Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1909-08-12

Il
opment is word constantly increas-
ing in usage in our vocabulary.
Opportunities that were once per-
mitted to come and go unheeded
are now caught and nailed down.
Languid indifference more frequent
ly than formerly gets jolt from
aggressiveness andl the Southern
business world profits as result Of
| the encounter.
A striking illustration of this lat
terday tendency to curb suspicion OF
enterprise and welcome Southern
progress came recently with the
announcement that plans are under
way for the organization Of great
life insurance company for the
South, with headquarters in Ken
lucky. 1t is significant that the
proposition has been received by the
many as seriously as if it was
launched by the few sincerely.
, Twenty, ten, or even five years ago
the announcement would have met
with scant welcome. Today it seems
to have been received with a cordial
ity not unmixed with enthusiasm.
Men recognize in it an agency of
benefit for both Kentucky and the
South and consequently personal
friend.
The moment the swaddling clothe I,
were ripped off the Citizens Nation
al Life Insurance Company-an or
ganization which is to have $5,000,-
900 of capital stock and $4,000 of
surplus-people began to lift up
their heads and take notice. Since
then, it is declared, letters and tele-
grams have poured in on the pro
moters from every section of the
South-actualy wishing Godspeed
to the enterprise. That the interest
has not been limited to merely ver-
bose sentiment, is demonstrated by
the financial support proffered with
every arrival of the mail.
The man who is even more than
casual student of current events is
when introduced to the
of the life insurance bus
mess in the United States. Out Of
bewildering volumes Of
statistics he can readily gain, how
ever, a conception dazzling in i'm
pressiVeuess and particularly useful
in an understandable contemplation l
Of the real meaning to the territory
south of the Mason and Dixon line
Of the establishment therein of the
Citizens National Life.
It is we'll to bear in mind that the
East in particular has until most
recent years enjoyed what may al g
most be described as monopoly of I
he life insurance business. While a
have drawn with ire
nendous profit to themselves the I
money from Southern policyholders, /,
hey must also be credited with pos [
,ssing increasing faith in life insur- r
.nce. d
In 1873 the total amount in polices Ii
to the New York Insurance e
was $2,986,O27, 178. t
This total had increased at the end G
If 1908 to $1O,623, 739, 785. New
York City's life insurance assets ag- i
yregated in 1908 SLIPS ,OOO,O 900. S
Hartford, Conn, has a population of c
10000, 1t had life insurance assets f
n 1908 of $3.50, 900, 900. Montpelier, '
Va, has a population of 1000, and
n 1908 had life insurance assets of a
544, 100000, or SOAPS per capita. 7
These figures, however, do not con c
vey their full significance until con- s
trasted with Louisville's aggregate q
life insurance assets in 1908 of about 7
$1,000, 900 with a population of {
about 25O,OOO. Il
There is no real end to the evil
dence that life insurance business is
profitable for community. We are
wont to turn eternally to New York
when we study things financially.
One prominent New York company
twenty years ago had a little over
$6,0O0,000 of assets. It's statement
showed assets in 1908 of 1926 900 900
and the assets have probably in
creased to about a quarter of bill !
lion of dollars to-day. Four promi-
nent metropolitan life insurance
companies in 1908 had a total income