Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1909-01-15
Let's Keep the Money At Home

y
eral gives some information ina;
viii cause a good deal Of sur.
prise. He gives the figures gath
cred from the office of the sup.
erlntendent OF Insurance, show Ia.
that more than 2 million more
dollars were paid out last year
for fire insurance in Kansas thar
were paid back for losses. Most
Of the money that was paid for
premiums on fire insurance poh.
cIeS went out of the state OF
Kansas.
sWhy should iti Why should
not the state Of Kansas insure
the property of its own citizens
and make enough profit out OF
the deal to pay practically all
the expenses of running the state
government Not only would tn
profits that now 60 out Of the
state be sufficient to run the
state government. Pay the bills
of most of its state institu-
tons but the money, nearly 225
millions of dollars would be kept
at home and go into Kansas bust
ness instead of into the peck
cts of lot of fat bellied direc-
tors and stockholders some Of
them in the East and some acrOs
the water.
If the state would add to the
fire insurance business the life
insurance business on whican
there is a bigger margin on prof
it than on fire insurance, the
profits would more than pay the
expenses of the state government
the expenses of running all Of
the state institutions, charitable
and educational, and have a cor
siderable margin left to help
pay the expenses Of running the
. common schools of the state.
There is no good reason why
the state should not carry the
insurance on the lives and prop
erty Of its itizens and at a less
expense than the insurance COM
panies carry the business. If the
state did the insuring, there
would be no need Of vast army
of agents drumming up business
The county clerk Of each count,
could be designated as the rep
resentative of the state to write
the policies or the township
clerk of each township might b
designated as the state insurance
agent for that township and au
thOrized to pass upon the fire
insurance risks. No property
should be insured at more thar
-two-thirds of its assessed value
and failure to pay the taxes on
the property should be made to
work forfeiture of the insur'
.ance policy.
In the case Of life insurance
the same officers would be authC
lied to take the application and
the county coroner could be desl
mated as the examining physician
This arrangement would make tt
office of coroner, which in man,
counties is now a sort of kissing
and bywOrd on account OF the
fact that the coroner hasn't 8
thing to do more than once
year on an average, an office Of
Importance, and connected wit
comfortable emOlumentS. The
flee of township clerk would ais
under such a system become
moderately lucrative office ant
millions of money which are AM
ally sent out of the state would
be kept at home. =
But this will not be, done
There would be an army of in
surance agents all over the stat
plugging against the passage o
such law and there would b.
a big army outside of the state
who would also be plugging
against it and there would
a large number of people WI
have no financial interest in
insurance company except tina
they belong to the great arm,
each of whom hands over 81 t
some insurance company in OF
der that they may have the pr
ilege themselves or that thei
heirs may have the privileg
some time of getting 81 back
who would also be- plugginI
against the passage of such
law because they are Of the OPT
ion t hat the people have no
sense enough to handle their ow