Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-12-16
Modern Woodmen REIMBURSEMENT
Plan Questioned.
GENERAL ATTORNEY OF ORDER TALKS
The Question is of Immense Import
ance to the Hundreds of Members
of the Modern Woodmen in Ottum-
ws-opinion of One Man.

j. G. Johnson of Peabody, Kansas,
one of the general attorneys of the
Modern Woodmen of America, is OPP
posed to the reimbursement of the in
surance rates in the order according to
plans now outlined before the organ
ization. This question Is of immense
interest to the hundreds of members
of this order in Ottumwa, and they will
read with interest the views of Mr.
Johnson as set forth in the Davenport
Times. Mi. Johnson attended meet
ing of the Woodmen in Rock Island,
and the Times reported his speech in
full 1t follows:
l have been asked to state to this
gathering the difficulties which lie in
the way of a readjustment of the fl
nancial rates of the order at the pres
ent time. Assuming that this assign
ment has been rendered me in good
faith. with full knowledge of my atti-
tude with respect to all phases of the
question which has been discussed by
the order during the past ten months
and with desire to know the reasons
which convince very many thoughtful
neighbors that any radical departure
from our present plan is impossible
under present conditions. | shall feel
at liberty to state these difficulties as
they appear to me, very fully and very
plainly. These difficulties may be di-
vided into two classes.
Difficulties Stated.
First, Those difficulties which are
of long standing, which inhere in the
| very make up of our society and are
the outgrowth of the policies pursued
for many years past; and.
| Second, Those difficulties which are
OF recent growth, which are transit
tory in their nature, and which apply
only to the present phase of the read
| justment problem
! Joined in Good Faith.
The first great difficulty in the way
of any readiustment of our rates is
to be found in the tremendous growth
of our order during the past five years
and its present immense membership.
So far as our membership is concern
ed, we are almost like new society,
only five or six years old, with a mem
bership of half million, all recruit
ed during that period. We solicited
|
ship in fraternal benefit society. and
not policy in an old line life insur-
ance company. They came in with a
firm conviction that they were joining
an order on a substantial foundation
and with a satisfactory plan. They
entertain today the same favorable
opinion OF the order and it's plan of OPP
GRAFTON that they did when they join
| a 1Icss a, fnN 7
culean task to wean such a vast num-
Der of men from their pre-conceived
notions, particularly when we incul-
Gated those notions ourselves, and
when the short experience they have
had tends to verify all the claims of
excellence made by us when we solic-
tied their applications, rather than
the prophecies of impending disaster
we put forth now.
!! Present Plan Works Well.
4 The second great difficulty is that
1 the plan under which we have operat-
ed all the years Of the past has work.
| ed SO well, has produced such salts
factory results with SO little hardship
to anyone, and the present condition
of our order is so exceptionally good
| that the members are very 10th to
abandon it, and will not do so unless
convinced by something more than
theoretical argument that it is not go.
ing to remain thus satisfactory for
years to come. A man may express
ever SO great a willingness to take
medicine, but it is difficult to get him
started at it unless he really thinks
he is sick.
a distinguished American used a