Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1906-12-04

! their selfish disregard Of the rights Of
/ others. and 1t is natural that they
should join in opposition to any move
ment of which the aim Is fearlessly to
do exact and even Justice to all, 5f
Railroad Employees Hours and Eight
| A. %EE Hour Law.
call your attention to the need Of
passing the bill limiting the number
of hours Of employment of railroad en-
ployees. The measure is very mod
crate one. and can conceive Of no Sc
rious objection to it. Indeed. so far
as it is in our power, 1t should be our
aim steadily to reduce the number Of
hours Of labor, with as a goal the gen.
eral introduction Of an eight hour day.
There are industries in which 1t is
not possible that the hours Of, labor
should be reduced, just as there are
communities not far enough advanced
for such a. movement to be for their
| good or, If in the tropics, so situated
that there is no Analogy between their
needs and ours in this matter On the
isthmus Of Panama. for instance, the
conditions are in every way so differ
ent from what they are here that an
eight hour day would be absurd. just
as it is absurd, so far as the isthmus
is concerned, where white labor can
not be employed, to bother as to wheth-
er the necessary work is done by alien
black men or by alien yellow men. But
the wageworkers Of the United States
are of so high Il grade that alike from
the merely industrial standpoint and
from the civic standpoint it should be
our object to do what we can in the
direction of securing the general OBJ
servance of an eight hour day Until
recently the eight hour law on our
federal statute books has been very
scantily observed. Now. however,
largely through the instrumentality OF
the bureau Of labor, it is being rigidly
enforced, and shall speedily be able
to say whether or not there is need O..
further legislation in reference. there
to. for our purpose Is to see it obeyed
In Spirit no less than in letter. Half
i holidays during summer should be aes-
tablished for government employees.
1t is as desirable for wageworkers who
i toll with their hands as for salaried
4 officials whose labor is mental that
there should be reasonable amount
4 Of holiday. .,&es+ III + So ,a.s =. a
4 Labor Of Women and Children. .
The congress at its last session wise
4 ~ provided for truant court for the
| District of Columbia, marked step in
advance on the path of properly caring
for the children. Let me again urge
/ that the congress provide for thor
0ugh investigation of the conditions
! OF child labor and Of the labor of wom-
4 en- in the United States. More and
4 more our people are growing to recog-
i n1ze the fact that the questions which
are not merely of Industrial but of So
cial importance outweigh all others,
! and these two questions most emphat-
ically come in the category of those
which affect in the most far reaching
4 way the home life Of the nation. The
4 horrors incident to the employment of
| young children in factories or at work
anywhere are blot ION our. ciyiliza-
ton. 1t is true that each state mus t
| ultimately settle the question in it's
own way, but a thorough official in
1 yestigation Of the matter. with the re-
suits published broadcast, would great
| ~ help toward are,silg the public con-
| science and securing unity of stale
action In the matter. There Is. how
| ever, one law on the subject which
| should be enacted Immediately. be-
cause there is no need for an inyestiga-
| ton In reference thereto. and the fail
| are to enact it Is discreditable to the
national government A drastic and
thoroughgoing child labor law should
be enacted for the District Of Column
4 bia and the territories. . \. !,
Employers Liability. .ta
| Among the excellent laws which tie
congress passed at the Inst session was
an employers liability law. 1T was a
marked step in advance to get the
recognition Of employers liability on
the statute books, but the law did not
| go far enough. In spite of all precau.
| tons exercised by employers. there are
unavoidable accidents and even deaths
involved In nearly every line of bust
/, ness connected with the mechanic arts.
1 This Inevitable sacrifice OF life may
/ be reduced to a minimum but 1t cam
not be completely eliminated. 1t Is a
! great social injustice to compel tile
/ employees. or, rather, the family Of the
killed or disabled victim, to bear the
entire burden of such an Inevitable
sacrifice. In other words, society
II ahirks It's duty by laying the whole
cost on the victim, whereas the injury
comes from what may be called the
I. legitimate risks of the trade. Com
pensatlon for accidents or deaths sIue
in any line OF industry to the actual
conditions under which that industry
is carried on should be paid by that
I portion Of the community for the ben
d eft Of which the industry Is carried
on that is, by those who profit by the
industry If the entire trade risk IL
~ .ss