Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1882-12-27
The Principle Of Mutual Benefit
Associations.

Win THESE exceptions. lhAt tsS3
have every f%aeility that the United
States mails granted to any business
nan, and use your endorsement
ior the purpose Of receiving
policy holders" while my company !,
lobaared from the use of the mails and
It your request your legal opinion
for the purpose Of iujGrine
nv eompanv o., perhaps, forcing 1t
out of existence.
Leaving out the question Of pol
icy" Of either OF these schemes is your
jusl2 Further, | I'm informed
mot BIZ your communication, how
that in your endeavor to sun
press these Marriage and Birthday
Associations you have excepted two
a~ssociauons Of like character n Of
which is doing business in this city
while the other is in the Republic u
State of Michigan. Dy what legal C..
modus operandi do you exeep
tbese two COMPANIES, who nromir
very much more than the Memphis
Mutual Aid Society" and perform
very much less? And why are nol
these likewise a fraud upon the un'
thinking
10 reply 10 your interrogatOries !
must confess | do not see in what way
they apply TO any mutual aid society
il honestly conducted. But admitting
them to be frauds, | do not see why
the government of the United States
could not as well conduct one as they
have manv other frauds on the Amer
lean people.
building and Loan" associations,
the knights Of Honor" the Knight
Of Pythias," the "Workingmen," all
mutual insurance companies, which
by the way. have almost totally driven
the "old line" insurance companies
out OF existence, are all organized
on a plan that requires a constant in,
crease Of members, or the paying 10 OIL
small sums Of money-and if you Gu
off the supply to any mutual bene6.
organization, you cause a loss to tht
members who have not received
benefit, or to quote from your letter
1.-THE last depositors are to lose their
Investment"
If you have, as you say, given tn
matter of Marriage and Rirthda,
Associations a very careful considers
ton you cannot be unaware of tn
fact that there are many Of thes
associations in England and othe
foreign countries, and that the Roya
Marriage Association. of London. j
nos nearly 100 years old.
Perhaps a simpler ~propositioi
than your Government Marriag
Association" and one more easil
understood is as follows: Suppose tel
men who would successfully reach tn
age of forty years we're to each plac
800 ia apool, the first man Teachin
the age named to take the pool an
withdraw. Anew pool is formed b
taking IN one more man who is still
younger than the others, and the Who'll
thing gone over again. Could not thi
be kept up to eternity. If not inter
fersd With By the Assistant Attorne
General POstofiee Department, az
each man draw out lmore than he ha
put in2
In your careful consideration" di
d occur to you that the knights {
Honor" with 100 assessments of 81 0
each, had paid $50 benefits Of 500
each, making a total Of $500, 00l
Or, that at the preseu
rate Of assessment a ma
would have 70 be a member Of Chi
Mutual Aid organization for abou
one hundred and fifty years to pay i
as much as his beneficiary would re
ceive at his death.
Here is a fact that fully answers al
OF your questions: The families of 38l
knights Of Honor have each receiy
ed $1,000, aud the limit of expense {
the Oldest member was 500, Will
many had only paid into the benef
lunda few dollars, and a few not nor
than one dollar.
We do not promise anything Xix
this, as a member can only invest d
our certificate a very limited sum. Of
which we pay fifty per cent pro6t
This is made possible BY the In
crease OF membership, and unlik
the Louisiana State LOTTERY wL;cl
you admit to all the priv;
leges accruing from the use q
the mails. No one has ever mt
dollar into the Memphis Mutual Al,
Society, and complied with its reeuIa
tons, who has not beer promptly pai,
every dollar promised.
In regard to the similarity Of N
plans Of this Society aud the knight
OF Honor, | would further saw. M
the Knights Of Honor take a long r;sI
pay a large premium, and receive
small Investment; while this Soeiet
takes a short risk, pays a smalhprem.
um, and receives a large investmen
thus, as 1t were, reversing the Ma
and making this Society fully as
petual.
l am glad to inform you a react;o
: has already taken place. and ~
the renewed confidence Is baS;,
ming to be felt. Our membersbi
now is over 1900, and is i%Bcreasir
dally. Notwithstanding the action
the POstofice Department and We,
we granted the same use of the mai
as are companies you have exoepte,
there is no good reason that the Mar
phiS Mutual Aid Society sbenld :,
/, continue in tic future as 1t has in n
, past, to pay every dollar as il beeom,
due; but should we fail, il will /
wholly owing to the unjust and Al,
eliminating action Of the Postof;1
Department.
In conclusion allow me to saw N,
|, the opinion is freely expressed bo'
Z that If the officers of the PostoaS,
! Department had been as industrial
10 searching for frauds iusido of n
. department as they have outside. n,
star Reuters would have been mr.
known and postage reduced 10 tw
cents many years ago.
Yours respectfully.
s, GEORGE 4. WILLIS.
oecy and Treas. Memphis Mntu,
Aid Goos.k- MNbut