The Washington times., 1920-11-18
Matchmaking Insurance
That VIII Be the Next Question Before tho People OF
the United States.

sacrednsss of private initiative universal and
unchasngsd in this country that the individual or the news
paper that spoke of public ownership was looked upon
an enemy Of society
Only the posoce was excepted Public operation in that
case was taken for granted without thought to its imp
cations
But more recently private initiative has been widely
challenged As result have public ownership Of gas
and electric plants public ownership of water supply sys
tems public ownership Of warehouses public ownership Of
street railways
During the war the lesson of public operation was
thoroughly learned by the people when the was
compelled for eciencys sake take the operation
of the entire transportation and communication systems Of
the railroads the telephones and the teegags
Incidentally they have learned sharp lesson in the
power of the great financial interests by seeing the
with which the Congress was led these public
utilities to private control the
But that is an unfinished story.
The insurance business another great social function
privately performed about which the people not
enlightened. With it, too the Government has had expe-
rience-to the benefit of the people.
The business of insurance is Government function,
not private There is reasonableness in the
private control of the business for profit than
there would be in the private control for profit of the bust
lness of handling the mails.
It is generally accepted today line of business
where private initiative has uncontested right of way
but that is no reason why such acceptance logical
Insurance should be-and day will be-looked upon
as of the natural functions of During
war the duty Of the Government to perform that function
was recognized We had the War Risk Bureau for marine
Insurance. We had the wonderful system of life and acc
dent insurance for the service still in operation.
Here as in the of the railroads. teegraphs and
telephones the Government was compelled the
business The insurance companies would not do it, When
it is that insurance companies organized for profit
solely, this can be readily understood.
Insurance. practiced by the big companies is game
in which the ordinary policy holder stakes his faith against
the shrewdest corporation lawyers and contract convers
in the country.
man takes out policy for accidents fire, marine
property what not pays his premiums regularly and lives
along in bssful faith that he is protected Something hap
pen he remembers his policy approaches the company to
make good per pocy-as he understood that policy
Then in all too many he finds that the thing which
happened is precisely something which the policy "ex
cepts."
The policy is pretty worded but the authors
poation lawyers skilled beyond in clever phrase
ology.
The policy holder has great ightthe only party
really insured against loss the insurance company
Meanwhile these corporations fat Their incomes
enormous They pay dividends that are immense Lit
tie wonder!
The men who served in the field and naval services OF
the nation during the know the difference between in
by the Government and insurance by private
poraion The premiums thousands of exsolders and
sailors today paying large policies with the Govern
ment are but fraction of the premiums being paid by
and women whose policies are in private companies.
The ease with which the benefits of these Government
policies collected amazing beside the horrors of red
tape and undergone by those who would
make claims upon the private companies
is the clash of ideas represented in private
or public ownership of anv pubc uitv which performs