The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1907-06-11
.FAVORS INCOME TAX
Roosevelt Makes Two Addresses
at jamestown Fair.
ELOQUENT PLEA FOR LABOR

ELUQUEN FLEA run LAbUn
President Advocates Law Fixing En-
ployers' Absolute Liability For Death
or Injury to Workmen Irrespective of
NeeIieence-Would Tax Inheritances.
Norfolk, Va, June II. = Two adj
dresses delivered by President Roose-
welt in connection with the celebration
of Georgia day at the jamestown ter
centennial exposition form the chief
topic of discussion wherever men or
women congregate.
In the first of his addresses, at the
dedication of the Georgia state build
ing, the president took occasion to re-
mind his hearers that he was half
northern and half southern. 1t required
no such reference, however, to arouse
their enthusiasm, for from the moment
that he set foot ON the government
pier at Sewells Point he received al
most continuous ovation, going ais he
did from one point of the exposition to
another and covering nearly every
point Of the grounds except the War
path.
Among other things the president
said:
1t is neither just. expedient nor humane,
it is revolving to judgment and sentiment
alike, that the financial burden of acci-
dents occurring because of the necessary
exigencies of their daily occupation should
be thrust upon those sufferers who are
least able to bear it and that such remedy
as is theirs should only be obtained by
litigation which now burdens our courts
The present practice is based on the view
announced nearly seventy years ago that
principles of justice and good sense de-
mand that workman shall take upon
himselfl all the ordinary risks of his occu-
patton" In my view principles of justice
and good sense demand the very reverse
of this view,
Presidents Labor Plea.
Workmen should receive a certain def
mite and limited compensation for all ac-
cidents in industry irrespective of negli-
gence. When the employer, the agent OF
the public, on his own responsibility and
for his own profit in the business of serv-
ing the public starts in motion agencies
which create risks for others, he should
take all the ordinary and extraordinary
risks involved, and, though the burden
will at the moment be his, it will uti-
mately be assumed, as 1t ought to be- by
the general public.
The national government should be a
model employer Congress should adopt
legislation providing limited but definite
compensation for accidents to all work
men within the scope of the federal pow
er, including employees in navy yards and
arsenals. Similar legislation should fol-
low throughout the states. The old and
inadequate remedy of suit for negligence
would then gradually disappear
AS corollary to the above let me point
out the extreme unwisdom of the railway
companies in fighting the constitutionality
of the national employers liability law.
No law is more emphatfcally needed and
1t must be kept on the statute books in
drastic and thoroughgoing form.
Tax Inheritances.
In an address to the National Ed
itoriaI association Mr.. Roosevelt added
some new planks to his platform for
the extension of government control.
He created a sensation among his high
proved hearers by declaring unequlvo-
cally for the following:
Retention of government ownership
and control of such coal, oil and gas
lands as have not already passed into
the hands of private owners or corpora
tons.
A constitutional income tax.
graduated and drastic federal in
heritance tax.which will have the effect
of limiting the size of Unbeatable for
tunes
National control of the great western
grazing lands, with a view to prevent
ing their destruction by private inter
ests.
Development of inland waterways for
transportation purposes in competition
with the railroads.