Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1884-03-13
or Interest TO Life Insurance Policy
Holders.
FT. WAYNE, March 10, 1884.

EDITOR NORTHWEST of my
Napoleon friends s-members of the Mu-
tual Protection Association of Norwalk,
Ohio-desired that I should write to
them ON my return from Norwalk, and
give tlxem my opinion of the condition
of the Association based upon what
could find out while there, and to save
trouble of writing to each separately |
will ask you to publish this letter.
In the first place I will say that the
Association is i'm very bad condition,
having lost in membership in the last
two years from 25O0 to 1000 or 1900
members now. One assessment now
will barely raise enough to pay s., 900
policy. They have on hand about 25
old death claims that. have never been
assessed for, amounting to something
like $50, 900, besides they owe 80, 200 yet
on the old Wooster claim. He had both
policies, $1,000, and they have paid
s., 800 of the amount, notwithstanding
he had not paid his assessments for six
mohths prior to his death, but you
know he was one of them, and they
would tide'it over because he was one
of the General agents at the time of his
death.
They are taking every advantage of
beneficiaries that they can. Comprom-
ising their claims all over the country
for about one half, and in some cases
for less. They will say to beneficiary
that they will pay SO much, and if you
wont take their offer you may sue the
Association and that they will keep it
in litigation for two or three years, and
that if in the end you win the case we
will have made you expend the balance
in lawyers fees and expenses, SO you
will be no better off at that time than
you will now by accepting our offer of
compromise. So you can see the situa-
ton that it places a beneficiary in. He
will have to ligigate with his own
money, while they litigate with other
peoples money, and | think they are
glad of the opportunity to have case
so they can have some excuse for pay
ing very wise lawyer 81 800 to $1,000
per year.. who is also one of the Trus-
tees, and who manages every month to
get to the Board meeting in time to
draw his five dollars for services from
four O'Clock to five in the afternoon, one
hours arduous labor, as do all the other
fifteen Trustees, or at least as many as
live in and pear Norwalk. Iwould ad-
wise any one who expects to live 12or
IS months longer to get out of the COM
pany at once, for if you live that long
you will have outlived the association.
Of course they will keep it running as
long as they can collect money enough
to pay their secretary 81, 500 per year,
and each member of the board five dol
lars for each monthly meeting, and also
their superintendent of agencies 81 200
per year and expenses, and who has no
more knowledge of insurance than a
hog has of war, as is proven by the large
decrease in membership for the last two
years since he has been holding the po-
sition.
The association is based on sound
enough principles and there is no good
reason why it should not be in good
condition to-day, and would be if the
management had been wisely, econom-
ically and honestly carried on as it
was until within the last two or three
years, but now they have adopted the
method of "robbing Peter to pay Paul."
stealing from the beneficiaries to keep
up the expenses of the concern, there
by making the beneficiaries pay for
their mismanagement.
Respectfully yours,
B. +. STOUT.