Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-02-26


| conscious suffering damages may be
recovered for the death in addition to
the damages for the injury Damages
shall be assessed with the reference OF
the degree of the culpability of the en-
ployer or his agent.
George c. Sheldon, ESQ, of Augusta,
appeared in behalf of the friends of the
bill. He said that he represented the
Central Labor Union of Augusta, Halo
we'll, Gardiner and Portland. The bill
is a copy of the Massachusetts statute
and Mr.. Sheldon thought that what
was a good law for Massa chusetts
would be a good law, for Maine.
"One of the salient features of the
bill' said Mr.. Sheldon, lis that which
gives to an employee the right to re-
cover damages for an injury, due to
the negligence of a fellow employee
While this is radical in Maine, it is not
so in Massachusetts and other sections
of the country. Every lawyer. knows
that there are many cases where in
jured men are debarred from recov-
ering damages, because their injuries
were due to the negligence Of other
workmen. The employer probably
pioye does. 1t is righteous law and
if submitted to the voters of Maine
every laboring man would vote in it's
favor, if he understood it but pre-
sumably the employers would vote
against it. 1t is conflict of interests
but the bill, is all right. Organized
labor wants this bill passed. They do
not threaten but they beseech you to
pass the bill
Rev. III. E. Dunnack of Augusta, fob
lowed in support of the measure.
A. A. Nichols of Augusta,ga member
of the Bricklayers' Onion of this city,
was the next speaker. I'VE favor the
measure he said, because we be-
lieve that it will tend to give our best
men the advantage in the Ia Dor mar
ket 1t will forceeth employer to give
such men the preference
Then came the other side and Judge
Foster, who was the first speaker be
gan by saying that the committee sat
here to consider the good of the State
rather than to be governed by the
reasons which had been set forth for
the passage of this bill. Impartial con-
sideration of the matter was all that
Judge Foster asked. He said he came
not as the attorney of a corporation
or individual but to vindicate the law
of this State as it existed for eighty
years.
He then declared that the law would
defeat it's very purpose for if it was
passed employers would demand writ
ten agreements from their employees
granting exemption from it's provisions
IN, oil toto I,a1
been held to be constitutional and not
against public policy.
B. F. Cleaves, ESQ.,, of Biddeford
spoke briefly representing various
manufacturing industries of that city
and Saco. Representative Littlefield
also spoke in opposition to the meas
ure, making an argument on legal
grounds similar to that of Judge Fos-
ter.
Joseph f. Moore, ESQ, of Thomaston.
spoke briefly in support of the bill to
provide for the payment of salvages for
logs found adrift in the ocean. This
bill is designed to provide means for
payment for logs so found without
creating the objections which We're set
forth by the lumbermen when the ORR
ginal measure was the subject of a
hearing some time ago
Hon. Joseph C. Holman of Farming
ten, appeared in behalf of the bill to
amend the Pennington village corpora
ton charter The bill will be reported.
An important conference was held.
this afternoon, by the delegations of
Penobscot, Hancock, Washington,
Aroostook and Piscataquis counties
relative to the Eastern Maine Insane
Asylum at Bangor A resolve is pend
ing before the committee on public
charities and State beneficiaries to APP
propriate $45,225 a year for the Bangor
hos pital. The proposition was ad-
vanced at the conference, today, To
discontinue the Bangor hospital, re-
move the patients to the Augusta in
stitution and CONVEX the Bangor estab-
lishmens into a home for the feeble
minded The public charities COM
mittee will have further hearing
on the matter of continuing aid to the
| Bangor hospital, THURSDAY, March 5.
III the meantime the proposed change
| is being generally discussed.
The committee on mercantile affairs and
insurance. yesterday afternoon, voted to
consider together that part of the report
of the commissioners on uniformity OF
| legislation relating to insurance and the
Clark bill to amend section OF Cnaptei
| Is of the Public Laws OF 1879 relating u
| the Maine standard fire insurance policy
Hon Charles F. Libby OF Portland. APP
peared in support of the recommendations
| If the com mission. of which he is a mem
He called attention Eaa e se thf fact t and
| u Of C,hanter "a Of the Revised Statutes,
enacted over 81 years ago r from h,t the draft
prepared by Judge Fox. ne plll recon-
adopted BY the Congress OF the United
States and 20 states OF the M , n1ion. By the
ing ing void Void a policy ifsany material facts
sstss By Tth tie nsu nss
me- pa FL larry ,d;tians Specified The most
extraordinary feature of the i act Ct Of 1895 is
that it expressly deprlyes az insurers sur OF
important question that ordinarily arises
in fire insurance policy namely, the