Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-12-05

lI1E OmAIl a
reference thereto. and the failure to enact
II is disCreditable TO the national govern
ment. A drastic and thOruugngoing child
labor law should DE enacted TOR the District
Of Columbia and the territories.
Employer Liability Law.
Among the excellent laws which the con
greHs passed at the last session was an
employers liability law. II was a markell
step in advance to get the recognition Of
employers liability on the statute books;
but the law did not 60 far enough. IN
spite OF all precautions exercised by oni-
ployers there are unavoidable accidents and
even deaths Involved In nearly every line
arts. This inevitable sacrifice Of life may
be reduced 20 a minimum, but Il cannot be
completely eliminated. IL Is a great social
Injustice TO compel the employe, or rather
the family OF the killed or disabled vic
TIM. to bear the entire burden OF such an
inevitable sacrince In other words So
cost on the victim, whereas the injury
comes from what may be called the legiti-
mate risks Of the trade. Compensation for
accidents or deaths due In any line Of in
dustry to the actual conditions under which
that industry Is carried on, should be paid
by that portion Of the community for the
benefit OF which the industry is carried on
that is, by those who profit by the indus
Try II the entire trade risk is placed upon
the employer he Will promptly and properly
add It to the legitimate cost Of production
and assess IL prOpOrtiOnately upon the CON
sumers OF his commodity! 1t Is therefore
clear to my mind that the law should place
this entire risk Of a trade" upon the en-
ployer. Neither the federal law nor, as
far as am informed, the state laws deal
ing with the question Of employers liability
are suficis ntly thoropghgoing. The federal
law should Of course, include employees In
navy yards, arsenals and the like.
Arbitration Commission.
The commission appointed by the pres-
dent October l6 1902 at the request Of both
the anthracite coal operators and miners,
to inquire into, consider and pass upon the
questions In controversy In connection with
the strike in the anthracite regions OF
Pennsylvania and the causes out of which
the controversy arose, in their report, find
ings and award expressed the belief that
the state and federal governments should
provide the machinery for what may be
called the compulsory investigation Of con-
troVersies between employers and employees
when they arise" This expression OF be-
lief is deserving OF its provisions into law.
A bill has already been introduced to
Records show that during the twenty
years from January 1, 1881, to December 81,
is0D there were strikes affecting 1850 es-
adjustments, and 6lO5,69i employees were
thrown out of employment. During the
same period there were 1,OO5 lockouts, in
volving nearly 10000 establishments, throw
Ing over 100000 people out Of employment.
These strikes and lockouts involved an es-
timated loss to employees of 1907 600 and
100000. The public suffered directly and In
directly probably as great additional loss.
But the money loss, great as it was, did not
measure the anguish and suffering endured
by the wives and children Of employees,
whose pay stopped when their work
stopped, or the disastrous effect of the
strike or lockout upon the business of en-
ployers or the increase in the cost of
products and the Inconvenience and loss to
the public
not have occurred had the parties to the
dispute been required to appear before an
unprejudiced body representing the nation,
and, face to face. state the reasons for their
contention. In most Instances the dispute
would doubtless be found to be due to a
misunderstanding by each OF the other S
rights, aggravated by an unwillingness of
ments of the other as TO the justice or in
justice of the matters in dispute. The eX-
erCise of a judicial spirit by a dlsinterested
body representing the federal government,
such as would be provided by a commission
on Cancellation and arbitration, would tend
to create an atmosphere Of friendlincgi and
and the giving OF each side an equal oppOr-
tunity to present fully its case In the pres
enCe OF the other would prevent many dis
putes from developing into serious Strikes
or lOckOuts. and In other cases, would en-
able the commission to persuade the OPP
posing parties to come to terms.
In this age Of great corporate and labor
combinations, neither employers nor en-
ployes should be left completely at the mercy
OF the stronger party to a dispute, regard
less of the righteousness OF their respective
claims. The proposed measure would be In
the line Of securing recognition of the fact
that in many strikes the public has itself
an interest which cannot wisely be dsre-
garded; an interest not merely of general
convenience. for the question Of just and
proper public policy must also be consid-
cred. In all legislation Of this kind 1t Is
well TO advance cautiously, testing each
step by the actual results; the step pro-
posed can surely he safely talSen, for the
decisions Of the commission would not bind
the parties in legal fashion, and yet would
give a chance for public opinion to srystal-
lie and thus to exert its full force for the
right.