The evening times., 1902-04-22
Morning Session at the
Columbian University.
INTERESTING PAPERS READ
John Graham Brooks, a. Maurice Low,
and Adna F. Weber Occupy the Plat
form at Second Days Meeting-PrO-
gram foI This Evening.

EA1-AA AG1 AA--S C-4A--s
The second session Of the general meet
ing Of the American Social Science Asso-
ciation was opened at 10 o'clock this
morning in the hall of The Columbian Uni
versity, Fifteenth and H Streets north
west. Both the morning and evening ses-
sion to-day are held under the auspices Of
the department OF social economy, Of
which John Graham Brooks is the chair
man.
The hall was well filled at 10 O'Clock,
when Mr. Brooks called the meeting to
order Mr. Brooks read the opening pa
per on The Tragedy OF Industry" He
was followed by Mr. A Maurice Low with
! cGzn preheEsive discussion Of the Eng
ish EOrkingman's compensation act and
Adna F Weber, chief statistician of the
department OF labor Of the State Of New
York, who read a paper on Public Policy
in Relation TO Industrial Accidents
AIr. Erooks spoke at some length, point
ing cut the condition OF affairs, and sug-
costing a remedy in legislation. He said
IN part.
when employers liability was first
submitted 10 serious and competent dis
CussiCn in Germany thirty years ago it
was estimated that four thousand per
sens were more or less crippled each year
in the various industries. Now that her
accident insurance is thoroughly organ
lied, so that ali accidents are known. il
shows list Of nearly 259. .O00, mere than
six times the original estimate I make
here 10 plea for the German state insur-
anCe Of accidents. but use the iIustra-
tion to show how vast is the list of IA
fal1ties when the full fact is brought
out. One single Industry in the United
States = railroad transportation - kills
eaen year nearly 6.0Oe persons, while its
accidents are about IS 600 This gives a
hiHt=of the matilation that goes on in
our midst with appalling regularity. We
know the casualties Of the railroad be-
cause the record has been forced into
publicity yet this IS not the most danger
Gus occupation. II we knew the whole
story OF manned and disabled life in other
forms OF transportation, in machine shops
mills. factories, and mines. the result
would startle Us as much by its magni-
tude as by its deadly regularity. II we
could know the result Il the weed indus
Try alcne, from the lumber camp through
the saving mill TO the finished product.
VIC. should be amazed at the accompanying
ccst TO life and limb
Employers Liability Acts.
Our employers liability acts are now 50
grotesque in their incompIcteness that
the mass and the significance Of this in
jured life is largely hidden from US Yet
it Is not primarily the bulk Of Industrial
accidents that I venture to call the
Tragedy Of Industry it is rather the in
conference, the injustice, and the crude
ness with which We attempt to meet cur
responsibilities toward this mass Of mis-
fortune In Chicago I saw the fall OF q
huge iron beam in one of the great build
lngs. II broke the arm OF q Swedish
laborer in three places. 4 telephone
message brought the lawyer Of a private
insurance company al once 10 the spot
He Ieok the victim home N q carriage
and there persuaded him to accept . hun
dTed crisp one dollar bills as recomDense
for the hurt. The Swede was told that
If he did not take the money. but brought
suit, his own lawyer would get the money
This man now, three years later, is Grip
pied. and eighfy-seven Of his hundred dol
lars went 10 the doctor
Mr. Brooks then related 2 number OF
similar incidents which had come under
his observation all tending 10 show the
inadequacy CT the present methods Of
meeting this class OF accidents. He saiG
that he had asked a number of leading
lawyers their opinion Of the employers
liability laws and fourl them the most
pitiless eensors Of the prevalent ccndi-
tons The continued Is follows:
Fixing of the Blame.
The difficulties IN fixing the blame IN
der modern Industrial conditions for
large majority OF accidents are so great
that not even the toughest justice is at
tainaBle- In our own blind scramble for
a verdict. litigation increases IN mass and
in uncertainty, so tEat It is scarcely less
vcxatious TO the employer than TO the en-
pIoye.
Twenty years experience under the
German act has made il clear that more
than half OF the Industrial accidents are
neither the fault Of the employer or the
employed They come with the Tegu-
larity Of the tides, and can be dealt with
by exact actuarial methods. This evidence
had a powerful influence in England in
their decision to stop this hunt for i'm
possible PERSONAL blames. and put this
whole matter where 1t belongs. upon a
basis or carefully regulated insurance. The
long. and searching discussion CT this
problem IN eight countries is practically
d unit =upOn this point. The expense Of
accidents tbaTring cases Of gross uegIi-
geEeel should, ike insurance be thrown
upon the costs Of the business The gen
eTal body Of consumers must then. in the
long run. when readjUstmeuts arc made.
pay the bill for the disabilities incident
TO production This ends once for ali 2
world OF personal pickering, that is waste
1ul from every point Of view
DR. Brooks then read z number OF artf-
cles which all applicants for a position
with 2 large express company are com
PEELED TO sign The workman BY the terms
Of the articles assumes all risk Of accf-
dents or injuries with which he may meet
n MS labor, whether Occasfoned BY the
gross OF other negligence Of any corpora
ton or person engaged in operating auv
IaliroEd, vehicle. or vessel. and whether
resulting ii death or not. He continued:
Abuses Of Legislation.
This shows the lengths 10 which
business'may be driven by having to de-
fend itself against the abuses that gather
about our antiquated legislation.
Wa have thus, in this larger EuroDean.
history Of the employers liability. an at
temptsto fix the blame for accidents upon
the individual, with responsibility resting
upon the laborer to prove his case. This
narrow and unfair view slowly gives way
before experience and discussion the
burden Of proof being IN an ever -fncreas-
ing number Of cases thrown upon the en-
ployer Step by step with this tendency
the employer Is forced 20 insEre himself
against all accidents by various forms OF
insurance, with Pecuntary responsibilities
pFoporuoned to the inherent risks Of the
business IN the place Of Individual blame
the general principle OF trade RESPONSE