The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-12-04
MESSAGE OF PRESI-
 DENT ROOSEVELT
(Centiaaed from Page NIne3
work along the lines of the present otoamboat Inspection law. x EmplOyrrs, Liability.

work aiong the lines of the present ofoamboat Inspection law.
 fX Employers' Liability.
 The National Government should pc model employer It should oemamn 9rn,n ths highest I,anss gna,isy s0d Od # % should care { For all of them properly m return. MI S1H-
 Gress should adopt Legislation provia. ing limited but definite compensa!.,ion j for accidents to all workmen within the scope of the Federal power. m, cIuding employees of navy yards ana arsenaIs. In other words, mooei ems niovers' liability act. far-reaching and
 fhoroughEoing, should be enacted
 which should apply to all posl.io&hs. & public and private, oyer when he Ma- uonai Government mas !ur,sgso ws ge. work ara
 including those that are preVentaole and those that are not, mas pecome appaIlng in the mechanical, maneIac,, turing and transportation operaions oa the day It works grim hardship 10 fhe ordinary wage-worker and his fan- ilv 10 have the effect Of such fn acci- other hand. there are whole classes of attorneys who exist only py lnciting men who may or may not not nave aye Dn Deen wronsed to undertake suits v TOT ,,t hse ser negligence Is generally an inadequate remedy for the person injured, while 1t often causes disproportiante annoyss ance to the employer. The law shogdd gaa sccidents by the employer would be automatic instead of being matter for lawsuits Workmen snouac t,nn rgcefr for all accidents in industry irrespective Q. negligence. The employer IS the agent of the public and on his own responsi. bilfty and for his own profit he serves the pubic. When he starts in motion agencies which creates risks Tor otn- CTS, he should take all the ordinary risks involved; and the risk be thus at fhe moment assumes will ultimately be assumed. as 1t ought to be. oy the general public. cnIy in this way can the shock of the accident be dinusea. n, man least able to bear It. as IS now tne case. The community at large should share the burdens as we'll as the oene. fits of industry. By the proposed law, employers would gain a desirable cer- tainty of obligation and get rid of It. igation to determine it, while the iieved from % crushing load. With such a policy would come increased care and accidents would be reduced in number. The national m, n uxs laws proxsains nn gagged in interstate commerce and for [. safety appliances, as well as for die minishinE the hours any empfoye or a should all be strength ened whefever in actual practice they have shown weak ness; they should be kept, on the stat ute books in thoroughgoing form.
 The constitutionaIfty of the em- rloyers Inability act passed by the pre- ceding Congress has been carried be- fore the courts. In two jurisdictions the law has been declared uncopstitu- tional. and in three Jurisdictions it's con stitutionality of the act, urge further question has been carried to the Supreme Court, the case has been heard 1 by that tribunal, and a decision is ex- pected at an early date. In the event | that the court should affirm the com stltutionaiity of the cat, | urge as1sd Iursnef in my Message to the preceding Con- gress. The practice of putting the entire burden of loss to life or limb | upon the victim or the victims family | is a form of social injustice in which | the United States stands in unenyiable prominence. In both our Federal and | few exceptions. scarcely gone farther than the repeal of the fellow-servant | principle of the old law of liability and in some of our States even the outgrown principle has not yet been secured The legislation of the rest of the Industrial world stands out in striking contrast to our backwardness in this respect. Since 1895 practically | every country of Europe, together with | Great Britain. New Zealand. Australia, British 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 trs upon lne me p,o ,,na 1ne of jp
 
 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 will serve as a stimulus to the various States to perfect their legislation in this regard.
 Eight-Hour Law.
 The Congress should consider the extension of the eight-hour law. The constitutionality 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 rpresent law should be amended to embrace contracts on those public works which the present wording of the tact has been construed to exclude. The general introduction of the eight hour day should be the goal toward which we should steadily tend, and the Government should set the example in this respect
 Compulsory Investigation of Industrial
 Disputes.
 Strikes and lockouts, with their at tendant loss and suffering. continue to