The Brunswick news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1906-2016, 1908-01-23
KNOX INTRODUCES
AN IMPORTANT
MEASURE
SENATOR WANTS. TO MAKE
RAILROADS LIABLE TO EN-
PLoYEs FOR INJURIES EN-.
4 PLoyER RESPONSIBLE.

Washington. Jan ga bill of tre.
nfsndoas irnportance to hundreds ST.
thousands Of railway employ ,es
througheut the countcs ms boon ii.
tiodilcetl ii the senate BY Senator
PhAand y G. Knox. Of Pennsylvania.
and Isl NOW under consideration by
the judiciary committee Of that BODY.
THIS bill is designed 10 take the
place 81 the employers liability law.
whiea was declared unconstitutional
hy the supreme court Of the United
states.
The Knox bill makes all railroads
cnsaxea in Interstate commerce lla.
bic q their employees for injury III.
curved IN service, and to their heirs
IN the event OF a fatal accident. the
sfellowsservant doctrine is owe turned
bY the Knox b.l and the rule of con-
trihutory negligence is greatly mod
if,edS Under its telms the mere fact
that an employee is injured Oh killed
through The negligence OF 4 fellow
employee does not relieve the EN-.
ploger from Responsibility Nor does
centrfbatofy negligence bar an III
lured employee from claiming dam,
aaes. II merely lessons the amount
Of daage in proportion 70 the per.
eentage Of pegllgeAee contributed.
Under the terms Of this bill no
contract Of employment Insurance.
relief benefit etc can constitute i
bar OF defense to any action brought
to recover damages for personal ,n-
iurles 81 death Ms Knox IS looked
npon AZ one Of the sreat lawyers OF
The eonntw and 1t IS believed thar
III p'g bin he has met al of the Oh.
81 the f5gpl aw l,s
the IFaine conrt fie believes thatA
the IJad men deserve this great
or consideration from their employ.
ers and he bas stated that he pro.
poses to urge this bill to a vote at
the earliest feasible time. In discus.
sing his bin. Senator Knox said
VIII Prove Effective.
II have avn this bin with d
view to meeting the objections Of the
supreme court to the former law.
Congress win be obliged to take zip
this question. fer the men employed
upon the railroads are entitled to a
more humane law than that now In
effect. The bill | have drawn, viii,
| believe prove effective, but am
not irreyocably committed to its
phraseology. Personally, / win well
come all suggestions bearing upon
the subject and / feel sure that from
this and other bills that will be re-
fered to the judiciary committee, the
committee will be able to report a
bill entirely satisfactory and that
viii stand the most Of the COURTS"
Edward A. AIosely. secretary of the
interstate tcommerce commission, IS
very much in favor Of the Knox bill.
In discussing It he said:
by lawyers who heard the decis-
ion of the supreme court this bill
Of Senator Knox is said to complet =
ly cure the fault found In the law
that was declared unconstitutional.
The Knox bill is in line with the
senator's action heretofore. He has
always been heartily in sympathy
with efforts to amellorate conditions
surrounding labor While attora,.,
general he Introduced an innovation
by which the United States was Al
lowed to intervene In a private sait
to sustain the validity of statue. |
That case was what is known as the !
johnson case and the action of the
department Of justice. Of which Ser
ator Knox was then rtr bead. resui,
ed in having the statue declared val
Id and practically revived. His aot- |
ion then resulted in thu enfo, ceucn: |
o. the safety aDpliar-e act and ls.
cent statistics show that thereby |
deaths AMI injury to employee. en-
gagged IN train service and in coupling |
and uncoupling cars have not ia.I
creased. while otl r acc' lents haze
largely increased
TEN PERSONS KILLED.