The herald., 1897-08-04
OFFICE OF THE HERALD,
Toe Appeles Ang 2 1897

One of the most difficult problems of
life insurance is the proper handling OF
the suicide clause, and it is becoming
more than ever prominent on account of
the increase of suicide among insured lives.
In this connection the following extracts
from a paper read at the recent conven-
tion of mutual life underwriters at Sara
toga. on the subject, by L. G. Fouse, presi-
dent of the Fidelity Mutual Life Of Phila-
delphia, will be of interest.
At the recent meeting of the supreme
council of the Royal Arcanum report was
made by the committee on suicides which
shows that in 1890 one in every 1896 sui
cided, with gradual increase until in 1896
one in every 2439 suicided, being an increase
in six years of 26.93 per cent.
The suicide statistics of the American
Legion of Honor, compiled in 1891. show
that out of 5000 deaths IT'S were suicides
or about per cent. One hundred and
twenty-five Of this number had been MEM
hers of the order less than five years. The
total amount paid to the beneficiaries of
the suicides was s55O,000 while the fratern-
tty received in dues and assessments s21,-
1928.
In the sixteenth annual report of this
convention a table will be found which
was carefully compiled and which shows
that 2.16 per cent of all the deaths were
caused by suicide, 2775 by accident Gun
classified, excluding railroad, falls and
other undoubted cases of accident; .9O9 by
poison (accidentaD; 1923 by shooting (acci-
dentaD.
When policy of insurance contains a
suicide clause, the death, although un-
questionably due to suicide, is invariably
reported as accidental. We would not be
wide from the mark in assuming that one
half of the deaths presumably caused by
accidental shooting. poisoning ETC., are,
in fact, caused by suicide If this assump
ton be true. then among insured lives 4S6
of the deaths are due to suicide
The six New England states make regis
try of marriages, divorces. births and
deaths compulsory. and the statistics may,
therefore, be relied upon as being correct.
A summary of the vital statistics of the
New England states for the year 1892 shows
that $40 deaths from suicide were regis
tered land that the percentage of deaths
to the total number of deaths from this
cause was LOS.
Taking the record of suicides in the New
England states among the general popula-
tion, and comparing the same with the
record Of suicides among the insured lives
as shown by the report of our sixteenth
annual convention already referred to, we
find the number of suicides among insured
lives is from two to four times greater
than among the general population. This
is, no doubt, due to the fact that men who
committed crime, and were liable to pun
ishment, preferred to face death rather
than punishment and disgrace, when by
doing so their families would be well pro-
vided for through insurance.
Is it just and fair that honest policy
holders because of maudlin public senti-
ment, should be compelled to reward GRIM
inals or their families for committing
crime? A man has no more right to insure
his life and destroy it for the profit and
advantage of others, even though they be
wife and children, than he has to commit
arson for his own benefit.
= r
Accounts from Germany are to the effect
that the new law framed to do away with
dealings in futures has caused embarrass-
ment to the government and to the pro-
ducers, as well as to the exchanges. I>.e
government has failed so far to effect a
modus vivendt with the exchanges, says
Bradstreet's. 1t is of particular interest
to note the economic effect of the law in the
statement which comes from Berlin that
the farmers no longer know what prices
to ask or expect for grain. since no market
quotations are being published This con-
dit1on OF things Is, it is said, seriously felt
In connection with the new, crops, espe-
cially in the rural districts, where the
small farmers are powerless and in the
hands of INSCRIPTIONS speculators This
is, as has been frequently pointed out in
these columns, the natural economic result
OF such legislation as that which was car
ried with such flourish of trumpets a
snort time ago. Cereal prices have not
risen, as was promised by the proposer of
the new law, but have, on the contrary.
fallen. The only remedy which now occurs
to the agrarians is the exclusion of foreien
preadsturs The real way out of the diff
Guilty would be found in the repeal of the
law. N'-o
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