Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1895-01-17
Excess Of premiums over losses in;

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CURED ,,.,,.,.'.,'',,,..'. .SlTll, 295ol
Here the governor inserts an argument
against the accommodation of the in
surance commissioner that coroners be
made examiners and adiusters of fire
losses He says; 1t would be better to leave
the insurance companies to protect them
selves by proper inquiry into the character
of men before insuring them than. to pro
vide an additional means of covering with
suspicion OF arson every man who dares
claim payment of the insurance for which he
has paid.
But why should not the state, through Its
insurance department., provide safe and pune
tual insurance for the people2 The insurance
department. mi ght be used by such persons as
choose to use 1t for the purpose OF mutual in.
surance 1t could be done without any cost
to the state, and the insured would be at no
risk OF population OF officers OF corporation.
bureau in the department could be readily
supported out Of the fees, and county clerks
and township trustees could act as local
agents. A justice OF the peace in the tmmedi.
ATE locality could investigate every loss and
transmit It's report to the insurance depart
ment which could make an assessment, as fra
ternal societies do in case OF death, and trans
NIT the proceeds at once.
Prohibltory methods may be the best meIr-
DDS for the present but recent experience In
dioates that this law was not Intended to
operate upon all classes alike The thought
less failure OF your executive to make this I'M.
portant distinction has led to great deal OF
LTlDulnblOQ 10 DOllC6 commandments blu bho
policemen they appointed. In one city espe-
cially, while the pulpit and the press were
clamoring for q stricter enforcement OF this
law, the new chief Of police, soon after his ap-
pointment searched the premises OF certain
club pAtronizsd by influential gentlemen, and
arrested some OF the managers and TOOK them
before the police judge In the most ordinary
manner Immediately the city was In COM
motion. The most ultra prohibition newspa-
per in tho city bitterly denounced the police
for interfering with gentlemen, for whom the
law was not intended; and the clergymen VINO
had been most clamorous for strtcter en-
forcement OF the law now devoted themselves
to the Vituperatlon Of the misguided officials
who had presumed to try to keep whisky out
OF saints who sat in the pews, and paid to SIT
there A district judge decided that as only
certain percentage. OF the members used the
club as q saloon, the remaining, abstemtouss
percentage sanctIned the entire premises and
extracted the evil principle OF tllegallty from
the liquor dispensed there and that In not
properly regarding this plain distinction be.
tween this club and other clubs the police had
acted illegally. The police commissioners
were consequently sued for damages enough
to furnish the state house.
The executive and attorney general were
guilty Of another serious blunder OF similar
character. Not dreaming that the law meant
to punish only crap-shooters and poker-play-
ers, the attorney general, encouraged Dy the
executive, proceeded to Kansas City, kAs., and
there caused the arrest and commitment OF
certain gentlemen whose gambling was 70
that OF the ordinary gambler as the volume OF
the sugar trust business is to that OF village
bootblack gentlemen who were, In short, con;
Quoting lotteries with large incomes and
small outlay, But this, too. proved to be an
outrage The outraged citizens whose bust.
uess had been thus interfered with obtained
wrlts OF habeas corpus and were released; the
local jurlst deciding that this profitable spe-
| cies OF gambling Is not unlawful; that the
gambling laws apply only to common gamb'
| lers
Sherifs and coanty attorneys within whose
btate seem for the TWO years last past to have
| entirely forgotten the existence OF the prohib.
| ltory law, until during the recent political
campaign, and when they acted at all, did so,
IS q rule, In hostility tQ the police, Instead OF