New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-06-11

We have inherited and developed a superbly
self-rellant individualism in this country. !
most earnestly hope that ii will not be lost, that
Il Will never be exchanged for deadenlnS so
cialism. The only permanently beneficial way
in which TO help any one is to help him TO help
himself; if either private charity or government
al action or any form Of social EXPRESSION oe-
stroys the individuals power Of self-help the
gravest possible wrong IS really done to The m
dividual. Nevertheless, the conditions OF lie
grow more complex, ii is not possible to trust
our welfare only to the unbridled Individual inl-
tiatiVe of each unit of our population working
as that unit wills We need laws for the care
of our children which not needed when TINS
country in its infancy. We need laws for
the control Of vast corporations such as were
not needed when the individual fortunes were
far smaller than at present ana When tne Sc
I fortunes were not combined Tor business use. III
the same way need to change our attitude
toward labor problems from what that attltuue
was IN the days wren the great bulk OF our
people lived in the country with no more COM
pick labor relations than is implied in the con-
/ nection between the farmer and the hired help.
For example, the great increase IN nltCHahIcelA
and manufacturing operations means CORE
spending increase in the number of accidents 10
the wage workers employed therein, these IN
Guiding both preventable and 1neVlaDe ACCL-
dents To the ordinary wage workers falnlIy
such calamity means grim hardship. AS the
work is done Tor the employer, anu ti4tIeIoI0
( ultimately for the public 1t is a bitter injustice
that it should be the wage worker himself and
. his wife and children who bear the Whoto
penalty. Legislation should be had, alike from
the nation and from the states, not only 10
guard against the needless multiplication OF
these accidents, but to relieve the financial SUI
fering due to them. Last winter Congress
passed a safety appliance law which marked a
long stride in the right direction. But there
/ should be additional legislation to secure pc
| cuniary compensation to WOrknen suHeIIhS
from accidents. and when they are killed to their
families At present both in the sphere covered
by national legislation and in the sphere COW
cred by state legislation the law IN too many
/ cases leaves the financial burden Of industrial
accidents to be borne by the injured workmen
and their families: and workman who suffers
from an accident either has no case at all FOR
/ re1v els undertake "A
( ages against his employer. The present practcc
Is based on the view announced nearly seventy
years ago that principles of justice and good
sense demand that a workman shall take upon
himself all the ordinary risks Of his occupation.
IN my view, principles Of justice and good sense
demand the very reverse of this view. which eX-
Z perience has proved to be unsound and pToduc-
tive OF widespread suLei!iE - ~ 80
eXpedient nor humane: 1t is revolving 70 JuuS-
/ ment and sentiment alike, that the financial
burden of accidents occurring because or 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 be obtained only by litigation
which now burdens our courts
COMPENSATION FOR ACCIDENTS.
AS a matter of fact there is no sound economic
reason for distinction between accidents caused
by negligence and those which are unavoidable,
and the law should be such that the payment
of those accidents will become automatic instead
Of being matter for lawsuit. Workmen
should receive a certain definite and limited
compensation for all accidents IN industry, IRE
spectiVe of negligence When the employer, the
agent of the public, his own responsibility
and for his profit, In the business or SerV-
Ing the public, starts in motion agencies which
. create risks for others. he should take all the
( nrIinarv and extra ordinary risks involved, and
though the burden Will the moment be his. 1t
VIII ultimately be assumed, as II ought 10 De-
by the general public. only In this way can
the shock of the accident be difused, for II VIII
be transferred from employer 10 consumer. Tor
whose benefit ali industries carried on. From
every standpoint the change would be a benefit
The community at large should snare the nur-
den as we'll the benefits of industry. En-
ployers would thereby gain desirable certainty
of obligation and get rid or nugauon 10 ne
termine it. The workman and the workmans
family would be relieved from crushing load.
The national government should be model
emplover 1t should demand the highest quail
fly of service from its employees and should care
for them properly in return. Congress snouid
adopt legislation providing limited but DEFINITE
/ compensation for accidents TO all Workmen WITH
in the scope of the federal power including en-
ployes in yards and arsenals. Similar leg
islation should follow throughout me sIaIg 5f
/ The old and inadequate remedy Of suit for negh-
/ gence would then gradually disappear
Such policy would mean that with increased
responsibility of the employer would come IN
T creased care, and accidents would he reduced IN
number. The temporary burden involved VIII
not hamper our industries. Long experience or
/ CONDENSATION laws in other countries has de-
monstrated their benefit What we advocate Is
only a simple measure OF justice, only one step
/ toward the goal of securing, far as human
wisdom can SECURE fair and equitable treatment
for ca Oh and every OF our people.
AS a corOllary to the above let me point ouf
the extreme uuwisdom Of the railway com
/ pa0ieS In fighting the cOnStltuLlOnailly OF tI!o
national employers liability law. No law Is
more emphatically needed. and II must be kept
/ on the statute books in drastic and thorou&h-
going form. The railroads are prompt TO de-
mand the interference and TO claim the protec-
ton Of the federal courts I'm times Of riot and
disorder; and in turn the federal government
should 10 II that they are not permitted sue
cessfuy to plead that they are under the fed
/ eral law when thereby their own rights can be
protected, but outside Of it when II IS invoked
against them IN behalf of the rights OF others.
If it is proper for the federal courts TO issue in
functions IN behalf of railroads, II is proper that
railroads should be held to a strict liability for
accidents occurring to their employees. There
should be the plainest and most unequlvocaI
additional statement, by enactment OF Congress
to the effect that railroad employees entitled
TO receive damages for any accident that comes
to them as an incident Of the performance OF
their duties, and the law should he such that It
will he impossible for the railroads successfully
to fight IT without thereby FORGETTING all right TO
the protection of the federal government under
should be rigid federal legislation to minimize
all railway accidents.
PREPAREDNESS FOR WAR.
In closing. friends and fellow citizens Of
Georgia, let me say one word suggested by the
I recent ceremonies, in which you have just taken
part, in connection with your gift to the noble
battesl@j named after your state. Our battle
ships and great armored cruisers, fighting
craft. named after the states Of Union,
and this symbolizes the fact that the navy is a
common possession Of all Of and that it's
honor and its triunphs dear to the heart
Of true American who dWels anywhere inland
10 true American who dWells anywhere
the seacoast. The navy is our surest guarantee
for peace, and IL should come 1t VIII
be the greatest safeguard for our honor and our
/ interest. AS is likewise true Of army. ii is
manned by volunteer force; for il must never
be forgotten that all our soldiers and sailors,
whether regular not, volunteers. Every
+ encourag cement should be given TO our navy and
no public servant should be pardoned for failing
I l. It,