Daily Republican., 1889-02-11
TO WORKINGMEN.
THE ORDERS THAT PROTECT
THEM. .


The Order Of the Iron Hall, against
which crusade has recently been made
by some OF the Philadelphia papers is
co-opsrat We association, which not only
promises, but doss pay weekly benefits In
the event of sickness or disability, and a
specified amount at the end of term OF
years. The order has been In existence
near eieht YEAR,, and during that time
has fAit fully fulalled all It's obligations.
1t does not promise to pay t25 week to
member in case Of sickness and q, 900
at The end OF seven yesrs for $500 or $3.50
or any other sum, hut 1t do prom sc
that IL memt or pays his assessments he
VIII be entitled to and receive the above
benefte. Lsst year there were twenty
assessments, and tets year there may be
more, but under no circumstances can
man pay more into tn, order than he
Will receive. The salaries, which are
light, are paid irem a genera fund, to
ieh every mtmber pay 81 n quarter.
une hf'h OF every assessment collected
10 added TO reserve fund, which 10 in
vested at Interest, and preserved for the
purpose paying certificates as they ma
tute, tnd at t C NM naement Of thie
year this iu was, in round numbers.
800 COO, The present membership is
$3.50. and 1t is Estimated that an assess-
ment averages 81 30 for each member, as
the assessments range from so cents to
$3.50, accor Ing 10 the class IN which he
entered. II will therefore be teen that
every Assessment will return 10 the 2u-
preine accountant the SUN Of 81 Il, 900, of
whics one-t1h, or So. 8 o is added to
reserve fund. Taking the number OF
asset smenta at 20, which wcre levied last
year, and II will give '456,0o0 toward
this fund, that cannot be used for any
other purpose than the payment of ina.
tured cer,iiicaus Even II the number
OF asses mcnts shou be ircleas d TO 40
per snnum, of which however there is not
the siightest probability, a member would
hot even WIN that number pay as much
money In as he would r. ceIye.
The fact is, every mcmb. will receive
the amour named on his cert O cate at
cost, whether that be $3.50 for 800, for
the u 900 named. There Ia no yever
another feature that must not be lot
sight Of In this cobnectl u, and that is,
the weekly benefits In case OF sickness
lt certainly Is worth something TO
working man TO kt ow, that in case he Is
prottrated on bed of sickness that he
will receive from IS to S25 pr week for
30 weeks, the tiret ramed eum costing
him 80 cents for each Rsse. sment, and
the latter 81. 80, and Il would not be a bad
Investment, wen II the cost were more
than the assessments amounted to last
year, !or this guarantee alone. Men In
sure their Workshop, mills, fac orlcs
and other property against lo,s by fige,
some oi them paying very heavy premi-
uhs, but what would be thought Of the
man, who having eecap the ravages OF
! IRE would complain 1t the end of the
year because he had not leen burned oui,
so hat he could have recovered the
amount named In hls pollcyi
! Ike Ph ladelpha Record claims that
{ tie 90 week sick benefits oilers pre-
mium 10 persons to simulate sickness, as
| II is more than the majority OF workmen
can earn. This may In a measure De h ne,
but at the same time It must be- rcmem-
/ bcred that the amount Pali by eaca
4 holder OF 81 900 certificate inro lion
Hall last year would have paid bis dues
In eight beneficial ocietles, from each of
which he would have received IS u week
SICK beneiits, or t40 In all, Instead of the
: 80 i,Aii by lrcn Hsll. Consequently, Ii
this objection stands good against Iron
Hall, 1t must apply with even more force
to every beneficial society In existence, as
10 the latter u beneficiary is drawing other
mems money as well rs his own from the
general fund, while In lion Hall every
dollar he draws Ia deducted from the f4ce
value OF HE cert'Gca'c, II the cbarg, 8
and accusations against Iron Hall had
been made by any member of the other,
Instead Of q man who is largely interested
in the old line life insurance companies,
they might be worthy OF more considera.
TIN.
While neither the Iron Hall or the
Order OF Tonu are insurance oIganiza-
tions, there is no denying the fact thai
they have injured the business of the old
line CONF anies very seriously. Both OF
these orders have been of the greatest
benefit to their members, and neither has
ever made a promise that they have failed
TO fulfill. As an instance OF the manner
10 which the old line companies conduct
their business a person has only TO ex-
anime their annual reports. A state.
ment OF ons Of these companies, just pub.
llshed, shows that 1t has assets amount.
ing to nearly fourteen million dollars
and q surplus of ever two million and O
half of dollars. The greater part Of this
mon9y came direct from the pockets o
the policy holders. and It is not to bC
supposed that any who have ed evel
paid into the company one half OF th,
amount received by their families OF
their policies. In fact, with some o
these companies, II Ia the custom In thei
annual reports to give the names of thost
who have died, with the amount OF theii
policies, and the premium paid, which In
some instances does not exceed S25 or S3t
for 81 900 paid 10 the benehciaries of th
/, dec ased.
Now this is doing much more thai
Iron Hall or Tonti has ever promised t,
do, and II these companies can, ant
there Is no doubt that as a general thin
they do fulfill their obligations, and We
have millions oil dollars on hand, beside
paying their presidents from t25, 900 3
$500 0 a year salaries, and other otlic al
iu proportion, what Is there to hinder tn
Iron Hall or similar organizations fulfil
ing their obligations by dividing this sui
plus among their membersi The lro
n Hall and like organizations are compose
In u great measure Of work'ngmen, an
a are strictly cooperative, and it would
just as wise to ask that every lnsuranc
company and beneficial organization I
the United States should be legislate
out of existence, as to ask, as the me
who are interested In the cid line CON
panies do, that thes emutual benefit asso
Citations should not be permitted to cor
tinue their human work in every part @
the country. The attacks publishtd /
= The Philadelphia papers cannot do thes
( orders any harm with those who 81
already members and understand thel
workings.
s The New Leaf, OF Phladelphia, I
Z speaking Of these attacks defends th
, Order of Tonti as follows, and the de
5 fense will apply with equal force to u