The Democratic advocate., 1895-05-04

dren less than ten years Olu. Inc attChuAANN
was large and pretty equally divided between
the advocates of the bill and the representa-
tives and employees of the three interested IN
surance companies. The formidable array OF
counsel, massed in solid phalanx against the
solitary lawyer representing the numerous
charitable associations that are sponsors Tor
the act, was augmented by the presence OF
eX- Governor Long, TO whom was assigned the
duty of cross examining the witnesses by the
counsel for the companies.
The first witness was Richard H. Dana, OF
Cambridge, who said that the insurance on
the life of very young child is of different
character from the insurance of everything
else. The law does not permit the insurance
of a vessel by person who has no pecuniary
interest in it or the cargo, because 1t Is
gambling contract. 1t permits the lnsurIng
of the life of father or mother, or even
child that can be of use in the way OF sup
porting the family, because there is pecu-
niarv interest in the life insured. But in this
baby insurance. he said, We come right down
to the border line of a gambling contract.
There is no truth in the claim that these com
names do not insure in the slumS. Their
canvassers. many of them INSCRIPTIONS and
unreliable men, go wherever they think they
can make dollar There are ways in which
the expenses of a child's funeral can be met
without putting in the way of poor people the
temptation to neglect their children and de-
prive them of the necessaries of life when they
are sick While the amount of money re
auired weekly is small. ii Is enough to furnish
milk to a child that is dying for the want of
it, Ten cents Is not large sum. but IT might
save life.
The SIS which the parent receives at the
death of his child is to him an enormous sum.
larger than any he ever saw, and it affords
great temptation for desiring the death OF the
child The funeral expenses of the poor are
already TOO large, aud anything that encour-
ages greater expenses is bad. and societies are
organized for the purpose of preventing them.
There cannot possibly be case where a
worthy person would have to submit To
pauper burial. as there are societies and indi-
yiduals always ready TO pay these expenses
In reply to questions by Mr. Long the
witness said that he believed that the savings
banks conducted by charitable organizations
answered all the purposes OF these insurance
companies.
But said Mr.. Long. IL they pay ten
cents a week to these organizations, does Il
not deprive them of food just the same as Il
they were paving il to an insurance company
.'Yes. sir. was the reply. ''hut they are
not compelled 10 lose al they have paid in
case of failure to pay, nor are they enconr-
aged to pay when they need the money Tor
food.
Can they draw out the money when they
want 1t p
yes. and they do no, have to wait till the
child dies. Governor Long.
The next witness was Dr. Florence {. Leach.
who has had experience with more than twenty
thousand patients during sixteen wears of prac.
tice. She said that Il would take the rest ~
the week to describe the thousand cases She
has had among the poor whose children are in
sured. She gave instances IN her own pTac-
tice till the members of the committee said
that they we're satisfied and did not care to
hear more One case was that oi three Young
children who we're insured; the family was IN
a starving condition. The mother aid, when
asked whv she paid - cents week Insurance,
that II the child died she wanted Il 10 have n
good funeral. One bright boy ot eight in a
family iha, depended on begging for support,
and where fifteen ceats seek Sns psld for
insurance remarked when another child ~,
born
..One more 10 beg cor
A woman Who had paunei her furniture
to obtain money 70 pay the insurance on the
lives Of her children aid that her rraSaH for
doing so was tha; Il a child died ,he Suuid
have s good funeral aud ride IN hack The
moihsr of poor family that The witness v's {.
tied professionally the night before expressed
regret that she had not been requested to sign
the petition Tor the bill. because she kBew ihc
evils Of II fr0m experience, ~ her chiidrcH
we're insuret.
I'VE have paid in ~ much that ~ can't
e., out nov. she said
The witness aid she kueu u 60 b. q fact
that ehid in shis family sas lcss than year
old whcu Il vas iusurcd. The strong ladsey-
memt held oHt 60 the people % insnre their
children is that they wil hnvr NJ showy
funeral a. any af their aeighlsors-
pr. leach told of a cazc uherr sour milk
had bs-cn given 10 an Insured child suffering
from cholera iugantUm. fron which i died.
she milk hssing the direct cause. i vas donr
IN violation II her instructions, hai she Wonid
noi sav that Il Vas administered - cause
death. She lpa the Comnitte~ 10 dras iis
oNn couClssions.
.'You musi remember. she said. THAT b.
maternal instinct + almost eytinci ia thesc
people. and that childreu arr regarded a.
incfmhrancsss. taking the brcad fron their
mouths and imposing obligations which thvy
arr only too glad % be nd II.
w. r. Mann for hfteen Years policeman
in South Boston. and for three months an
agent 81 the Society for the Preseutiou II
Cruelty 10 Children. said that be had inyessi-
the last three months. Almost ail of these
children were insured. and maay os the poll
cies had lapsed. and the people bad lost al.
Il Is among the poorest IN the lowest districts
thai the agents %. On Dove street. one Oi
the slums q South Boston, there hse isa
families. nine tenshs of whose childrea arr
insured The witness said that BE- considered
il great wrung 70 insure the lives 0t yuanE
ehiidrrn. although formerly be had believed
in the system. His change Of mind has been
brought about by investigating the matter
The reasoa why the p0oF deprive their chill
dren of food Tor the sake ~ keeping thcm
Insured i that ihey have a great dread u 81.
lowing the insurance 20 lapse, after haTing
paid IA for two or three years- They SOME
times insure when they are able 20 make their
payments, bHi through misfortune oT Impro
rideuce they are unable TO keep them ap aud
provide food ai the same time. The witness
told Of a family be knew that, while depending
on charity, Was pairing sixty-tivr cents week
into the Insurance COMPANY
Miss Alice ;. Taylor ol Lynn, registrar w
the associated charities Of that city, said that
Il s the rule rather than the exception for the
very poor to insure their children, Many who
ar. insured ask for aid from the charitable
organizations The children ut more than
half Of the applicants for assistance have
AZ some time been insured. the insurance Of
many having been allowed TO lapse. Il think
Il Is great evil continued Miss Taylor,
because il binders those people who might
be persuaded 10 put money into the savings
banks. and because i, takes the bread from
the mouths Of children in families thar are
literally destitute. Some Of the most destitute
Of these families are paving thirty cents Seek
for insurance. which Is so much food taken
from the mouths Of their children.
r. D. Roberts, superintendent otthe Boston
Industrial Home said 1T Is not a good
thing to have children under ten years Of age
insured - In giving his reasons for this de-
claratiOu he told Of the case Of child sixteen
months old that had been placed ia baby
farm on Shawmut avenue short time after It's
life had been insured. Ii was sick, and the
doctor had given strict inJunesions that 1t be
kept warm When he had gone. the clothes
were all stripped FROM it, the windows raised
and the child exposed 10 the bitter cold AIR.
and il was soon a corpse. This, he believed,
was done at the instigatiOn Of the mother for
the purpose Of getting the insurance money.
TNO THE PUBLIC.