National Republican., 1877-09-14
TIE INEQ UITH RLE UHARd CTFR or
LIFE yNST'PA NOE

| LIFE lNSJRANt
A serious aud fatal objection 10 the pres
ent system Of life insurance is that even If
the companies were honestly managed they
take ifoh the policy holders a larger amount
of money than is necessary for paying the
company for the risks which they assume.
together with reasonable sun for eX-
penses. The statistics given in former ar-
tiCles show that not more than one fourth
Of the money paid TO the companies ever
reaches the widows and orphans. Out OF
every hundred dollars paid ever 10 these
| companies seventy-hVe arc used iOI some
Other purpose than the payment Of death
| losses.
Another objection 10 the companies Us al
present orpant2ed j. that tue contacts bind
the assured to Contirne the payment Of pre-
miums, although change Of circumstances
may cause ham 20 desire TO discontinue hi
insurance. The larger the number Of pay
ments which have been made in any ease
the greater ~ the sum which the company
has which belongs 10 the assured. The
failure 10 pay u premium generally results
| in CoutsCatIOn. y is true that u paid.up
policy will he issued if application is made
for the same ut the proper time, hut such u
policy does not serve the purposes of q man
who may have pressing need iOI the surTen-
der value Of his policy N cash. One Of the
reforms demanded by justice is that ali
| policies should state now much cash the
company VIII pay at the cud Of each and
every policy yeaI in case Of n surrender.
| Mr, WRIGHT in his recent work on this
subject illustrates the cash surrender value
OF policies as follows suppose a man pays
$500 for SlOOOO Insurance. In each pay
ment OF $500 there are three elements: First
800 for expenses and extra mortality ;
| second, slON for the tabular cost of the in-
srTince and third, 500 which is not
needed TO pay either expenses or cost Of in
stTnncc during that year Of any other. De-
Gnct,ug thu 500 the company only actually
| .usuTrs $1,000 the tirst year instead of SlO-
900. TINS extra payment Of 500, with the
, additions thereafter made, becomes n sink
| my fund TO dlmiuIsh the risk which the
company carries At the end Of twenty
eight years the company is carrying less
than onc-half the risk, although the as
snrcd continues TO pay the iull amount Of
his premium. The self insurance fund then
amounts 10 over 5000, which, III equity,
the party should tee permitted to withdraw
should hu 80 de- IfC 10 do.
II ~, Of course, hut n matter OF mn'he-
matIcnl calculation TO show how ultimately
the assured viii, under this plan, become
seli-inSUrcd for the fun HmCUut Or his policy.
The above figures are, oi course, only IN
tended 10 illustrate in part how Il comes
that the profits Of the companies arr ~ DIS
pTopoTtIOnatc TO thtr legitimate CXTrLd.-
lures
The address of Prof A. l.. PERRY before
the BanEcrs Convention yesterday. wh.Ic It
contains many interesting and suggestive fact,
is far from carefully written and iugl.
cal Us Nj GROtSBECKs speech upon the same
subject. Ho duais very largely iu assertions
whiyh ht falls TO sustain By citations of facts.
IL intrinsic merits of the ease the silver has
had the best Of the Argument.
An INTERESTING repurt is published in
another column OF II visit to the District Jail
on wednesday by one Of the NATIONAL. RI.
PUBLICAN reporters. He found the great cage
in excellent condition IN all respects. Two
or three Of the prlsUuers muTmured because
the final disposition Of their cases had moi
been mOe expeditions. When the Crimiua
Court adjourned there was no prisoner ready
for trial himself. Those awaiting trial wer,
FREDERICK X. WERICK, homicide, one,
convicted, but in whose case new trial hat
been granted short time previous to the ad
jOurninent Of the court; DIsCHMAS, BALTIMORE
and JACKSON, jointly indicted for homicide
and JOHN X. BROOKS, held under three indlct
ments, whose trial had been postponed in con
} sequence Of the sickness Of Mr.. RIDDLE, hi
counsel In addition to these WALTER BoET,
$ LER and OK Lieut. WRITTEN of the army are als
= Coutned there awaiting The action of the gTan'
, jury. These were all the prisoners IN jail, il
/ United states cases awaiting trial when tn
Court adjourned, July 49, to re-aSsemble OF
the lTth OF the present month. All the Othc
cases Of prisoners now in Jail under tn
United States laws have accumulated sine
e the court nd ournGd. They number collect
lively about seventy, and are awaiting the nc
, ton Of the grand jury, which will meet on tn
= nth Instant. Grand juries have general
disposed OF about live cases a day. The frs
case set to come before the Criminal Cour
when II meets is that Of Books ct al, in Tia
= matter OF an alleged false claim of $500
u obtained from the Treasury. The next Ion
:. cast is SET for the 2ith instant that OF BRYAN
u and CRAIG, in q matter Of another alleged falls
Il claim amounting to $4,000, The trial Of thi
r case was postponed by direCtio
1 of the Attorney General, on the requcs
e of Senators BoGY and CoCKRELL and Cor
O gresham Il. i. BENJAMIN, witnesses for de
n fendants and unable to be here until til
:, meeting of Congress during the coming ST,
- sion. Another interesting case will be that
= WITKOwsKI OF al, charged with Obtainin
I payment of false account amounting
s. $4,000, for logs alleged to have been deivere
e in Nashville, lcun. The approaching ad
= jOurncd term Of tho Criminal Court viii en-
= on the 3l of next DCCcmbCr after which I'll
= new term will commence. 1t will thus be see
" everything has been done that can be to iaCil
tate tho iiual disposition Of all the cases no
= pending.
: The fall style of beaver hats Is out, but the
n don't seem to be any fall about the price.
It No joke could certainly have been intend,
,e when Il New York daily headed an obituary, "su
l. cl,le Of retired merchant"
a. WHILE the weather clerk Is oil on a lark 20
, Probabilities seems 10 be running It above lI
n. giving us plentiful supply Of water
ie WANT was supplied by the Commissioners IL
0. ordering tho erection Ofa public fountain al II
T. Intersection Of Fourteenth and Boundary stree
le northwcst
10 Hon DAVID A WELLS claims that we are on {
" eve Ofa large free trade movement. He says III
his article in the North 4mgricGH R,riew b
N passed through eight editions, and has been mo
re generally real than any article of his ever bciu
1. l.