Connecticut western news., 1879-02-19
CANAAN, CONN. WEDNESDAY, FEB. 10. 1879.
The Legislature.

We noticefl last week the propositions to create threa new State offices. to wit: At torney-General, Surveyor-General ana ser geant-at Arms. Here is another lttie JoKe of the same sort. It is proposed to create commission of three doctors with power 10 examine and license all persons engaged ID business as apothecaries or druggists ana to charge Incense fee of $5 in some case+ and $2 in others. This board is to sit only at Hartford and every druggist in the state with their clerks will have to go to dart- ford and submit to personal examnallon and nav the license fee. These fees, be tney more or less, will belong absolutely to the commissioners. They are not to account to any one nor to be responsible to any body. It strikes us that such law IS a most extraordinary one, not to use any stronger language. and we can't concelve or any eX- cuse or justification for the legislature 10 impose it on the people of this State. II Il is necessary that there should be an exam ming board of this character, there should at least be one in every county, But is there any necessity for it? The reasons for it. as near ss we can gather them, are that druggists and thGlr clerks have now and then made fatal mistakes in putting up Drescriptions. and that polsons sold have sometimes been used for improper purpOs- es. The argument we suppose is this: that if a druggist has a license from this board of experts he wont be as apt to be careless and tO mistake one substance for another, as he otherwise would, and if man buys poison from 8 person thus licensed he wont be as apt to use it TOT suic idal or homicida purposes One of the senators in debate on this bill cited the instance of a man in Hartford who committed suicide by taking oxalic acid. The inference probably WIS that if the druggist from whom he obtain ed 1t had been licensed by this board. he would not have used it for such purpose. Such logic does not strike the nOn-profes sional mind with great deal of force. II the legislature think it is necessary to reg alGte ths sale of poisons that is one thing, but in order to do that it is not necessary to require every man in the State to make pilgrimage 10 Hartford and pay tribute to such triumvirate. We undertake to say that in nine cases out of ten the mistakes spoken ot occur through cGresessness and not through ignorance. The question then arises will there be any less carelessnees un- der this law than there was before. We don't believe there will, and 1t is our opin- ion that the only effect of the law if passed wilt be this it will create three very nice places for three very nice gentlemen.
 There has been bill introduced to com pei fire insurance companies to pay the whole amount of insurance without regard to the amount of loss in fact. An insur- ance man is reported to have said the bill ought to be entitled ''An act to encourage incendiaries." We do not think so. Such . law instead of encouraging incendiaries, would discourage them. What encourages incendiaries now is the issuing of policies for an amount greater than the value ot the property and thus holding out temptation to the insured to burn it in order that he may possibly realize more than it is worth. Under such a law insurance companies would see to it that their policies did not exceed the property and this temptation would be removed. Why should not in suTance companies be required to make a fair definite contract and abide by it. Ii they wish to take risk on a certain piece of property let them fix the amount, but when they have once fixed it 10 suit them selves let them be bound by it. An insur- ance contract now is 8 farce and 8 snare. In fact it is no contract-it is like the han. de on jug, all on one side. It amounts to simply this: an insurance company says to man, we will take all the money we can get out of you by way of premiums, but if you should meet with loss we wont pay you any more than your enemies and our professional witt esses will swear your loss is, and if we can't succeed in that way. why. being powerful corporation with unlimited means, we will worry you out in . law suit. We don't know what the details of this bill are, but It strikes us that public policy demands that insurance contracts should be something what they are not at this present writing.
 There has been very little business of a general interest disposed of yet, all the more important bills being still before the com
 mittees. They will probably begin to be reported this week.