Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1906-05-04
DETAILED REPLY TO QUESTIONS
OF VERMONT FEDERATION
Does No. Favor Weekly Payment VI
Employers Liability Biis-"0u''
No. Give Public Employees Eight
Vour pay-some Personal Views

A.
Proctor. Mr.. Clement replied at length
under date of April III. ,a,n,
After statement as TO ms st"n Nuns
ON various general questions, MI ''su,
emit answered the specific points rs io',
lows:
You ask ,,r,
Firs-If elected as governor Of vermont,
win YOU pledge yourself 20 use your u'hos'
endeayor 20 secure the passage OF Q NeeA
IL paymen, bill along the lines OF that pre-.
sented AZ the last session OF the Ne'"'u'
legislaturef III.
I am NOT inclined to favor laws OF TINS
character which undertake TO interpuse Wv
hand Of the government to settle matters ~
private interest, regret the tendency
Legislation towards paternalism' Let US nav
general laws, as few as possible We" en
forced. applying equally to all TO tue Gnu
that each individual may enjoy tue g'eh'es'
personal liberty consistent with the IIs"'s
~ others. The question OF the time Of pay
mant should be settled between the employer
and the employe, just as the question oil
wage IL When this measure was in the
Legislature at the time | was member OF
the house / opposed It, so far as u related
10 railroads. The railroads Of this state
are not the great, rich corporations tha'
some people think they are. The roads are
poor and expensive to maintain and operate
and give little or no returns TO their stock
holders. A weekly payment bill would mean
great additional expense which must pc met
by an increase in railroad tarin OF ae
crease in railroad service, neither OF whien
would be satisfactory TO the pubic, anu
further. weekly payment would be hard
shin 10 many railroad employees themselves
who live far from the center where payment
can be made
seeond-will you take the same action
toward the passage of an employers liapii'
ity actl
We never have had an employers liability
act in this state, but have depended upon
the common law. ! don't know 10 what
extent you propose TO 90 in making employ!
ers liable for accidents to employees, but it
seems TO me that the common law, which
makes the employer liable for his own neg
lect. and which has become the law after
ages OF thought on this subject and has been
applied to limitless experience, is the SAT
est law and the wisest law for all people TO
adhere TO. can see no good reason for
change.
Third-Do you favor giving public EN-.
ployes an eight.hour day
Why give public employees an eight'hour
dayi Neither you nor ! are limited by law
in our labor TO eight hours. The employees
Of this state are not oyerburdened in regard
to the hours Of labor and II would be un'
wise at this time, when we are trying TO
reduce the expenses Of state government to
needlessly increase them in this way. II
elected governor, my influence would be to
have the employees of the state give such
proper service as the employees of other bust
ness do The state employee should be re-
quired to perform his full duty and should
not be allowed to consider his job soft
snap. Such service is for the interest of
every individual in the state and not in
the interest Of any one individual in par
tcular.
Fourth-Do you favor the creation of
bureau Of statistics and labor giving com.
petent members of organized labor majority
representation on such a board
The state has got more commissions now
than we know what to do with. In 1870
all the commissions of this state cost about
$4,000. In 1904 the expense had gone up to
over 100000 / would try to obtain such
statistics as are necessary without the in
stallation Of another commission or bureau.
Fifth-Will you endeavor to have enacted
into law, bill eliminating convict labor in
our penal institutions, whenever such labor
enters into competition with free labor
Convicts must be employed. 1t would be
inhuman to confine them in ideness. They
must be maintained I know OF no reason
why the state should not exercise the same
care in administering its affairs that
wise business man would. The labor which
our convicts perform must enter into COM
petition with free labor to certain extent,
but it is so small in Vermont that it prac-
tically cuts no figure, and unless some other
provisions could be made which would be
equally advantageous to the convicts and
to the state, / should not be willing to
change.
sixth--will you favor the endorsement
of state law providing for the appoint
ment of practical mechanics to act as in
spectors for all plumbing and steam fitting
as safeguard to public health Rules for
the laying of pipe and the making of sewer
connections are to be provided for in this
bill.
I entirely agree with you that there
should be law providing for proper plumb.
ing and steam fitting, and for the laying of
pipe and the making of sewer connections,
as safeguard to public health, and there
should be appointed competent men who
understand their business to in
spect such work. The expense of that in
specton should be borne by the people for
whom the work is done. 1t is not proper
charge upon the state Inspectors of ma
tional banks are paid in that way for their
service in making examinations
| am in favor of the law preventing the
employment of children in factories at long
hours of labor, and I am heartily in favor of
the enforcement of that law and all others
on the statute books.
I have always advocated the organization
of labor. I think it is best for the la
borer and best for the country at large. Time
and agitation Of these subjects WILL l be-
lieye, bring the employer and the employee
closer and closer together, so that eventual
ly they will each be able to look at these
questions through the same glasses, WHILE
as it seems to me- special legislation insist
ed upon by one class for its benefit and OBJ |
iected to by another class will have a ten
iency to pull the employer and employee away |
from each other and erect barriers which will |
prove unfortunate for both. Believe me
when I tell you that 1 am not unfriendly
to labor. My whole life has been identified |
with it, and so far as I know, our relations
have been mutually satisfactory.
Percival W. Clement.
Commenting editorially upon this let
ter the Vermont Union Signal, the of
fetal organ of organized labor in the
state, says of Mr.. Clement, cit is hard
to see how labor would be at all bene-
ited by endorsing candidate who is
IN uncompromising opponent. 1t
adds, "There is no use in even think
ng of supporting Proctor
JACKSONVILLE.
Mr.. and Mrs. Omer Sheldon spent Sunday
n, Wardsboro.