mans body
he is of little use to survivors. 1t occa-
sionally happens. however. that o name
gained by long life Of successful action
is kept in the popular memory for brief
period by those who think praising vir-
tue is the next best thing to possessing it.
But efferyescent patriotism. such as re-
spends to the rally cry for riot or
barricade. leaves no enduring memory.
The victims of popular tumult are brought
home on shutter; the neighbors stalk
out and in on tiptoe. with bated breath.
till the corpse is ready to be buried in the
crazy masonry Of one of our old ceme-
teries. and his memory utterly smothered
under an avalanche of nauseating rhymes.
miscalled poetry. 10 the proposition 10
raise money for the dependent friends
of the deceased 1--WE notice that nearly
all who are killed in riots are the sole
support of poor people, there is a
great show Of compliance. There is.
usually. fuss enough raised to collect half
million Of dollars, though the published
result shows few hundreds or thousands.
Since the day that riotous party. call
ing themselves yigilants. killed eight or
nine poor ignorant Germans. returning
in panic to their camp. down to the late
disgraceful affair of the fourteenth Of
September, no adequate compensation
has ever been given those who fell in. or
the more humble. who survived scene Of
carnage. Some of the actors. it is true,
are treated better tnan others. Money
was doled out in inverse ratio to the
poverty of the recipient. The poorer and
lower orders were dismissed with S25.
while others. who scarcely needed any.
thing at all, were waited upon. and begged
to accept thousand. Now. to make
the matter worse and more provoking. it
appears the insurance companies are re-
fusing TO pay policies Oh the lives of those
who changed their occupation without
the consent of one Of the contracting par
ties. These men made bargain with
certain insurance companies when they
were clerks. workmen and the like. en-.
gagged in peaceful occupations. But they
lost their lives as soldiers, and the insur-
ance companies have right to complain
that they came to the Office to deceive.
That there is a wide difference in rates for
risks on civilians and men Of war, and
that people are bound strictly by their
agreements. and not by what people
who know nothing at all Of the matter
may think. TIA local company or two
chooses to pay these losses. amounting
perhaps to few hundreds. by way Of adj
vertising their iberality at the expense of
their character for good business sense,
We ought not to make any serious objec-
| ton. But we do most seriously question
whether any insurance company would
carry this principle very far. Suppose.
for instance. that some Of our politicians.
who did not have horror enough ON the
fourteenth Of September. should succeed
! at las. in creating another tumult greater
than the first, in which five or six hun
dred people were killed by the troops and
the police. does anybody suppose the two
or three companies who are paying the
insignificant losses Of September would
! take up the new list and expend hundreds
OF thousands Of dollars merely for . sen.
| timent:
There is something very repuisive and
disgusting in this trade in humea flesh
! and blood at best It is generally well
received when = lunatic OF any sort ap.
peals to somebody else to rush forth and
fight 20 defend his claim TO an Office OF
| syepge an insult Il is falsely called