The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1902-12-19
An II,huiilt,n Revelation.

Child insurance. in Pennsylvania
| is q system now attracting attention
because Of some SelSationala and horris
bic developments. The suspicious
deaJils oI Gwu uiIiGIcli Il EtiiGcii
have brought the abuses to light, an
examination revealing poison in their
Istomaches. The life Of each child vas
insured for 800 and the theory. Is
that the parents, who arc poor, admin
iStered the poison to secure the
money. The State Justly says when
wc are told that the officials have dis.
| covered u number Of recent cases sus-
piciously similar to this one the state
ment Is almost sutllcicnt to shake
ones faith in human nature, for Of all
things sacred to men and women it
would seem that the lives Of their
children are first. But inhuman, cruel
parents have lived before now and
when moved by cupidity or poverty
have made way with their offspring"
III considering the issues involved the
Springfield Republican logically sets
forth the temptations which such a
syStcm holds out to the bencflciarics,
;'sy,ayying: 3,
/ IF the insurance is no more than
what would suffice to give the Child a
burial, there can be no objection. But
when the sum OF the policy goes be-
yond this the death Of the child be-
comes an immediate financial advan-
tage TO the parents, and in cases of
very poor people temptation to cap
ital crime is held out which should
not be there. There Is no such sim
ilarity between ordinary life insur-
ancc and child insurance as the in
dustrial companies seek to make out.
Where the life Of the husband is IN
surcd for the DUnciit of tho vito FOR
example, All 'insurablc interest" ex-
lists which makes the loss Of the life
a much greater financial loss as a
rule than the gain from the insurance.
And where such an insurablc interest
does not exist, no insurance can be
placed without creating moral haz-
ard too great to justify it. 'ghis in
tcrcst Goes not exist in the case Of
young children. They arc dependent
upon their parents, not their parents
upon them. Financially they arc Il
burden. Their loss is the parents
| financial gain for the time being at
least, and when to this is added the
gain of Il lump sum OF money, a strain
may be put upon the parental love in
the homes Of poverty and where Chill
drcn are numerous and burdenSomc,
under which 1t may and does frcQuent-
ly give way before the opportunity Of
fercd OF ctfecting some material adj
vantage for the parent. Some re-
stricton should be imposed on this
kind OF insurance. 1t should not be
permitted that the lives OF little chill
drcn, almost in their cradles, be ex-
posed freely to the placing Of pre-
mlums upon their loss Of life"
The Columbia State says it cannot
be denied that what the Republican
says above is a true analysis Of the
case, based upon human nature as we
know 1t, but it Is not comfortable to
think that human nature is such as
to justify the admission. 1t Is only
when the very beasts are lnnaturally
dcbascd THAI they destroy their young;
normally they defend the life Of their
offspring at the sacrifice Of their
own" While what The State says is
true, yet inhuman parents have been
found who arc willing to sacrifice their
children for a money consideration,
and unless these insurance companies
arc very careful who they insure the
| nllmhnr will iDcraccn