, 1891-03-10
HOW TO INVEST
Leading FinanCiers Consider Life
Insurance the Safest Plan.
State Auditor Burdick's Report on
Wyoming Insurance Business.
An Interview With General Agent
E. E. Brown.

of the readers of this paper a reporter
started out to learn what he
could about insurance from IN
insurance men who might be in the city.
He did not have to hunt long for nearly
the fret man he saw at tine Inter Ocean
was +. E. Brown, general agent of the
Northwestern of Milwaukee.
Mr.. Brown was busy as usual with
some friends but soon was at liberty and
accompanied the reporter to the writing
room where he waited, expecting the
reporter to ask him to write him up"
but this was not the reporter 5 mission on
this occasion. He was after knowledge of
the enormity of the business as it Is now
conducted by the leading companies, so
he applied the pump as follows:
Mr.. Brown, l see by the auditors re-
port that the Northwestern has written
more insurance in Wyoming than
other old line company
Yes Mr.. Brown replied, we have
had a very satisfactory business in WYo-
ming considering the time that | devoted
to this state In 1890. If l remember
correctly | confined my work to this state
during seven months only in the past
year.
DO you not find it rather uphill bust
ness when money is close as it is at
PRESENT." asked the reporter.
Not in the least" replied Mr..
Brown. You see" lie continued,
the class of risks we write are men that
| can carry personally if at the time |
write them they do not have the cash or
do not wish to take it out of their BUSH
meas.
What is the attitude OF the business
men of the country towards life in
~surance?" asked the reporter.
why" replied Mr.. Brown. II have
a book with $50 autograph letters from
eminent professional and business men
who carry from $50, 600 to over 81 600, 900
of insurance on their lives, which is
divided among the leading companies.
Not one of the $50 men who signed these
letters fail to recommend it as the best
and safest investment.
Has this prevailing sickness in the
country had any bad effect on the life
c~ompanies?' asked the reporter.
mot in the least, 80 far as the old line
companies are concerned" replied Mr..
Brown. but some of the assessment So
cieties ar pushed at the present time as
their members do not pay promptly.
Hence they have nothing to paw losses.
while, on the other hand, the old line
companies can paw all their losses from
interest receipts on their money invested.
l have handed our annual statement to
parties who thought it impossible for our
interest earning alone TO amount to $2s,-
OO5, 902.l 10 since 1860, while our death
losses only amounted to s2l ,O55. 6OO.O o. in
the same time, a difference, you see, of
about seven millions, in favor of interest
receipts"
How does the Northwestern invest its
money! asked the reporter.
Now replied Mr.. Brown, you are
coming to the important part Of life in
urance. The Northwestern invests its
money only 10 state and municipal bonds
and first mortgages on improved real
estate. You see," continued Mr.. Brown,
there is one thing that is essential. The
lesson OF the hour taught by events OF the
past few months is that life insurance in
vestnents should not be a plaything in
the market. Trust bonds should rest on
solidity, not on fuctuation. High
authority places the decline during the
past six months in market value Of stocks
listed or the New York exchange at
$3.50, 600, 900, and If to this sun were
added the depreciation in the market
value OF listed bonds the loss would run
into billions of dollars. | do not quote
this authority to discredit that class of
securities, but | wish to emphasize the
fact that while hundreds of millions of
such securities are both owned and taken
as collateral security by many life
companies, the Northwestern never has
owned a dollar of or loaned upon such
stocks and bonds. By its charter it is
wisely prevented from owning or loaniDQ
upon such securities or fuctuating securi-
ties of any kind or character whatever. "
lis the Northwestern contemplating
making loans in Wvominp7i asked tho