Arizona republican., 1907-12-04

some officer whose duty would be to | investigate all accidents on interstate railroads and report in detail the causes thereof. Such an officer should make il his business to get into close touch with railroad operating men so as to become thoroughly familiar with every side o fthe question, the idea being to work along the lines of the present steamboat inspection law.
 "The National Government should be a model employer. It should demand the highest quality of service from each oe its employees and it should care for all of them properly in return. Congress should adopt legislation pro- viding limited but definite compensa- tion for accidents to all workmen within the scope of the Federal power. including employees of navy yards and arsenals In other words. model em- ployers' liability act, far-reaching and thorough going, should be enacted which should apply to all positions. public and private, over which the Ma tional Governmsnt has Jurisdiction. The number of accidents to wage workers, including those that are pre- ventable, and those that are not, has become appalling in the mechanical, manufacturing, and transportation op- erations of the da-. IL works grim hardship to the ordinary wage worker and his famil:- to hare the effect of such an accident fall solely upon him: and. on the other hand, there are whole classes of attorneys who exist only by melting men who may or may not have been wronged to undertake suits for negligence. As a matter of fact q suit for negligence is generally an inade- quate remedy for the person injured. while it often causes altogether dis propOrtionate annoyance to the em- pIoyer. The law should be made such that the payment for accidents by the employer would be automatic instead or being a matter for lawsuits. Work men should receive certain and defin- ite compensation for all accidents in industry irrespective of negligence. The employer is the agent of the pub lie and on his own responsibility and for his own profit he serves the pub lie. When he starts in motion the agencies which create risks for others, he should take all the ordinary and ex- traordinary risks involved. and the risk he thus at the moment assumes will ultimately be assumed. as it ought to be. by the general public. Only in
 this wa can the shock of the acci- dent be diffused, instead of falling upon the man or woman least able to bear it, as is now the case. The com munity at large should share the bur dens as well as the benefits of indus
 try. By the proposed law. employers would gain a desirable certainty of ob-
 ligation and get rid of litigation to de- termine it, while the workman and his family would be relieved from a crush ing load. With such a policy would come increased care. and accidents would be reduced in number. The National laws providing for employ CTS liability on railroads engaged in interstate commerce and for safety appliances. as well as for diminishing the hours any employe of a railroad should be permitted to work. should all be strengthened wherever in actual practice they have shown weakness; they should be kept on the statute books in thorough going form.
 The constitutionality of the em- ployers' liability act passed by the pre- ceding Congress has been carried be-