Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1888-08-04
BABY INSURANCE.
soms,hing New in This Country"
=, ,sromotiye OF Child MURDER

s.,,.,htng New in This Country-H
n PromotIye or Child MURDER
"B.by insurance is simply putting preins
nm on murder,n said Lawyer hcuS'u
McNIurtrie TO a Philadelphia Rseo'a man =.
sneaklng OF Mrs. Whitellng's destruction o,
her husband aud two children for the sake VI
the insurance gu their lives III Is uHee'
inverslon OF the true principle OF life lnSur'
spce In that you insure your life Tor Tue
heneft Of those who are dependent upon YOU
In baby insurance you insure the llfes "ho
are dependent upon you for Your own uehoh''
The temptation and incentive to muFueF arc
plain. We all know that many people caro-
nothing whatever for their children. Ihis
a shown BY the fact that SO many wallis arc
found aud that there are 50 many MONIES pof
children whose parents will MOI support 'heu-
To such people $3.50, or some saeh amount
10 be obtained on the death Of child, Seems
as great an amount as 100000 would to a
person in ordinary circumstances The pros
poets for getting such : fortune serve as an
incentive to putting = child OUT OF lhe way.
The matter Is one which, think, should %
Investigated by the legislature and the DusI'
ness should be properly regulated"
Similar views nave been expressed bY many
other persons since the developments IN the
Whltellng case, aud Il is not unlikely that
the next legislature will be asked 10 look ln1o
the matter.
"What Is called baby insurance Is eompar-
atiyely new In this country" SAID an agsn
Yesterday, ''but In Great Britain u y over
half century old, IL has been estimated
that fuily one half its population are Insured.
and the payments amount TO millions Of
pounds annually The almost universal prev
alence OF cheap Insurance there was SHOWN
lev years ago BY an accident Ia which twenty
eight men were killed. when twas found taat
every one Of them was Insured When lhs
insurance OF children began there the sans
objection was raised as has been raised here,
that the system furnished an incentive Tor
murder, aud pArllmcut ordered an inycstlga-
tion. The deaths Of thousands Of chlidreu
we're examined into, and To only two OF them
was Il found that there was any grOuud Tor
suspicion. No definite proof could Be pro
duced showing foul play In these two cases
aud they were reported as doubtful believe
that a similar investigation Ia this enuntry
you'd give substantial the same TrsulIs.'
The growth OF Industrial Insurance during
the past few years has been such that there
Is now no street or alley 10 the elIy 80 poor
aud obscure that the ageutA o. the c0tupAa.
les have not cauvassed from end 10 end
None OF Its residents are so poverty stricken
as not 10 DO solicited for polley VI Insurance..
discrimination, aud are equally ready 70 IN
sure criminals along with honest persons, but
this was denied yesterday by an Otiicrr Of one
OF the companies 1--WE will Insure no woman
who Is knOWn 10 YIslg dlsreputable places, .
be said, NOR any Que who 10 knoNu Ia anT
way as a criminal. OF course our customers
are often OF thn Tery poorest Kind, aud bad
people will get 10, but that viii happen 10
every business. In adults We require a med.
teal examination, but none IL demanded Toe
children. We nT the rate iOg the children b.
adding about Is pei ceui 10 the hgurrs, basrSl
upon the American table % mortality. This
addition OF Is per cent IA required Jrcause
the people who take on, Industrial insurance
are no: Oi ths general standard, and a. a Tuis
live In poor houses, are badly ngudthri and
nre careless about their health, aud lheii
children are more apt a. dis guan those 81
persons 10 more comfortable circumstances.
The enormous cIteu, u the industrial in
sgrance business lE shown By the last frpJr
OF the Insurance. comm ssioncF % the state
who says thA: Ia Pennsylvania Ia 1851 the
Prudential cOmpaut OF Newark, y. j
issued ~ OOO policies, representing slR. Oggi,
bI9; the Metropolitan cDmpauT Of New Yurk
lOl,S o5 policies, representing sli, ls5, 100, ans
the John Hancock company OF Boston, 20 50
policies representing 81 gaS, bgt, the toIA
amount OF insurance written by Lhsar cotnpa
MES being SIS, -, lGA The average amour
OF these policies . about sll9. The business
IL chiefly In the hands Of these three cUmpA
MES.
One advantage which the advocates OF 10
dultrlal Insurance claim for Il Il that doctor
aud undcTlakcrs are much more willing u
tender their services when they knoH that Ihl
person 10 be attended or buried has carried !
policy OF Insurance on hls or her life. Ia thl
way y IL claimed that much good has rssuIts,
from the extension 81 the system among ,hoss
who would not be able 10 pay the rates o
regular litA Insurance compaulsa