The San Francisco call., 1906-06-14
PRoTEcTIoN AeAINsT INSURANCE ABUSES


Insurance with some companies can no longer be
called gamble, for even gambler pays his debts
The element of lottery Judging from recent events
In this city that enters the question OF taking
out policy lies with the persons who pay the pre-
m5ums,
san Francisco has suffered. and will probably
suffer more from the Vaccinations OF the insurance
companies but we have need Of comfort ia the
knowledge that We have opened the eyes of the
world. to the marked-deck OF the dividend chasers.
The example 0f sel6shness and greed has been pur-
chased at an awful price but that which has done
universal benefit TO mankind has never been bought
without much sacrifice and sorrow. To all nations
of the globe san Francisco has laid bare the shall
low pretenses of class Of men who would sap the
financial vitas Of community and avoid giving
anything In return.
There is always some good comes of evil. Some
Of this good is evident IN the prompt and honorable
dealings of a small group Of insurance companies
that have paid their losses without murmur and
sieadfastly gone about recuperating by means as
honorable has been their dealings with the people
Of this city 1t would seem that their attitude IS
semethng which draws out attention to the records
of the days when men were men and not mere cash
eating automatons with an iron hand stretched
forth for the coin in our tills. The stand OF the
combinations that evade their legal and moral
obligations gradually evolves a condition that has
been thrust upon Us In recent decades that Is, ag-
gregate capital never has never viii play fair
with the plain people.
Congress has not gone far enough in its Gaming
of the sp0lt children of the trusts 1t viii be up
TO the people themselves to administer a rebuke to
the concerns that take millions of dollars in pre-
1niums annually from the pockets Of the people and
balk when they have to give back a small percent
ace of their graft to make good their verbal and
written promises Marriage to an insurance com
'pany from a policy holders point Of view IS Ger
tainly failure and there is plenty of legitimate
ground for divorce. Cooperative insurance was
once proposed in Connecticut State insurance upon
q taxable basis was talked Of and many eminent
fnanciers pronounced it feasible. \ State would
better insure its cities by means Of cooperative
tax plan and insurance reserve fund than TO take
chances with a corporation that pays half million
wear In princely salaries on a million-dollar in
vestment. The reserve fund Of State insurance
body would better be drawing dividends for all the
people than for a score Of persons who have no
particular interest IN the commonwealth other than
to get its money.
The insurance companies claim that the case of
San Francisco Is an extraordinary happening. EX-
tfaordinary happenings are what the companies
gamble on they take the risk Of such setbaeks and
should provide for the emergency Suppose the
seityfof New York should be destroyed by con-
iagration. would that mean that all the insurance
companies in the world would have to go ont Of
business Yet the destruction of New York is just
As possible as was the destruction of San Francisco
30 city is immune from the dangers of fire, and that
IS why people take out insurance and pay the heavy
premiums thereon. The life insurance companies
have take the risk of plague and 1t would hardly
be good argument were they to refuse to pay a
claim because policy-holder known to have
oeen nearly frightened to death before he died Of
cholera
The earthquake started the fire to be sure so
lid a rat start the plague that swept away thou
sands Of the population of London Would a life
insurance company hold that the rat respon-
ble for the terrible spread Of disease and therefore
lake off % per cent Of all policies held by persons
stricken after contamination?
Perhaps as the news of San Francisco S struggle
sor her just dues with the insurance combine is
spread broadcast the people of the United States
may get together and devise some means Of insur-
Ing themselves not only against fire, but against
Aggregations Of men whose scheme seems to be to
5unko the public with business methods that SAVIOR
pfMiller's famous get-rich-quck game.