Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-12-15

lives now being virtually sacrificed would
be saved by the adoption of measures
that have proven so beneficial to the min
ers in those countries where they are In
force.
Authoritative statistics of metalifer-
GUS mining compiled for a numbe of
years in Great Britain, Belgium, Ger
many and other countries, show the high-
est death rate (from accidents) for the
years covered by the reports, to be It's
per LOCO persons employed. Montana,
though showing a reduction as compared
with previous years, shows death rate
from mining a~ccidents) of 1886 per 1000
employed. S~egregating Silver Bow coun-
ty from the other counties of the state,
we find the proportion of killed to the.
number employed underground to be 4.79
per 1000. So much to particular mines
contribute to the total of fatalities in this
county that the percentage of killed in
a certain mine for a period of three years
has averaged 1868 per 900 men employed.
This is simply barbarous. Unques-
tionably the vast difference between the
per centage of fatalities in Montana's
mines and that of the countries above
mentioned is due to their better avs and
regulations and to the authority invested
in the mine inspection department for
their enforcement. Thus the great saving
of life being due to the superiority OF
their laws, the conclusion is inevitable
that those entrusted with the law-making
power of late years in this state la
evaded a great responsibility and have
been guilty of a grave sin of omission
in their failure to enact a code of laws
that would secure to the miner every
reasonable protection from the many
dangers that beset his calling.
WHuRE RESPONSIBILITY RESTS.
while we cannot refrain from pointing
out the dereliction of the lawmakers In
this regard on account of the loss of life
and the long list of permanent cripples
made thereby, we should not, however,
forget that a full share of the RESPONSE.
bility for such rests with the large min
ing concerns, for undoubtedly those great
corporations hav welded a powerful in
luence in shaping legislation and have
bitterly fought every attempt made to
legislate upon matters wherein their as
sumed rights n the supposed inalien-
able rights Of their employers were at
issue, ~denouncing as bad public policy h
enactment of the legislative regulations
that would in any way interfere with h
right of a private corporation to operate
its properties in any which to it
seemed best.
Unfortunately, the state, up to this
time, to all intents and purposes, has up
held them in this assumption, for neither
they nor the state seem to rave realized
hat the miner, when underground, has
any rights of person which they are
obliged to provide for or bound to re-
spect. And while l do not doubt the wis
dom of the broad liberality exercised by
the first legislators Of our state toward
private enterprise in it's relation to it's
servants, as in the building up of a new
industry, the less restraint imposed pom
its initial efforts the better, perhaps, for
it's success, l do most seriously doubt the
wisdom of continuing such policy and, in
1NVy 0r9 nrf ]hh tint r. ~ tf0Vnn
are no longer deserving of such consid-
GRAFTON, having forfeited their right to
immunity from a rigid state supervision
by their failure to give due regard to the
safeguarding Of the lives n persons OF
their employees.
NDIlD OF BETTER LAWS.
"In the course of the many years that
l have spent in the quartz mines. during
which the many dangers of the vocation
have only too often been brought to my
notice in the most shocking and painful
manner I can truthfully say I nave
watched with interest every movement
looking to the better protection of the
miner. Especially has this been true
since the creation OF the mine inspection
department of this state. I awe noted
how the well-tntended efforts of my pred
ecessors in office have, in the main.
pAoSC ~AAO oV SAAt1 SAAAA AA$SA
hope but that my successor will he
obliged to chronicle the same of myself.
This is not idle sentiment. but what I
feel obliged to express by the import
ance and the necessities OF those for
whom 1 feel in duty bound to plead. This
department in justice cannot longer plead
for a trial. The years of its existence
has been ample time for it's achievements
to attest its ability or inability to take
care of the work entrusted to it. What
o~o= AIr~ 11 M - N kAn fnfn 1nNNR
which it's best efforts have accomplished,
Inc or all sides what are the amend
ments and enactments only too evidently
required? How few of the many recon-
Mendations spread out in the ten annual
reports on file have been seriously con-
sidered, even in committee. To hope
longer for redress in the evidence of such
a record would be seif-deceptiOn.
IF our mining laws are to receive the
proper revision. 1. as a last resort. with
all the earnestness at my command.
would urge that a commission be appoint
ed by the governor to draft q set Of
mine regulations defining lin the an
guage Of another), as near as possible.
the duty of the m~ine-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 In ;
significant, for their deliberations can be
limited to a short period. as this depart
ment could attend to the preliminariea.
such as collecting reports Of commissions.
inspectors and copies of regulations OF
other states and countries. as well az
such other data al may be useful to said
commission in framing q set OF regula-
tons that will protect the miner In 90 TAR
as the hazardous nature of his avocatl0n
will permit. while imposing only such
conditions on the mine-owner AZ are nee
essary to that end: the commission to
consist of five members, two to be mime