The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-04-01
FROM OTHER PENS
EASY INSURANCE.

| Or. reason why it has been easy for
inscriptions men to develop an organized
system of commercial arson is the facility
with which fire insurance policies are to
| be obtained. Companies which sell these
| pohcles. or their agents. have frequently
| taken risks that would seem unjUstitiabI
| to the average man of business.
A few weeks ago the fire commissioner
| of New York city conducted an inVestiga-
ton and then placed the results on nxhi-
| Dition, where they excited amazement.
| One of the exhibits consisted of two cheap
| porcelain cuspidor, knife and fork. salt
| shaker, hand mirror, a coffee strainer
two cheap pictures and a tin ash tray;
1896. Merely to demonstrate how simple
a matter it is to get fire insurance, en-
ploy ees of the fire prevention bureau haG
secured policies on this array of junk to
the value of s127,50J. Nearly every fire
insurance company represented in the city
out Investigating the representa- tons of
the applicants.
A bill now before the New York ,egis-
lature requires applicants for fire insur-
ance to be made in writing, the applicant
giving the value, the location and q de-
scription of the property. Other pertinent
information is also demanded by the
trims of the bill. Penalties are provided
/ for false statements Moreover, an insur-
property in each case and give a cert'fi-
cate that he inspected the premises. A
similar measure is to be brought to the
attention of Pennsylvania lawmakers.
As the same lax system of issuing fire
Insurance obtains nearly everywhere, I'LL
nois legislators when thev finally errrege
from their 1ethargy, would find it profit
able to consider a bill of this sort. since
the public bears the burden of the in
cendiary's contemplate handiwork. it is
highly desira--e that proper methods of
granting insurance shall be established.
Such methods would go far to wipe out
commercial arson.-Chicago News.
LAS LONG AS WIRES WORKED"
LAS long as tine wires were work.
ing the telephone girls at the Omaha
exchanges stood by their posts. The
winds smashed the windows, splintered
glass fell in a shower, death rode the
storm. The circumstances were terri
flying enough to try the stoutest hearts
But no man, however brave could have
acquitted himself more finely than
those Omaha telephone girls. They
stayed at their desks answering calls
making connections. giving out such in
formation as they could until the dead
ened wires rendered further effort use
less.
The Dayton flood tells the same story.
1t was a telephone girl that first
flashed the news of that disaster to
Phoneton, where another operator re-
layed it to Gov. Cox, of Ohio. Walls
of water swirled about both buildings
and tales Of horror poured into the ears
of those telephone girls from agonized
lips. And they stayed at their posts
as long as the wires were working.
The Titanic's wreck gave the world
a splendid picture of the ages chivalry ,
Women and children first" But
that was the valor of man, justifying
his manhood by meeting the highest |
expectation of the worlds belief. We
do not look for women to meet the SUI |
preme test of physical courage. We
do not charge such traditions to her
sex But women meet them, just the |
same. The telephone girls of Omaha |
and Dayton are sisters, in stern and /
loveliest truth, to the men who by death |
and steadfastness have bequeathed the |
legacy of heroism.-St. Louis Republic |