Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1905-12-29
Cut Out The Roots.

Inc ST. fau speaking OF
the insurance boodlers and the
changes that have taken
place since Alexander and
McCurdy were forced out of OFF,
&c, and Mccall to follow, indicates
that only the tap root Of the trouble
has been reached, and the Mortons
and the other new fellows are only
tools Of the system of which the three
old tap roots named were the visible
heads. The Dispatch wants the roots
cut out, and the Dispatch is right,
and the roots of corruption and thiev-
cry must be cut out OF our political
system, which in places is just Is
rotten as the big insurance compan-
les.
Rotten politics and rotten bosses
and rotten conditions must give way
to a new order OF things, which
means clean political conditions, no
bosses, and an absolutely square deal
for the poor man as well as the rich
man. Thieves and bosses must
march together. The word boss"
sounds like a southern slave driver.
1t is a hateful word in the ears OF
men who call themselves freemen.
1t fitted the negro slave driver.
The Dispatch has this to say about
cutting out the. roots:
McCurdy went out of the Mutual
Life and Peabody goes in In his place.
Mccall is scheduled to go out Of the
New York Life and some one will
take his place. Alexander quit the
Equitable and Morton took his chair.
The flower Of the dandelion is cut of
and the nuisance is supposed to be-
it is expected that the owner of the
lawn will suppose the plant that pro
heads, with fine words that yet
buttered p~arsnips, go into control Of
these great masses of assets and sur
p~lusses, accumulated by excessive
charges, swollen by support of specu-
lative ventures, and the good people
are expected to accept the change as
proof that what has been done will
not be done more.
This is mere ~paltering. Hartman
was correct in supposing that Ryan's
motives in getting control Of the
Equitable were not wholly philan-
thropic. He may we'll suspect that
the assets will, in some way, support
Ryan's financial schemes. Ryan
would be less than human, less than
the shrewd manager he is, If he did
not make his Mvestment of 81, 500, 900
to bring him more than the seven per
cent on his 5000 shares of stock.
Mr.. Peabody, who goes into the
Mutual Life entirely independent. he
says, OF all financial interests, will
find the Standard Oil interests toe
powerful in the board to let his indie.
pendence remain intact. The prize
is too great; the possibilities of enter
prise, speculative or legitimate, Of con.
troll of this vast accumnlations OF
assets are too tempting, and under
new managers the old methods will
be repeated when the passing Of this
storm shall make operations safe
again.
The root OF the whole matter is In
overcharge for insurance. in disregard
of mutually, Of pledge to return the
excess in dividends, and most Of all,
it that most vicious form of policy,
the deferreds dividend plan. This
policy leaves legitimate insurance to
gambie on tin chances OF survival
1t lures the Insured with its chance
that he may survive others Of his class
and get the share OF dividends at the
end OF the term which would have
been theirs had they lived, but which
went to the survivors when they died.
This vicious method brought the
huge surplusses that the exposures
HAAS