Arizona republican., 1917-09-09
SECRETARY M'ADOO

the opportunity Of making additional
 provision for his loved ones by insCriny
 h.s own life ;.ilu thus supplementinS in
 ca'e 0f his death, the condensation t..e government pays to his dependents ID
 illu Strste: / private soldier receives in the foreign service $33 per ITO nth, or , $396 per tnnum. Under the law he
 would contribute One-half of this amount, or S19S per annum, to the sup | port of his family. He could take out SlO,000 insurance, at q cost of $50 per annum. to be payable to his family in. annual installments covering d period
 of years. The soldier would have left
 SIS per year, or almost $10S per month
 more than enough for his ordinary needs while he is on the battle front or in the training camps
 Why Is this insurance not only just. but important? Because the amount
 the government will pay to the sol diers dependents in case of death. however generous it may be, may be wholly inadequate to sustain the sol
 diers family in the position in life to
 which they are accustomed, or to give them the advantages they ought to have.
 Take the case of a man killed ip
 battle, leaving q wife and four chil- dTen;: The government will pay his WluoW S6O monthly, or d total of S72O per annum. This may be wholly in- sufficient. If the soldier can take oIu
 slO,0O0 of insurance, at premium of S6O per annum, the government will pay to his wife an additional $500 Der annum for period of 20 years. thus
 bringing the total annual payments to
 the Wife and four children up to sl.220 Der annum. Even this is a modest in come, but 1t might be sufficient to en- able the wife to support herself and chllGren and give them the advantages ot education
 why must the government provide thlS insurance? Because when the gov efnInent drafts the soldier and puts nlIn into this extraordinarily hazardous var serVlce, prlVate life insurance com | panies. will not write insurance on his 1 He, or, If they will, the rates are pro- 1 h1blt've. The lowest rate 1 have heard
 suggested for such private insur- | ance Is S5S per thousand for one year renewable term. The next year the
 rate might be greatly increased
 Where the, soldier is receiving only
 s396 Der annum pay he is unable to
 take much, if any insurance at the rate of $5S per thousand The gov
 ernment, therefore has deprived the soldier of the opportunity to insure
 himself. It has destroyed the sol
 dieEs insurabiiity The least the government can do is to make resti l.
 tuition to the extent of providing in
 5urance upon the peace time basis
 and taking up or absorbing the cost
 of the excessive risk to which it has
 subjected the soldier. It is, more
 over. the just and humane thing tc
 do The government must go to tho
 limit 10 put the soldier in as favor
 able position as possible to protect
 his loved ones when he, without an, fault of his own, is taken by the gov. ernment and subjected to the extra ordinary hazards of war, where hi.
 very life may be taken for the benefi of his country
 Not alone should the government give the soldier life insurance al these peace rates because it has de stroyed large part of the soldier earning power when it drafts hin
 into the service Many men have beer l drafted or enrolled in the army ant 5 navy who are earning salaries O. ? from $1200 to 5000 per annum. Tn, f moment the government puts a maI III tHe service as d prlVate soldier l destroys his entire earning power. ex l cept to the extent of $396 a year. Tn, D government, in fact, not only con scripts the mans life, but it con
 scripts all of his earning power be I vond the s396 per annum it pay! 3 him. Having. therefore, reduced tn, I soldiers earning power so that he
 unable to pay the excessive insur
 ance rates ($5S per thousand) de e manded by private companies, it i h the imperative duty of the govern a ment to make restitution at least t :, the extent of giving the drafted ma the chance to buy insurance on a peace time basis.
 Who with blood in his veins patri
 otism in his heart and justice in hi
 soul can deny to the men and thei
 families who must suffer, more tha
 any other class of our people. tn y horrors of this world carnage an
 war. these poor compensations? Wh would submit to torturing agonies ? soul and mind our gallant soldier e and sailors by withholding from ther y the knowledge that their wives an ,e helpless children will not be depend -e ent for support upon. charity whi e they are fighting at the front? Hu y manity and justice cry out again. 70 such monstrous indifference as ths ar would be.
 e. It has been intimated that the ol II Panized insurance companies of il l. tinted States may oppose this legis n lation. I do not believe it. It