Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-02-23
PRE,ENTIoN BETTER THAN GRE.

PREVENTION BETTER THAN uRE.
The alarming prevalence of destructive
fires outside Of the large cities, this Winter, is
bringing the matter of prcserya,iono of life and
property from fire more prominently beforethe
people of the whole country than ever he
fore, So long us the more dreadful disasters
were confined to the three or four largest
commercial centres of the nation, where
misfortune. as well rs good fortune, must
be expected to occur upon large scale, tie
people were content to censurc the criminal
negligence of metropolitan property holders,
while themselves practising the same care
lessness with regard TO their own
property, the only possible palla-
ton Of their fault being that
the risk of extensive harm to life and
property was less in their case, and therefore
the need of caution was less pressing. But
this caiclcssness has finally met with its just
recompcnse, and the millions Of dollars and
hundreds oi precious lives which have been
sacrificed to selfish negligence, throughout
the country, tie present Winter, serve as a
tit warning TO ali property holders to practice
what they preach. The proprietor OF the
Newhall House was perfectly well aware Of
its terribly unsafe condition in case of fire,
but he thought he was justified in running
the risk he did, because other hotels in Mil
waukcc and cities Of the same size were
equally unsafe, and still escaped the firc-icnd
and seemed likely to do so for an indefinite
period The fact is that property holders
have been trusting too much to the principle
that cure is as good as prevention. They
prefer to risk large amounts Of valuable
goods, and the lives Of themselves and their
employees or tenants, in mere tlnder-boXes
heavily insured, than to cXpend equivalent
suns in protecting their buildings or in pro-
viding practicable means of escape in case of
fire. This practice of insuring destructblc
properly at its full value or even more than
its full value, is getting to he an enormous
evil. 1t virtually puts premium ON crime,
and certainly encourages criminal careless
ness. The insurance companies, instead of be-.
ing the protectors Of the public, must soon
be recognized as public enemies, if they do
not set some bound t. the deceit and rapacity
of those who attempt to obtain thereby in
ducemcnt for open disregard of the rights of
life aud property. The principle upon which
they are conducted that OF spreading over
the general public losses which would
he ruiuons to the Individuals invaluable
and demanded by the necessities of modern
life; but its abuse that of making the pub
lie loss the gain Of the individual-ought TO
he condemned by public sentiment. There
ought to he some strict method of lmita-
ton, by which no property could be insured
for more than half, at most, Of its actual val
ne. Then there would be more care
to insure the safety of that which is
possessed. Prevention would be acknowl-
to be better than cure. AS it is now, the
companies pay the policies thereby indem-
nifying themselves in the form of o valuable
advertisement the builders set TO work
again on the blackcnCd sites, and the ruins
which perhaps have entombcd the bodies of
scores Of their victims, and build factories
anu holtlS upoh Nic oillC IlulS us DciOlt
and insured for the same large suns of money.
And the more fires there are, the more the
frightened public pays yearly to the under
writer's Of the insurance companies. If fires
declined, the business of the insurance COM
panies would languish.
Now why can not pant of the enormous
sum which this county pays annually iu
policies TO its insurance companies be eX-
pended in proper building and in scientific
appliances for the prevention or diminution
Of fires The insurance companies in this
country charge the public 500, COO, coo an-
nually for their policies. Let property be
insured nj lower rates for smaller part of
its value, and the surplus be expended by
private or public enterprise in constructing
practically fitc-proof buildings, in dcvising
means for rendering buildings not iirc-prooi
reasonably safe to the inmates, and in en-
couraging zeal and watchfulncss on the part
of those who have such buildings in charge.
One. third at least of the annual loss of life
and property in the United States could be
saved by this sort of profitable prudence. Is
not prevention here, AS elsewhere, better than
cure