The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-12-11

assumed rights and the supposed in
alienable rights of their employees were
at issue; denouncing as bad public
policy the enactment of legislative reg
ulations that would in any way inter-
fere with the right of a private cor
poration to operate its properties in any
manner which to it seemed best I'm
fortunately the state. up to this time.
to all intentf and purposes has upheld
them in the assumption. for neither
they nor the state seem to :aave real
lied that the miner, when underground,
has any rights of person which they are
obliged to provide for or bound to re-
spect. And while I do not doubt the
wisdom of the broad liberality exercised
by the first legislature of our state to-
ward private enterprise in it's relation
to its servants, as in the building up of
new industry the less restraints inn
posed upon it's initial efforts the better,
perhaps, for it's success, do most SER
iously doubt the wisdom of continuing
such policy and in my judgment the
mining corporations are no longer de-
serving of such considera ton, having
forfeited their right to immunity from
rigid state supervision, by their failure
to give due regard to the safeguarding
of the lives and persons of their en-
ployes.
State Mining Commission.
In the course of the many years that
/ have spent in the quartz Mines dur
ing which the many dangers of the
avocation have only too often been
brought to my notice in the most shock
ing and painful manner, / can truth
fully say l have watched with interest
every movement looking to the bet
ter protection Of the miner. Especial
ly has this been true since the crea-
ton of the mine inspection department.
of this state. l have noted how the
well intended efforts of my predeces-
sors in office have, in the main, proved
futile. and at this time have little hope
but that my successor will be obliged
to chronicle the same of myself This
is not idle sentiment, but what I feel
obliged to express by the Importance
and the necessities Of those for whom
I feel in duty bound to plead. This
department in justice cannot longer
plead for a trial The II years of its
existence has been ample time for its
achievements to attest it's ability or
inability to take care Of the Wo-k en-
trusted to it, What are the amend
ments to the original law which its
best efforts have accomplished, and on
all sides what are the amendments and
enactments only too evidently required.
How few of the many recommendations
spread out in the 10 annual reports on
file have been seriously considered,
even in committee. To hope longer for
redress in the evidence OF Such record
would be self deception. If our mining
laws are to receive the proper revision
I, as a last resort, with all the earnest
ness at my command, would urge that
a commission be appointed by the gov
ernor to draft set of mine regula-
lions defining lin the language of an
other). as near as possible the duty of
the mine owner. the duty of the miner,
the responsibility of the mine owner,
the responsibility of the miner, what
the mine owner shall and shall not do,
and what the miner shall and shall
not do. The cost of said commission to
the state can be made comparatively
insignificant, for their deliberations
can be limited to a short period, as
this department could attend to the
preliminaries, such as collecting re-
ports Of commissions, inspectors and
copies of regulations of other state and
countries, as we'll as such other data
as may be useful to said commission
in framing a set of regulations that
will protect the miner in so far as the
hazardous nature of his avocaton will
permit, while imposing only such con-
dtions on the mine owner as are nee
essary to that end. Said commission
to consist of five members, two to he