The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-04-07
House Passes the Sterling
 Measure.
THE RULES ARE SUSPENDED
Railroads Liable for Injuries Re-
 ceived by Employees.
MT. Williams Said He Welcomed op- portunity to Illustrate How Quick iy Democrats Would Jsi. {.
 Remedial Lesisiation.

Washington. April e.--with only one vote recorded against it. that Of Mrf Littleheld of Maine. the House of Rep- resentatives today, under Suspension Of the rules. passed the Sterling employ CTS liability bill. after forty minutes' debate.
 In brief the bill establishes the aoc- trine that the railroad companies en- gagged in interstate commerce are lia- bie Tor personal injuries received by employees in the service of such ear- riers. It abolishes the strict common law rule of liability which bars a re- covery for the personal injury or death of an employe occasioned by the neg lisence of a fellow servant. It also relaxes the common law rules which makes contributory negligence a de- fense to claims for such injuries A provision, however, diminishes the amount of the recovery in the sama degree that the negligence of the in- lured one contributed to the injury. The bill further makes each party re- sponsible for his own negligence and requires each to bear the burden there of. The bill as passed by the House. was transmitted to the Senate later fl, the day and on motion of Senator Dol- liver. was laid on the table subject to being called up at any time
 MT. Deliver explained that the bill measure r. ed to the Senate from the Comnikfea on Education and Labor. Mfr. Doiliver at an early date will probably move to substitute the Senate measure for tha House bill. The House bill is much more sweeping than the Senate bilf ae it applies to all common carriers." while the Senate bill applies only ts common carriers by railroads"
 Tn the debate. minority leader wu, Hams said he welcomed ''the opportu. nity to Illustrate to the country how quickly and how rapidly we can 5oin In passing remedial Iegisiation.s Tina Democrats applauded the Statement. Continuing, Mir. Williams said lha Democrats would be glad to be fur nished with more ike it, -and to. re- peat the illustration as each rernedial bill Ia furninhed to xha Rouse. Tt was" he said, s'the first srcour- : agernent in some tifnes
 Payne Demonneem Demorrmfa. MT. Payne denounced the Democrats, ied by MT. Williams for delaying by half an hour the passage of the Dill by forcing a roll call on the approval of the journal. The gentleman from Mississippi" he said. seems to think he will make the country believe that because every time he says I say this to, the House and to the country. lie can make the country believe that the way AV A&Cilitatc loBthtdtIoH 1S py thG useless demand for roll cGfIs ana de- lay in performing the functions of the House and passing the supply bills that must be passed"
 He declared that Mfr. Williams had no more to do with the bringing about the report of the committee or con- sideration of the measure than the boys on the street. It has been, he said. the settled purpose of the ma jority to bring the bill before Con- gress. Mfr. Payne feared the bill would meet the same fate with the Supreme Court as did the former law but he said he would vote for 1t neverthei as he had voted for the previous bili.
 And" he added, I've will go on with the legislation of this country and the majority will decide in their own time and without any let or hin~ drance from the gentleman from Mis- sissippi and the voting trust which. it is reported he organized last Eatur- day to stop legisiation."
 The Republicans would go on just the same, he said. and write in the statute books just what they desired to write. The bill passed by viva voce vote, but in order that members might bs recorded the yeas and nays were or- dered.