The news-democrat. (Providence, R.I.) 1906-1909, 1907-12-03


would come Increased care, and acci-
dents would be reduced In number. The
national laws providing for employers
liability on railroads engaged In inter-
state commerce and for safety appli-
ances, as well as for diminishing the
| hours any employee Of 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 thoroughgoing form.
The constitutionality of the employ
ers' liability act passed by the preced-
Ing congress has been carried before
the courts. In two Jurisdictions the
law has been declared unconstitution-
al, and In three jurisdictions its con-
stitutionality has been affirmed. The
| question has been carried to the su-
preme court, the case has been heard
by that tribunal, and a decision Is ex-
pected at an early date. In the event
that the court should affirm the constI-
tutionality of the act I urge further
legislation along the lines advocated
In my message to the preceding con-
gress. The practice Of putting the en-
tire burden OF loss to life or limb upon
the victim or the victims family is a
form Of social in5Astice In which the
United States stands I'm unenviable
prominence. In both our federal and
our state legislation we have, with few
exceptions, scarcely gone further than
the repeal of the fellow servant prin-
ciple Of the old law Of liability, and In
some Of our states even this slight
modification Of a completely outgrown
| principle has not yet been secured.
The legislation of the rest Of the indus
trial world stands out I'm striking con-
trast to our backwardness I'm this re-
spect. Since 1895 practically every
country of Europe, together with Great
Britain, New Zealand, Australia, Brit
ish Columbia and the Cape Of Good
Hope, has enacted legislation embody-
ing In one form or another the COM
plete recognition of the principle which
places upon the employer the entire
trade risk In the various lines Of in
dustry. i urge upon the congress the
enactment of law which will at the
same time bring federal legislation up
to the standard already established by
all the European countries and which
states to perfect their legislation in
this regard.
Eight Hour Law.
The congress should consider the ex-
tension of the eight hour law. The con-
stitutionality of the present law has
recently been called into question, and
the supreme court has decided that the
existing legislation is unquestionably
within the powers Of the congress.
The principle of the eight hour day
SHOULD as rapidly and as far as prac-
ticable be extended to the entire work
carried on by the government, and the
present law should be amended to en-
brace contracts on those public works
which the present wording of the act
has been construed TO exclude. The
day should pe the goal toward which
we should steadily tend, and the gov
ernment should set the example in this
respect.
/ Compulsory Investigation of Industrial
Disputes.
Strikes and lockouts, with their at
tendant loss and suffering, continue to
increase. For the five years ending
Dec. 81, 1905, the number OF strikes
was greater than those in any previous
ten years and was double the number
in the preceding five years. These fig
ures indicate the increasing need Of
providing some machinery to deal with
this class of disturbances in the inter-
est alike of the employer, the en-
ployee and the general public. l renew
my previous recommendation that the
congress favorably consider the mat
ter of creating the machinery for COM
pulsory investigation of such Industrial
controversies as are of sufficient mag
nitude and Of sufficient concern to the
people of the country as aswhole to
warrant the federal government in
taking action.
The need for some provision for such
investigation was forcibly illustrated
during the past summer. A strike Of
telegraph operators seriously interfered
| with telegrsphie communication, caus-
ing great damage to business interests
and serious inconvenience to the gen
eral public. Appeals were made to me
from many parts of the country, from
city councils, from boards of trade,
| from chambers Of commerce and from
labor organizations, urging that steps
be taken to terminate the strike. Ev-
erything that could with any propriety
be done by representative of the gov
ernment was done without avail, and
for weeks the public stood by and suf-
fered without recourse Of any kind.
Had the machinery existed and had
there been authority for compulsory
Investigation of the dispute the public
would have been placed In possession
of the merits Of the controversy, and