Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1909-07-02

er number OF men yell liberty, trample
on the rights and destroy the property
of others; and then throw into the
flames the same values which the Eu-
ropean countries use in building ships,
feeding, clothing and training men.
Coming nearer home: From the
best available data 1 judge the direct
fire loss in this state to be about 1925
per capita, annually, or about $780,
600. If 1t could be reduced to the Eu-
ropean standard we could pay off the
entire state debt in two years, or we
could abolish all taxes and yet have
enough to double the appropriations
to our schools and colleges and also
double the salaries Of the state officers.
"a large proportion Of Charlestons
citizenship Is from the glorious old
faderland, and that may be one reason
for her low fire loss. If she could re-
duce her annual fire loss 80 that 1t
would be proportionate to that or Ber-
lin, according to population, Charies-
tons annual fire loss would be about
So, 200 instead of $4,000, and the cost
of her fine fire department would be
about $4,000 instead Of $4,000. 1t Is
but fair to Charleston to say that her
per capita fire loss is about half that
of New York, or Boston, or Chicago,
and is far below the average of Amer
ican cities.
81 might go on indefinitely giving
you statistics to illustrate the enor-
nous and unnecessary fire waste. But
there Is no need. Despite our self
conceit and its being founded on ig-
norance, the fact remains that the
American people. when they get an
idea clearly in their heads, can do
about as well in accomplishing results
as any other people on earth.
Let us set about to reduce this
great loss of property from fire. Here
is the great work which the fire in
surance agents can do: Solve this
problem. 1t can not be done in day.
1t is worthy of life's work. And 1t
will take the life work Of each one In
his own town to reduce the fire waste
to the minimum. But what a service
will be doneI There Is no joy equal
to the service and what would not any
man give to know that from his own
efforts the houses and goods Of his
neighbors were made safer and safer
from loss by fire as the years went by?
The method we have adopted In Amer
lea to reduce fire losses reminds me
of a plan an attendant at an insane
asylum used in determining forms OF
insanity. Said he: whenever a new
one comes to the asylum, takes him
down into the basement, and I turns
on the water spout and let's the water
run on the floor. Then I tells him to
mop up the water. Them that does
not turn off the water at the spout,
knows to be idjits.'
I'm the main we have devoted our
selves toward putting out fires. We
pride ourselves on our fire depart
ments. How we admire the horses as
they come down the street on a run!
the fire, enjoys the excitement and
praising the fire laddies who risk and
lose their lives sometimes in putting
out the fire and saving the property.
We have some sympathy for the poor
man who possibly has lost the savings
Of years and is only partially recon-
pensed by the money the insurance
company pays him. But we howl
nightly when the insurance company
comes round to collect from us our
proportion of the funds it has paid the
sufferer. And this 1t is as bound to do
as day follows nights.
1--WE laugh at the fire departments Of
Europe. She does not need steam
engine to pump the continuous flow
of water out of the basement. She
turned off the water at the spout. Her
efforts have been towards prevention
ours towards cure. An ounce to a
pound is the proportion.
Gentlemen, you may sit in your
office at ease, and live on the commits
sions you deduct from the premiums
paid by policyholders in your COM
panies. You may do more than this.
You may bestir yourselves and induce
persons to insure who had never in
sured before And you may congratu-
late yourselves when you pay poor
householder a loss, under policy
which he would not have had but for
your persuasive powers. But, gentle
men, you are but idlers about the vine
yard gates If you do no more than
this. A slot machine could do almost
as much. How much better are you
than Nero, who Is said to have fid-
died while Rome burned, though there
were no fiddlers then. He may have
rejoiced in the contemplation Of the
more beautiful city which he expected
to build.
IAN insurance policy Is not lottery
ticket Insurance is the anthithesis Of
gambling. In gambling the lucky
fellow wins the contributions of the
'unlucky,' who frequently lose not only
their own but other peoples money.
In insurance the unfortunate sufferer
is recompensed, in whole or in part,
by the contributions Of those who have
not lost. The insurance company Is
merely the clearing house, which gath
ers the contributions and distributes
them to the sufferers. 1t has no mint
in which to coin money for those who
have fires. Its only legitimate source
of income Is from Its policyholders, and
If it does not collect from them enough
to pay its losses, it is in bad way
and had best be forsaken before 1t
sinks. This is the first lesson to be
taught the public and each agent
should let his fellow citizens know
that whether they wish to be so or not
they are fellow Insurers of all Of their
neighbors, and that a fire loss in a
community is loss to the whole COM
munity, in that those who have not
had losses contribute through their
premiums to those who have.