Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1912-04-03
Communications
Robbfnu the Poor.

Robbing the Poor.
You know, and all of US know, that
nearly all the members belonging to
the Modern Woodmen of America are
only poor working men. AMI the
idea of putting the old members back
from 20 to rs years, or from the time
they joined the order, is 20 rob them
of $500 or more eve-y month, that
they may live and stay in the order,
and no benefit or credit for all money
we have been paying into the order
all these years.
If the Head Camp had to raise the
present rates as think they had
tho right TO co, they should have
raised it high enough and have the
rates take effect at the respective age
that any member joined the order.
But instead of doing that they put
them all back ranging from two to
twenty-five years. Is not that to rob
the then young, but now old man,
who joined the order twenty or tWen-
ty- five vears aso? We Old nleml'e!s
Joined he order at that time and
paid our assess ments regularly for
many, many years SO that our assess
ments would not be SO hard to pro-
duce at the age Of IS when our earn
ing power would be q good deal small
Ter than it was twenty or twenty-five
years ago when We joined the order.
But as far as can see a certain
party or parties Of the head camp
had only one object in view, and that
seems to me to be to get rid Of all
members over so years of age, and
if that will stand for what it is worth
and be the law, then they have served
their object well. Here is one of
their own statements and it shows
how fair they have been dealing with
the old members. "The present rates
would pay only $3.50 on each $1,000.
certificate" Did the Head Camp do
nate the balance of $4,000? No. But
l know, l have paid about $500 to
fill the certificate. We will suppose
that their statement is true, then If
they raised the assessment to double
the amount, then they would have
$1,O60.00 to each $1,000, but they have
raised mine and all others over 81
years of age over three times of what
the present rate now is, and as I
carry $4,000, it makes it hard for
an old man to pay out $72 q year and
81 in dues, making SIG a year. Is that
justice to an old man who has be-
longed to the order twenty or twenty
five years? So much for the old
WoOdman.
And here is to the new or young
Woodman of America. Instead of
raising the rate of the young man now
in and then once that they want to
come into the Order of the M. w. of
A. to put the rate on a substantial and
business like basis, they cut their
rate twenty per cent and made a so
so and 20 years straight plan, so |
hat man now at the age of twenty !
ian get insured in the order for forty |
cents per thousand instead of as be- |
ore it was nifty cents per thousand.
Why did the head camp do that?
They did that in order to catch suck
ers for the order so that they can
charge them $3.50 or more at the age
If fifty, or drop out of the order.
That seems to me to be their object.
The mortality table shows that at
he age Of twenty the death rate is
1-3 per cent per thousand. Now
low can the NJ. w. of A. pay their
in full at that rate? You
igure it out and see for yourself.
At the age Of fifty the death rate is
1-3 per cent and the average death
ate in thirty years would be 6 per
'ent per thousand every year, or six
nut Of every thousand. How will the
lead camp be able to pay all these
certificates with an insurance or in
'ome of only $3.50 a year from each
member? Don't that look to you as
hough they will have to change the
ate very soon after the old mem.
'ers who they want to pay $500 per
thousand are out Of the order.
Yours for honest adjustment,
G. G. BEITHON,
48 Thayer st., Bismarck, N. D.