The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1907-06-10
tScripps News Association.)

(ScrippS News ASSoclatlon.)
JAMESTOWN, Va, June 10.-ln
his address at the Georgia state
building, which Is a duplicate OF
the home of Roosevelt's mother at
Roswell. Ca, the president dwelt
extensively on the protection due
employees who suffer injury while at
work. He held that railroads should
be denied federal protection in
times of trouble If they deny re-
sponsibility under federal law for
loss of life or limb by men in their
employ. The president said:
Decade by decade, it becomes
more and more necessary that,
without sacrificing their individual
independence, the people of this
country shall recognize in more eff
fective form their mutual interde-
pendence, and the duty of safe
guarding the interest of each in the
ultimate interest of all. We have
inherited and developed superbly
self-reliant individualism in this
country. l most earnestly hope
that it will not be lost, that it will
never ne exchanged for a deadening
socialism.
THE only permanently bene'
fetal way in which to help anyone
is to help him to help himself; if
either private charity, or govern
mental action, or any form of so.
cial expression destroys the in
dividual's power Of self help, the
gravest possible wrong is really
done to the individual. Neverthe
less, as the conditions of life grow
more complex, it is not possible to
trust our welfare only to the UNI
bridled individual initiative of each
unit of our population working as
that unit wills.
I'VE need laws for the care OF
our children which were not need
ed when this country was in its in
fancy. We need laws for the con
troll of vast corporations such as
were not needed when the in.
dividual fortunes were far smaller
than at present, and when these
fortunes were not combined for
business use.
IN the same way we need to
change our attitude toward labor
problems from what that attitude
was in the days when the great
bulk of our people lived in the
country with no more complex la.
Dor relations than is implied in the
connection between the farmer and
the hired help.
For example, the great increase
in mechanical and manufacturing
operations means a corresponding
increase in the number of accidents
to the wage workers employed
therein, these including both pre-.
ventable and inevitable accidents.
To the ordinary wage workers fam.
lily such a calamity means grim
hardship. AS the work is done for
the employer, and therefore ulti.
mately for the public, it is a bitter
injustice that it should be the wage
worker himself and his wife and
children who bear the whole
penalty.
Legislation should be had, alike
from the nation and from the
states, not only to guard against
the needless multiplication of these
accidents, but to relieve the fnan
cial suffering due to them.
Last winter congress passed a
safety-appliance law which marked
a long stride in the right direction
But there should be additional lie,
gislation to secure pecuniary com
pensation to workmen suffering
from accidents, and when they are
killed, to their families. At pres.
ent both in the sphere covered by
national legislation, and in the
sphere covered by state legislation
the law in too many cases leaves
the financial burden of industrial
accidents to be borne by the in
1ured workmen and their families
and a workman who suffers from
an accident either has no case at al
for redress or else must undertake
a suit for damages against his EN-
ployer.
THE present practice is based