Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-12-08


the regular incidents Of a given bust
ness. The majority of wageworkers
must have their rights secured fol
them by state action, but the national
government should legislate in thor
oughgoing and farrenching fashion
not only for all employees of the na-
tional government, but for all persons
engaged in interstate commerce. The
object sought for could be achieved
to n measurable degree, as far as
those killed or crippled IRE concerned
by proper employers liability laws
AS far as concerns those who have
been worn out, call your attention tc
the fact that definite steps toward
providing old age pensions have been
taken in many Of orr private indus
tries. These may be indefinitely cx
tended through voluntary association
and contributory schemes or through
the agency of savings bnnks, as under
the recent Massachusetts plan. Te
strengthen these practical measures
should be our immediate duty. It is
not at present necessary to consider
the larger and more general govern
mental schemes that most European
governments have found themselves
obliged to adopt.
Our present system. or, rather, ne
system, works dreadful wrong and is
of benefit to only one class of people
the lawyers. When workman is
injured what he needs is not an cx
pensivc and doubtful lawsuit, but the
certainty of relief through immediate
administrative action, The number Of
accidents which result in the death OF
gripping of wageworkers in the Unior
at large is simply appalling. III a very
few years 1t runs up n total far in ex
cess of the aggregate of the dead an6
wounded in any modern war NJ
academic theory about freedom Of
contract" or constitutional liberty Il
contract" should be permitted to in
terfere with this and similar move
ments. Progress in civilization has
everywhere meant limitation anC
regulation Of contract I call youl
especial attention to the bulletin Of the
bureau of labor which gives a state
mcnt of the methods OF treating the
unemployed in European countries as
this is n subject which in Germany
for instance, is treated in connection
with making provision for wornout
and crippled workmcn.
Pending a thorouglgoing investiga
ton and action there is certain legis
lation which should be enacted a
once. The law passed at the last SEES
sion of the congress granting com
pensation 10 certain classes of EN-
ployees Of the government should ht
extended to include all employees OF
the government and should be made
more liberal in its terms. There is M
good ground for the distinction made
in the law between those engaged II
hazardous occupations and those no.
so engaged. If Il man is injured OF
killed in any line Of work 1t was
hazardous in his case. Whether pei
cent or 10 per cent of those following
a given occupation actually suffer in
Jury or death ought not to have any
bearing on the question Of their re
ceiving compensation. 1t is grim logic
which says to an injured employee OF
to the dependents of one killed that he
or they are entitled to no compensa
tion because very few people Other
than he have been injured or killed il
thnt occupation. Perhaps one of the
most striking omissions in the law il
that n Jooc NOT am bra on mo-, On nffi nors
and others whose lives may be sacri
feed in enforcing the laws of thu
United States. The terms of the act
providing compensation should be
made more liberal than in the present
act. A years compensation is mo-
adequate for a wage earner's family
in the event OF his death by accident
in the course of his employment. Ant
in the event of death occurring, say
ter, or eleven months after the acct
dent the family would only receive as
compensation the equivalent of one OF
two months earnings. In this respect
the generosity of the United States
toward its employees compares most
nnfavorably with that Of every coun
try in Europe-even the poorest
The terms Of the act are also q
hardship in prohibiting payment II
cases where the accident is in any
way due to the negligence of the EN-
ployee. 1t is inevitable that daily ia,
miliarity with danger will lead men to
take chances that can be construed
into negligence. SO well is this recog-
nized that in practically all countries
in the civilized world, except the Unit
ed States, only q great degree of negli-
gence diets as a bar to securing COM
pensation. Probably in no other re-
spect is our legislation, both state and
national, so far behind practically the
entire civilized world as in the matter
of liability and compensation for ac-
cidents in industry. 1t is humiliating
that at European international con-
crosses on accidents the United States
should be singled out us the most be-
lated among the nations in respect to
employers liability legislation This
government is itself a large employer
OF labor, and in its dealings with its
employees it should set II standard in
this country which would place it on
q par with the most progressive coun-
tries in Europe The laws of the
United States in this respect and the
laws of European countries have been
summarized in Il recent bulletin of the
bureau of labor, and no American who
reads this summary can fail to be