Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 6.djvu/668

 654 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY

but relief work, to which the principles of insurance do not apply. If "fraternal insurance" had never been made to stand for any- thing else, it is probable that much of the confusion and many of the erroneous notions which prevail today could never have arisen. Many people seem to believe that there is one thing called "insurance" and another and a different thing known as " fraternal insurance." As a theory this is vicious ; as practice it is criminal. Whatever the methods of organization employed, whether stock companies, mutuals or cooperative associations, assessment or stipulated-premium organizations, or any combi- nation of these, ultimately all insurance, irrespective of external forms, must rest upon the same fundamental principles ; if not, it is not insurance nor anything worthy of the prestige which this term has gained. "Insurance" which does not protect is no insurance at all. The old fraternal idea was chiefly remedial ; insurance in the modern sense is primarily preventive.

While differences of opinion may exist with respect to the efficiency of legislation in bringing about reforms, there can be no question about the necessity of more adequate insurance legis- lation in general, and statutes relating to fraternal societies in particular. The inference should not be drawn that general insurance laws should not apply to fraternal societies. They should, in so far as these societies are insurance organizations ; but because of their dual nature, uniform statutes relating to fraternal beneficiary societies exclusively should be enacted. Insurance legislation is in a chaotic state. The greatest diver- sities and antagonisms exist in law where conditions are essen- tially the same. The lack of uniformity is one of the greatest evils. The National Fraternal Congress has for a number of years recommended a uniform law, which has been enacted by the Congress of the United States for the District of Columbia, and which has also been adopted by the legislatures of several states. Only fifteen states have fairly complete legal provisions relating to fraternal societies, four of these having special laws governing the same. Six states are silent on the matter, and twenty others exempt fraternal societies from statutes regu- lating assessment societies, while four others require compliance