Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1910-11-03
and the legislatures Of other states.
which have the valued policy law by

" i''s'S VIC v"AuSu pOlACy INV ny
saying: Except when otherwise
provided by statute The South
Dakota legislatures. so much belit..
tied by Mr.. Wood, went farther and
cited the statnte which they@ would !.
preserve intact by making the first
sentence of the standard policy read:
Except in case of buildings, where
the amount insured upon the property
shall be taken CONCLUSIVELY to
be the true value thereof, as provid-
ed by Chapter 1852 of the laws OF 1903. :,
All Woods talk about news towns
and building in the wrong locality as
merely hot air. to fool the Of the
news towns.
Mr.. Wood tries to throw big scarce
by talking about the law being the
work of a great insurance combine
known as the Union" and about It's
being put through the leg legislature
while the members thereof sat around
like oysters knowing nothing OF
what was doing. The facts are these:
At the request of an official of sue
cessful South Dakota Mutual Fire
Company, convention was called
and about seventy representatives Of
the fire insurance companies ASSEM-
bled in an open convention to con-
slider what would be both needed and
wise legislation. There were no execu-
tive sessions and the public was in
vited. In South Dakota the u Mon
and Non Union companies, including
the South Dakota mutnals. are about
equal and probably small majority
OF the members present were from
non-union companies. Questions
We're publicly discussed and papers
presented. The meeting appointed
an executive committee to draft
propositions and to present their
recommendation to the Legislature.
A second meeting was called, attend
ed by at least sixty representatives.
10 this second meeting the commit
tee reported and their report was UNI
animously adopted. All Woods talk
about combine and dark lanthorn
procedure is more hot air. No mat
ter was ever put toa legislature In
more open, fair and intelligent man
ner. AS a result our state today
stands in the front with the other
statss that have been advancing the
Insurance laws for the protection Of
the public.
The three-fourths value clause as
applying TO personal property may be
a debatabie question, but where there
is valued policy law covering total
loss on real property the writer be-
lieves that the retention of the cladise
is exceedingly wise.
Bear always III mind that the in.
snred must pay the freight" FLAWS
are SD made as to encourage fraud
and arson the honest man will foot
the bill in the end The fire waste in
this country is appalling. Over three
fourths of q million dollars was lost
in South Dakota last year from Ere.
The loss pccasioned by fires set with
premeditated purpose to defraud is
astonishing The Fire Marshal De-
partment closed it's record of three
years last June. During the three
years ten men have been sent to the
pen. five boys to reform school and
six men fined heartily for setting
prairie fires contrary to law, and one
woman committed suicide while un-
der bonds for appearance at circuit
court. AS present one person is un-
der trial in circuit court for Hamlin
county, one is under 100000 bonds
to appear at the next term of the cir
cult court in Moody county; one un-
der S3,000.00 bonds; aud one in Jail at
Oacoma for wilfully setting fires that
came near burning up that city. For
the loss of life, occasioned by these
flre-bugs, no one can pay, but
for the loss Of insured property the
insuring public must pay. While
laws need to be made to protect the i
public, It is not protection to give in
centives to the vicious.
Friend and foe of Governor YES
sey admit that he hassbeen success
full business man and chat he has Civ
en- more personal time and attention
to the duties of governor than any
One of the early acts of his admin
istration was TO save the state largely
Oh the insurance of its public build,
ings. AS a member of the Senate In
suranee Committee, when a member
of the legislature, he was largely re-
sponsible for the passage of the Fire
Marshal Law which is maintained
solely by the fire insurance compan,