The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1916-05-27
LIABILITY INSURANCE men ORGANIZE
TO OPPOSE STATE INSURANCE PROGRAM

The employers liability company insurance agents of
Minnesota have organized for the purpose preventing
the legislature of this state from passing state
law to take the place of the present unsatisfactory
Workingmens' Compensation Act.
The organization is known as the Estate Insurance
Federation of Minnesota" 1t pretends to speak for
than $4,000 citizens of the state who are iden
fled with the insurance business or another of its
manifold branches.
In circular letter last week issued to members of
the legislature the federation also claims to speak
policy holders in stock mutual companies for men,
bers Of faternal societies having features
who are opposed to the proposition that insurance of
any kind is proper governmental function
In another circular from Minneapolis, dated May
Is, 1915 and addressed to insurance workers and the
insuring public" issue taken with The Labor World
on account of editorial recently published in this
paper declaring for state insurance. The circular does
not attempt to answer the strong argument advanced
in behalf of state Insurance. but it pretends to make
light of the statement made by this paper which we
asserted that the state already appropriated
per annum to support 10000 of its crpped" population
in asyums, aims and prisons and it should also
be regarded duty of the state the hous-
ands or men and women who annually crippled
while producing the wealth of the state.
This is the of the insurance men to the de-
mand of organized labor for state insurance.:
1.-The argument in short, is that the state has pre-
cseAy sd1uo concern IN disabled
Its naturally dependent wards the feebe-minded the
pauper and the criminal classes; despite the fact
that the state has already provided beneficient system
OF workmens compensation whereby in lieu of civil
damages, the industrial employer is made financially
responsible for all accidents employees it should
60 still further and abolish the institutions which it has
licensed to write insurance under that SYSTEM subst
tuting therefor experimental insurance plan of it's
own.
I'VE do not believe the sef-respecting wage-earners
would relish being thus classed with the inmates of the
states charitable penal institutions nor if they did,
that the taxpayers at large would to finance any
such paternalistic theory of government" -
The weakness of the position taken by the insurance
agents exposed when they state that Minnesota has
already provided for beneficient system of working
mems compensation.
No workingman will be very much concerned about
the subtle plea of the insurance agents to link the in
ured workngmen with the inmates of the states char
distinction is made between them Every sefrespec-
ing wage Garner has sympathy for the unfortunate in
mates of institution in Minnesota It is but stem
from workngmens compensation it obtains in Mime
sofa to charitable institution.
The insurance agents do care anything about the
injured workingmen. They interested only in max
ing secure the employers liability companies Union
labor holds that there is needless under work.
lngmens compensation when private insurance
les carry the risk for employers Union labor has no
scrupes about putting liability companies out of busi