The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-03-21
CHILD INSURANCE.
Remarkable Extent to Which 1T IL
Carried On In Massachusetts.

Boston Letter in New Pork Post,
The friends of the bill prohibiting insur-
S Snses on On a the When aiSss G has c been introdaced in
the Massachusetts Legislature, are SUD-
hitting a mass OF convincing testimony
ton. This week Mrs. Lucy p. Atwood. OF
the Society for the Prevention OF Cruelty
to Children, has been the most prominent
witness. She said, among. other things.
that no less than 125,0 600 children under ten
years of age were insured in the John
of the most painful restitution where pa
rents, after taking out policies on their
to save money to pay the premiums. the
children sometimes literally dying OF star
walton. One woman who had paid 90 cents
her payments and thus lost $3.50. Mrs. At
wood had observed that on the days the
the family go hungry. She gave an ex-
perience of her own quite recently, when
she found II. the e y If fb Q, a e ra1hiiy .Thiss
is the morning that we have to pay the
insurance money to the insurance man Tor
our burial when we die, SO we can't spenu
1t for breakfast"
The Rev. Albert E. George. OF st; Mat
ne knew personally of starving families
in which premiums are paid on the lives
OF young children who are regaraea aa az
In one instance. at least, an undertaken
and the insurance agent had divided profits
Richard H. Dana, whose standing made
him an exceptionally trustworthy witness,
s ssea COMPANIES snars Mss that they do not seek in
surance in the slums. Their canvassers go
whe e r there thse s i wb RsSsp ths Of maki rez
ceives at the death of his. child is to him
an enormous sum-, larger than any he eyer
sas,rln and the Il de aaHro q t free ehiIa ehn Gx-Govern-
or Long. counsel for the companies. in at
sion by the witness was badly worsted.
Mr.. Dana having allowed that the char
liable iba e sociely 81 sav tbe in panaS sh eomtsaniss.
Mr.. Long insinuatingIy asked. IF the
families pay 10 cents q week 70 these or
food just the same as II tney were paving
it to an insurance company ~.
Yes, sir" was the reply, but thsy are
not compelled to lose all they have. paid In
case OF a failure TO pay, nor are .fngy eu-
couraged to pay when they need The money
Can they draw out the mon when
thev want itg'' ,. ~,
the child dies. Governor Long"
DR.. Florence &. Leach, who has a large
ing details Of Suffering in families ~here the
lives of little children were iasuIeL uh,n
satisfied and called upon her TO stop. one
case was that of three, young chiihlsn wno
s @ers insur The me mether said When asked why
| she paid % cents a week. insurance. that ll
f fne gniiu one ne bright boy Of eight II a family
that depended on begging ior supp1rt, anu
where Is cents a week was pau 10 ns rs
born .One more TO beg for" A woman who
had pawred her furniture TO obtain money
q, nav the insurance on the lives OF her
c6il3ren said that her reason for doing so
was that IL a child, died She would have a
| good funeral and ride N q hack.
witness with unequaled sources OF in
formation was NJ. +. Mann. for nfteen years
a policeman in South Boston, who said that
on Dove street. one OF the slums OF south
Boston. there live It's families. nine-teuths
Of whose children are insured.
oThe hearincs viii be continued next week,
when the companies will be heard In oppo-
sition 10 the bill.