The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1902-12-17
A E1human Revelation.

Child Insurance. IN pennsylvania
is I system now attracting attention
because Of some sensational and h0rrl-
Die developments. The suspicious
deaths of two children in Philadelphia
have brought the abuses to light. an
examination revealing poison in their
StomacheS. The life Of each child was
insured for Si00 and the theory is
that the parents, who are poor. admin
istcred the poison to secure the
money. The State Justly says "when
we are told that the officials have dis
covered d number of recent cases sus-
piciou>ly similar to this one the state
mcnt is almost sufficient to shake
ores 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"
In considering the issues involved the
Springfield Republican logically sets
forth The temptations which such a
system holds out to the beneticiaries,
saying:
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 CT
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-
ance and child insurance as the in
dustrial companies seek to make out.
Where the life of the husband is in
sured for the benefit of the wife for
example. an ''insurable interest eX-
lists which makes the loss OF the life
much greater financial loss as a
rule than the gain from the insurance.
And where such an inSurable interest
does not exist. no insurance can be
placed without creating moral haz-
ard too great to justify it. This in-
tereSt does not exist in the case Ct
young children. They are dependent
upon their parents, not their parents
upon them. Financially they are a
burden. Their loss is the parents
financial gain for the time being at
lecs', and when to this is added the
gain of a lump sum of money, strain
may be put upon the parental love in
| the homes of poverty and where chill
dren are numerous and burdensome.
under which it may and does frequent
ly give way before the opportunity Of
fered Of effecting some material ad-
vantage for the parent. Some re-
Striction should be imposed on this
kind Of insurance. 1t should not be
permitted that the lives Of little chill
dren, almost in their cradles, be ex-
posed freely to the placing of pre-
miums 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 it, 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 unnaturally
debased that 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 are willing to sacrifice their
children for a money consideration,
and unless these insurance companies
are very careful who they insure the
number will increase.