Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-03-19
Insured By Uncle Sam
New York Times.

When Secretary McAdoo said in his bulletin
OF January |, 1918, entitled Uncle Sans Insur-
ance for Soldiers and Sailors" that the govern
ment is making liberal, an unprecedented Of
fer to the fighting forces" he may be said to
have spoken with great moderation. Never was
such a generous offer made to men going into
battle on land or sea. About 100000 men have
taken advantage of it. The effect morale
must have been tremendous. Bravery was
stimulated devotion to duty intensified. If fate
ordered that man was to be killed, or even to
die, IN home camp or port while awaiting the
call to battle, his beneficiary would never be an
object of charity. If it was decreed that SOL
der or sailor was to be disabled he would re-
ceive from the government certain sum OF
money every month as long as he livedin addi-
ton to separate compensation
In the old days the dependent relatives OF
soldier killed in battle might have to beg their
bread, and soldier mutated might exhibit his
injuries to collect pennies in a tin cup. His
grateful country in course of time provided
pension for him if his case were presented in
the proper form by lawyer who very often
was not altrustic. But Uncle Sam changed all
that when he drafted men to fight, took them
from their work and homes, willing or not, in
doing which he recognized an obligation to pro-
tect them and their families from the hazards OF
war. The result was that an nvincible army
fought on the fields of France. ~,
In June, 1918, 20 marines fell in battle in all
attack somewhere near the Marine. All had
taken out the insurance provided by the law
of October g. 1917. Fifty-seven of them had
carried the maximum, $4,000; one was insured
for $4,000 and IL fof $4,000 The government
obligation was $5000O0 Earlier in the same
month OF June, 1918, young soldier who had
been ill in camp at Wrightstown, N. j., died OF
pneumonia Just before he went to the hospital
he had taken out policy for $4,000, naming
benefcIary IOdaV
ing passed into history, several million soldiers
and sailors, including officers, are insured with
Uncle SAM and unless they neglect to pay
premiums they will carry policies to the end OF
life at rates which no private company could
propose, rates so low that only benevolent
government could offer them.
There were two reasons for the insurance
legislation adopted early in the war-the nom
insurabihty OF risks incurred by soldiers and
sailors, and the forestang of service pensions
Up to the end of 1918 the United States govern
ment had paid out to veterans of the war of
the Revolution, the War of 1872. Indian wars
the Mexican war, the civil war and the war with
Spain the vast sum of $5,215, 528780 in pensions.
1t will probably be found that the war insurance
legislation of October, 1917, was good stroke
of business on the part of Uncle Sam. 1t should
be a deterrent to service pensions. What
politician will have the effrontery, in time
at least, to ask that any veteran of the great war
be helped from the public purse in spite of the
option he had to take out all insurance policy
on terms that were the despair of the regular
companies? The terms: For soldier or sailor
of 18, 63 cents month for every thousand dol
lars, and an ascending scale for age up to "a,
when the rate was $3.07 for every thousand dol
lars.
The government pays all expenses of insur-
ance administration. Insurance is creditor
proof; it cannot be attached. 1t is not the only
protection nrovided bv the government in the
act of October E, 1917. There is besides month
ly compensation for death or injuries or disease
suffered in the line of duty This is entirely
independent of the insurance which the soldier
or sailor takes out. Compensation, it must be
admitted, may open the door to near-pensions,
as congress could decide to raise the compensa-
ton scale. - Y
AS long ago as April 1918, the insurance on
the books of the war risk bureau was nearly
four times as great as that of the largest COM
mercial life insurance company in the world"
and more than half the total amount of life in
surance carried by private companies in the
United States. 1t was then estimated that
within year probably between twenty and
thirty billions of dollars of insurance will have
been issued" The total is now $36.0OO,00O,0O0.
About week before the armstice was signed
the war risk insurance bureau was carrying
about 100000 policies on the lives of American
soldiers and sailors, the bureau having become
the largest single establishment of the govern
ment