The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1890-02-21
Prairie Farm, Wis, Feby, 5, g
From the Wis, Agriculturist:
Co-operation For Earmers.

nave dealt, IN my previous letters,
to some extent, in generalization.
Nothing can be clearer than the
value of cooperation to any class!
nothing can be palmer than the right
of the producing population to take
charge OF their own government, for
being the majority, they are the peo-
pie. Nothing can be more unques-
tionable than the necessity OF reform.
But there is large class OF minds
that cannot deal in congratulations !;
an axiom does not reach their intel
lects; while they grasp a fact with a
firm grip. These Northumberland l
do not complain OF their mental con-
stitution,-say to us: ''Come down
out of the clouds and show us how
the Alliance ever has been, or ever
can be of any practical advantage to
the farmers" In answer l would
point them to the experience of the
Alliance of Minnesota, during the
past year, in the matter of Hail In
surance. To be sure, Wisconsin is
little subject to damage from hail
storms, but ''from one we Judge all !"
and the principle of cooperation,
which has been advantageously ap-
piled to hail, can also be applied to
anything else, in which the farmers
are interested.
The western part of Minnesota is
subject in mid summer, to severe visi-
tations OF hail. 1t is due to electrical
causes. The same quality of the at
mosphere which gives healthfulness
produces this incidental evil. The
total destruction wrought in the
State, in any one year, is, compared
with the total production, insi gnifi-
can't But for the man whose crop it
strikes, narrow strip Of hail-fall
may mean total ruin. The older in
surance companies, perceiving this
condition OF things, offered the farm
ers hail-insurance. The charge was
from forty to sixty cents per acre.
we will call it on the average fifty
cents.
Last winter the Minnesota State
Alliance, at it's annual meeting, re-
solved to organize an Alliance Hail
Insurance Company A corporation
was formed, under the laws of the
State, composed principally OF alli-
ance men. They started in with all
the disadvantages which accompany
new and untried enterprise. They
at once cut the rates of hail in
surance down one half. Their charge
was but twenty-five cents per acre.
The old companies always required
payment in cash, the Alliance Hail
Insurance Company, where the insur-
ed could not conveniently pay the
cash. secured by chattel mortgage.
They entered the field and in course
OF a month or two, insured "a, 1000
acres OF crop. When they came to
settle up after harvest, they found
that they could remit ten cents on
each acre, and still have enough to
pay all losses and the expenses of
agents and organizing. They did so.
They promptly settled up all their
losses. The insured, therefore, got
their insurance for fifteen cents an
acre, where before it has cost them
from forty to sixty cents per acre.
At fifty cents per acre, those 50, 900
acres would have cost the insured
1927 900; at Is cents per acre it cost
them IS, 100. The Alliance there
fore saved these people $18, 900.
But 81, 1000 acres is a small part of
the total crop area subject to hail
storms. If all that crop area had
been insured in the Alliance Com
any it would have effected q saw
ing to the farmers of the western
part of Minnesota of about $780,
900. The probabilities are that the
Alliance Company will this year
practically drive the old line com
panies ont of the State.
Nor is this a little thing that has
already been accomplished. A saw
ing of 35 cents per acre. on the in
surance of a crop OF 100 acres, is