Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1907-02-04
THE MANNED TOILER
eiTlAeLE CONDITION OF THE INCA
FACILITATED WORKMAN.

Necessity Of Some Legal Measure 81
Observation-Disclosures Of the Hind.
most a Burden on Society-Liabillty
Of Employers.
| While the labor organizations are
| striving for protection for the man
who works and the employer is en-
deavoring to diminish the cost Of pro
duction In every possible way, while
the arguments pro and con are being
cited in the daily newspapers and the
magazines, there Is most eloquent
silence concerning the man who through
accident in his occupation Is rendered
unable to continue in the performance
| Of his work. There Is also significant
disregard for the care Of the vast army
try are rendered incompetent for the
further pursuit Of their various Occu.
pations.
The laboring man who is injured
must in the vast majority Of cases ap-
ply for enlistment in this "army OF the
hindmost" for period Of time rang.
ing from Il few days to life enlist
ment, during which term of service be
Is rendered wholly or partially depend.
ent upon charity. His family, If he
has one, can no longer look to him fOl
support. but must needs apply fol-
help elsewhere. Should his enlistment
be but for few days or week those
dependent upon him are but tempo
rarily embarrassed by the cessation of
income. Should he be permanently
disqualified for active service In the
field Of labor there Is naught left for
him and those whom he should SUD.
port save an appeal to the charity OF
others.
In the case of the man, the wage
Garner, who meets with an accident
which Is otherwise than trivial, there
Is In over three-fourths of the accidents
In industry nothing done by the EN-.
ployer after he has stepped to the tele-
phone and notified a hospital. A free
ambulance comes for the injured man,
be Is taken to n FREQ hospital and put
In free ward. If an operation Is nee.
essary to relieve him 1t Is free. His
subsequent treatment is free, and we'll
1t may be, for his income In lamenta.
BILE number Of cases ceases from the
minute he Is injured. And you will
ask: why should it be otherwise than
that he should be sent to charitable
institution? What are our hospitals
for II they are not for that?"
By his niggardly policy the employer
not only tends to pauperize his EN-.
ployee, but he deprives physicians Of
the compensation for professional eerv.
ices which deserve pecuniary recon.
pense and for which he should be liza
bic. This ineXcusable graft Is an out.
rage upon the rights Of the injured,
and It Is an outrage upon charity. 1t is
an evil which may yet be concealed,
but sooner or later this matter will as
sumo importance and in the name Of
common decency will receive the atten.
ton 1t deserves. and then one more
graft will have been ended. 1t cannot
be controlled by the hospitals. nor can
city or state alone deal with it satisfac.
torlly. but ultimately 1t will be proper.
ly and Complementary adjusted.
To one who has come in contact with
these cases as surgeon or as one
interested in charity work it will be
plainly evident that there has been no
mention made of that phase Of the
question which is so often the most
lamentable and pathetic of all. Who is
there that has given the subject any
attention who has not been an unwill
Ing witness of the suffering undergone
by the families of these injured men?
Spend half hour in investigation
and you will marvel that you have not
had your attention called to it before
Walk into the surgical ward of any of
the large hospitals. Talk with that man
who through faulty machinery has lost
his hand and see for yourself what his
future holds for him, what provision
has been made for his family and what
recompense has been offered him.
Speak with the man who through ac-
cident while engaged In his work has
lost an eye. leg. an arm. or ask that
OOy W lat lie W III no lOI Il lNcllnOOu
when his amputated fingers heal. Go
to the home Of some Of those men and
see for yourself the fair play" that is
given to the average workingman who
Is disqualified by accident Stop in
the out patient department of any hos
pital and hear the oft repeated story
of men who want their injuries treat
ed quickly because their pay is dock.
ed" for the time lost while they are
having their injuries dressed Then
judge for yourself as to the justice
Of it.
Thus far all remedial efforts hay
not been far reaching enough and
there remains but one solution Of the
problem. 1t must come either in the
forni Of state or national legislation
which In some degree will follow the
British ''workmen's compensation act"
or In an equally fair and satisfactory
manner will establish workingmen's |
insurance upon system Of govern
mental control-J. r. Newcomb, NJ |
D., in Chicago News.
v1nfnv.