The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1875-10-13

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We make no objection to persons en-
gagged in the business-our convictions
are too deep to allow them to sink into
personalities. Our objection Is to the
system, and we are prompted solely by a
devotion to the welfare of this people,
to make declaration against an organ-
ization which We think is rapidly drlv-
ing our people to financial ruin.
In our opposition to life insurance
and to the use of guanos, we trust that
40 one will for a moment suppose that
our remarks are intended rs personal
against the agents. Some OF the agents
are among our best friends whose good
opinion we highly esteem. Our re-
marks are an honest conviction OF pub
Tic policy and we are bound to express
them. 1t shalt be our desire to point
our people to the road to prosperity, and
we shall warn them against spending
their money for naught. We have the
best country in the world and we shall
do our hest to see it prosperous.
EXHIBITION OF BAD TEMPER.
In the last IIcliHm Mr.. Branch
reflects upon us for expressing our con-
victions against life insurance and, we
think makes the mistake of furnishing
:an exhibition of bad temper, instead of
solid argument. In this he gives the
best evidence of the weakness of his ar
gument, as the man who loses his tenn
per is almost sure to be OIL the wrong
side. We have never assalled Mr.. Is.
or the comnauv he represents, but he
construes our attacks upon the system
OF Life Insurance, as an assault upon
his company, and rallies to its defence
with the weapons of personal abuse,
|, II u-it |, a r,riIN Ira frnno
the established flcts Of life insurance.
LITTLE DIFFERENCE WHETHER SOL
VENT OR NOT.
He lays great stress upon the alleged
solvency of the Company. We have
uever regarded the s0lvency of COM
pany as of verv great importance to our
people, as most of the money put into
insurance, is lost to the insured. 1t
makes but little difference TO us whetl-
er we contribute our mite to a rich cor
poration or to q poor company.
NOSES At THE GEINDST0NE.
Life insurance has effected the s0lven-
cy and prosperity of our County, and as
a public journalist we shall raise our
voice against it. and for the protection
= of Il people who have been so long prey
ell upon by life insurance. AS to the
readers of the Press uni Bnuncr to
whom he refers As insurin%, we can only
say: After we have shown the mistaken
policy, aud they are still! disposed to i'll
vest, we will have the consciousness of
having discharged our duty, with the
thought that Il few years, with their
noses to the grindstone, may have the
effect of convincing them of the cor
rectness of our views.
WHAT SOUrI C.AE)LINA HAS LOST.
An official statement OF life insurance
is:
".S1.,cc The W,n' SpuA C"ro,iAu has
p0id to NOffhc,m COmyunics cicrcn
miUiom doti0.s i,ncccc&s Of 0H dnlo,nit'
"puid tack on dcttth p0iicics.n
In this statement the vast amount
paid 10 Southern companies is not in-
cluded. The amounts thus thrown
away is enough TO p!y our State debt
twice over.
WHAT AEEEvILIE COENry HAS LOST.
Let US look al Abbeville's account
with the companies:
Est. amount paid since the war, 100000
- interest on same, 10000
Total amount invested, SS10,OOO
CIR.
Est. amt policies paid, Sl15,000
- intel est on same, $4,000
=. SlGl 900
- Total loss, SG79, 900
Or more than all the taxes which Alb
beville County has paid since the war.
=. WHEeE EVERYTHING SINKS.
=. With gfesc facts before us, how can
any man conscientiously urge our cit-
:. .zens to put their money into this great
: whirlpool in which everything sinks, 10
be seen no more. Cn the man who
does SO, simply for the commissions lie
receives for lis passing through his
hands, haveIhe good of the country at
heart? .:s:a2.ESsa
WHO ARE BENEFITED?
Whose widows and orphans have
been benefited: The widows Of the
sured? What would Ms. Donald, of
Williamson, say, whose husband was
: insured and who claimed ihe insurance
: on her husbands life, but never got it ?
What do the scores of men in Abbeville
County who have seen their thousands
confiscated by the companies with
the heartlessness of q stone, and who
were referred to the printed contract,
every clause of which was made by the
company, perhaps with view to catch
the Unwary. "The spider said, walk
into my parlor, Mr.. Fly, and view the
beauties of my house." Many of our
citizens have beheld the beauties 81 life
insurance, by being yearly stripped of
their ready cash.
THE GREAT CALAMTTY-OUR MONEY
'-.9. . ',.' GONE.
We are ready to hear any facts in fa-
vor of life insurance, and if the COM
panies or any of their agents have any
figures to disprove what we have said,
they are invited to produce them. If
life insurance be what Mr.. B. claims for
it, is it hOt,a little strange that the COM
panies do not furnish him with some
data upon which to found an argument?
Will Mr.. Branch state exactly how
much money has been sent to his conf
pany from this county. They allow us
to assail the system, but never offer a
word of defence. Isn't silence on their
part an .aStusission cf the truth of all we
say? Will any intelligent man who
has given the matter a serious thought
or consideration, deny that the advent
of life insurance agents have been the
greatest calamity, (eNcepL'the war; that
has ever befallen the people of Abbc-
vile County? at the earnest sOlicita-
tion of agents, and the reckless promis-
es Of advantages that were never TO lie
realised, hundreds of thousands of dol
lars have been lost to the honest, toiling,
confdng people of Abbeville County
who themsaiNes knew nothing of the
business, but III pes6ed their money up
on delusive representations. Will Mr..
Branch tell US the name Of single in
uividual who has received the high rate
sss2EsadendS.Which the agents ana com
panies had promised? We can name
many who have not.
SAPPING OUR LIFE-BLOOD.
We ragard the SYStem of life inSur-