The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1889-08-02
KANSAS INSURANCE.

Profits Of the Insurance Business in the
Stxte-Some Pointed Criticisms In Super.
intendent wilder's Report.
TOPEKA. Kan. July Is The nineteenth
annual Kansas insurance report is SUBJ
mitted by State Superintendent Wilder.
1t shows that during the past eighteen
years fire risks to the amount Of S1,0I4..
I4S, 213 have been written in Kansas, pre-
miums to the amount of SIG SS1. 064 have
been received and losses amounting to
ST. 16l 504 have been paid. For the same
period life insurance risks to the amount
of S7l.S5S, 4So have been written and
y, 10O,sI5 paid in losses, the premiums re-
ceived aggregating So 96S, GIL Last year
the amount of fire insurance was S135, 3lO,-
5elS6; premiums, 1885,, S1L 50; losses
paid, Sl,093. $3.50. The life insurance
business figured as follows: Amount writ
ten, Sl345I.9SI; premiums, $685. 925. 10;
losses paid. 1858, S14
The Superintendent pays his respects to
the State Legislature as follows: when
the Legislature adjourned last March
every body in the State House felt as il he
had been through h cyclone. There was
profound thankfulness when the wind
bags left Such insurance speeches and
legislation as we had was paid for by
bogus insurance companies in Kansas and
from other States; not in the interest Of
the people. but of boodlers."
OF lobbying the report says: 1.-THE
good insurance companies came to the
decision last summer. believe. to pay no
attention to legislation last winter. Some.
times they have committees in this State
and in other States to watch legislation.
Persons having large interests at stake
often do so. II the responsible companies
had bought few members last winter I'M
friendly legislation would have been
stopped. But these companies argued. l
suppose, that if you buy three men in
1889, you have to buy half a dozen in 1891.
They did not buy any body. Members
who came here to be ravished hal to seek
consolation in some other direction-from
disreputable companies-and they did.
Bad laws increase insurance rates; the
people pay for them. When you elect a
corrupt man or a fool to the Legislature
your pockets pay for it. The money
argument is low one. but it penetrates
some hides and heads insensible to honor.
Why legislative leaders should accept
brides day after dav and year after year
no one has ever been able to tell. A
politician who gets paid never has any
money"
Then follows a list of the insurance
laws lately enacted and complete history
of the Topeka Wildcats" as Superin-
tend mt Wilder terms the insurance COM
panies. with which he had a prolonged
fight last winter
The future of Kansas home companies
ict I'D hoc
failed to establish stock fire insurance
company. for many reasons; they were
given in the report for the last year, and
the dishonesty of the managers of the
companies. That has broken down some
fifty fire, life, and livestock COMPANIES
started in this State. 1t kills a man and
is equally fatal to a corporation. And yet
we shall have home companies in Kansas.
They will bsgin small. and will be watch
full, prudent and economical. The u: most
integrity must follow every step of their
growth"
Senator John Schilling, of Brown Coun-
t.. who stood by Superintendent Wilder
last winter when Bunton. Hackney ct al.
We're doing their best to secure his remov-
al. is euogiz d in this remarkable report:
"When you are i'm trouble" writes Mr..
Wilder, "a man of ability and force is a
tower of strength. So has Schilling been
to me; and the powers of darkness can
not prevail against him. He has known
the whole condition of affairs from the
beginning and has held a large majority
of the Senate as firm as a rock"
Tue balance of the report is made up of
statistical tables.