PENNSYLVANIA. 



727 



on the 18th of January, showed 95 votes for 

 Oliver, 56 for Grow, 93 for Wallace, and 

 four scattering. The contest was prolonged 

 through thirty-four ballots in the joint con- 

 vention until the 23d of February, when, on 

 the thirty-fifth ballot, a compromise having 

 been effected between the two Republican fac- 

 tions, John I. Mitchell was elected by a vote of 

 150, to 92 for Wallace and two scattering. 



Among the laws enacted at this session were 

 an act to punish frauds upon life-insurance 

 companies by agents, physicians, and others ; 

 and also an act supplementary to the school 

 law. It abolishes all distinction of race or 

 color in the public schools. The following are 

 its provisions : 



SECTION 1. That hereafter it shall be unlawful for 

 any school director, superintendent, or teacher to 

 make any distinction whatever on account of or by 

 reason of the race or color of any pupil or scholar 

 who may be in attendance upon or seekim; admission 

 to any public or common school maintained wholly or 

 in part under the school laws of this Commonwealth. 



SEC. 2. That the twenty-fourth section of an act 

 of Assembly approved the 8th day of May, A. p. 1854, 

 entitled " An act for the regulation and continuance 

 of a system of education by common schools," which 

 section is as follows : " That the directors or con- 

 trollers of the several districts of the State are hereby 

 authorized and required to establish within their re- 

 spective districts separate schools for the tuition of 

 negro and mulatto children whenever such separate 

 schools can be so located as to accommodate twenty 

 or more pupils ; and whenever such separate schools 

 shall be established and kept open four months in any 

 year, the directors or controllers shall not be com- 

 pelled to admit such pupils into any other school of 

 the district : Provided^ That in cities or boroughs the 

 board of controllers shall provide for such schools out 

 of the general funds assessed and collected by uni- 

 form taxation for educational purposes," be and the 

 same is hereby repealed. 



The report of the State Treasurer for the 

 fiscal year ending November 30th shows $7,- 

 001,782 receipts, $6,926,810 disbursements, and 

 a balance in the Treasury on that date of $1,- 

 890,019. Of the disbursements $421,801 were 

 for the redemption of State debt. Of the bal- 

 ance, $91 1,037 belongs to the general fund, and 

 the remainder to the sinking fund, the Febru- 

 ary debt interest being payable out of this 

 portion. The total debt of Pennsylvania on 

 December 1st was $21,140,188. The Treasurer 

 is. of opinion that the State taxation can bo 

 reduced, and still leave sufficient revenue to 

 meet all the necessary requirement of the State 

 government in the future. For the current 

 fiscal year he estimates that the revenues will 

 be $6,015,000, and the necessary expenses of 

 the Commonwealth $5,261,593. 



The amount of money paid in the State, in 

 the year 1880, to companies of Pennsylvania 

 and other States, for fire, marine, life, and acci- 

 dent insurance, was as follows : 



Premium receipts of Pennsylvania life com- 

 panies from business In this State $1,553,188 67 



Premium receipts of life companies of other 

 States from business In Pennsylvania 8,490,618 04 



Total premium receipts of life companies 

 in Pennsylvania, $3,048.901 71 



Brought forward $5,048.801 71 



Premium receipts of Pennsylva- 

 nia stock, fire, and marine com - 

 panies In the State $?.MfllflBT 88 



Beceipt!i of Pennsylvania mutual 

 companies from policies and 

 assessments In the State 1.242,072 89 



Total receipts of Pennsylvania fire compa- 

 nies in the State 8.745,960 13 



Premium receipts of other State and foreign 

 fire and marine companies 8,144,561 86 



Total paid for insurance In Pennsylvania 



for Issu $11,989328 19 



The aggregate is $496.412.82 greater than 

 the total sum paid for insurance for the year 

 1879. Life companies show an increase of 

 $71,097.78 of premiums in the State, divided 

 thus : home companies, $59,044.18 ; companies 

 of other States, $12,053.60. 



The Commissioner of Insurance describes 

 the method by which "assessment life-insur- 

 ance companies " are organized and chartered. 

 He says : " The general practice of companies 

 organized under the act of 1876 to 4 insure 

 lives' upon the assessment plan is to issue 

 policies agreeing to pay, not a fixed and cer- 

 tain sum of money, but a sum to be deter- 

 mined by the result of an assessment, after the 

 manner of beneficial societies. There are good 

 reasons for the opinion that this practice is 

 without warrant of law, that these companies 

 can issue none other than policies of insur- 

 ance, and that a policy of insurance must pro- 

 vide absolutely and unconditionally for the 

 payment of a certain sum at maturity. 



" It is not possible," says the commissioner, 

 " to make an accurate classification of assess- 

 ment companies. They assume many forms, 

 from the purely beneficial order to those am- 

 bitious to be ranked among substantial life-in- 

 surance companies. They may, however, be 

 divided into three classes : 



" 1. Beneficial societies and orders institute! 

 mainly for charitable purposes. These dis- 

 tribute benefits in case of death, sickness, and 

 disability, do not employ agents, and are con- 

 ducted at comparatively little cost to the mem- 

 bers. 



"2. Organizations conducting the business 

 of life insurance on the co-operative plan with 

 agents and all the machinery of life com- 

 panies. These generally issue absolute* poli- 

 cies of insurance, to pay which at maturity 

 they are not required by law to maintain a re- 

 serve. They rely upon assessments and partial 

 accumulations. 



"3. Gambling organizations, whose main 

 purpose is to speculate in the lives of old per- 

 sons and promote the individual interests of 

 officers anu agents, who are the principal bene- 

 ficiaries." 



After stating that since his last annual re- 

 port 131 assessment life companies, have born 

 incorporated, he argues that thero is no public 

 necessity for tin; incorporation of so many of 

 these companies, and declares that their main 

 purpose is not to afford the benefits of p"> 1 

 and safe insurance, but to enable the officers 



