The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-07-06

employment. to assist each other in
business. to provide Beneficiary
fund, payable at death, as the member
may direct, in sums from $500 to
$4,000, or part thereof in case of
partial or complete disability of the
member
SEC. 8. This order shall have
lodge system with Ritualistic form of
work and representative form of gov
eminent.
SEC. 4. The members of this order
shall be united into Subordinate
Councils under the jurisdiction and
control Of the National Council.
The objects of an old line company
or an assessment company is to invite
men and money for the specific pur-
pose of profit and nothing else.
The hand of beneyolence, charity,
social culture, care for the sick and
needy is not shown. 1t is cold blood
ed business corporation, organized
and operated on the same plan and
principles of a railroad, rolling mill
steamship or Standard Oil or any 9TH
err company and like these fixes arbi-
trarily its terms, as an autocrat recog-
nizing no powers as worthy of coun-
Gil and only submitting to changes at
the stern suggestion of statutory en-
actments. Hence the contract to which
the insured subscribes is wholly a
one-sided affair. The company side
that Is organized for profit. True it is
there are certain privileges &C
corded to the insured but it Is equal.
ly true that insurmountable obstacles
exist which absolutely makes these
| privileges unavailable.
The only possibility is in the en-
ployment of proxy and you all know
the habits of old Mr.. Proxy when he
gets mixed up with the aristocracy in
any deal.
BY comparison find the cost an.
nually to carry $1,000 whole life policy
at age 80 in the Mutual Life of New
York to be $31.67, in the Knights and
Ladies of Security, $3.50. The differ
ence in the figures is s17.S7. Why this
| difference? Now you can carry $1,000
the same age in Keokuk Council Of
the K. & l.. of S. for $5.S7 less than il
costs to carry $1,000 in the Mutual Life
of New York. Why will you persist in
1 paying more than two prices for ar
article? Is it because of an over sup
ply of ready cash? Or that your inter
est in the prosperity of a cold-bloodee
corporation is greater than in the wei
! fare of your family. Or is it for lacl
1 of thorough business investigation
4 of the different systems, one of which
| declares in it's written law it's objec
to be to benefit it's members and no
for profit. While the other system EN-
phatically declares by example, its oh
ject is for benefit and nothing else
Should you be so unmindful of differ
ences in dealing in other commodl
4 ties? No. You would walk nine block
to save IA of a cent on pound Q
sugar and yet you pay more than dor
BILE price on insurance. Old line con
panies have other forms of policie
which specifically promise very a
tractive appearance. such as teri
payments, 10, Is, 20 and 80 years an
endowments, 10, 15, 20 and 80 year
which l would discuss only for wan
of time. However / will say a critica
examination of these policies vii
only be additional evidence that tn
company is in business for profit, an
profit only.
The last argument offered by thos
! opposed to the Fraternal system i
old line companies are safe but tn
fraternal system is not. Yes, that i
the assertion made but it is not true
All of the three systems are safe, Blu
the trouble is the organization of tn
: individual orders or companies. TIL
system of banking is safe but bank
: break You cannot condem any sys
TEN for the failure of an individua
enterprise appointed without obser,
ing the laws governing the business
The charts containing the statistic
covering the operations of fraterna
SOc16lleS LOT Uu6 past year are avail
able These figures prove absolutel
that the system is not only popula
but they also show the high esteem i
which it is held by the public an
they further show conclusively tina
there is distinct field for fraterna
insurance and this outweighs mer
statements.
At the beginning of 1909 the socis
ties had benefit membership of
322,50S and social membership c
360,9S5, making'a total of 6,6S3.49
enrolled in 103,625 lodges. At the b.
ginning of this year the benefit men
bership had grown to 6,640,724, tn
social members had increased to 1886
: 70S and the total membership was I
097, 4S2 in 107,025 lodges. After d.
Quoting lapses the net increase wa
S27, 1898 members and 1885 lodges. !
other words, after overcoming tn
drain occasioned by deaths an
: lapses, the fraternal system increase
at the rate of over 1000 members fc
each working day.
At the beginning of 1909 the insu
, ance in force of the combined soci
~ cor 40 III