Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1908-12-08


no good ground for the distinction
made in the law between those en-
gagged In hazardous occupations and
those not so engaged. II a man is
injured or killed in any line OF work.
II was hazardous In his case. In
this respect the generosity OF the
United States toward Its employees
compares most unfavorably with that
OF every country In Europe-even
the poorest
The congress should without fur
ther delay pass model employers
liability law. for the District of Co
lumbia. The employers liability act
recently declared unconstitutional. on
account OF apparently including In
its provisions employees engaged in
intrastate commerce as well as those
engaged in interstate commerce, has
been held by the local courts to be
still In effect so far as its provisions
apply to the District of Columbia.
There should be no ambiguity on this
point,
| renew my recommendation made
In a previous message that half-holi-
days be granted during the summer
to all wage-workers In government
employ.
] also renew my recommendation
that the principle of the eight-hour
day should be rapidly and as far as
practicable be extended to the entire
work being carried on by the goverA-
ment; the present law should be
amended to embrace contracts on
those public works which the present
wording of the act seems to exclude.
The Courts.
most earnestly urge upon the
congress the duty OF increasing the
totally inadequate salaries now given
to our judges. On the whole there
is no body OF public servants who do
as valuable work, nor whose moreyed
reward Is so inadequate compared to
their work. Beginning with the SUI
preme court the judges should have
their salaries doubled. 1t Is not be-
fitting the dignity OF the nation that
its most honored public servants
should be paid sums 10 small COM
pared to what they would earn in
priCate life that the performance OF
public service by them implies an ex-
ceedingly heavy pecuniary sacrifice.
II is earnestly TO be desired that
some method should be devised for
doing away with the long delays
which now obtain In the admip plstra-
ton of justice. IN some noted recent
cases this over-regard for technicali-
ties has resulted In a striking denial
OF justice. and fragrant wrong to the
body polite,
Attack ON Gompers.
At the last election certain leaders
OF organized labor made violent
and sweeping attack upon the entire
judiciary OF the country. an attack
couched In such terms as to include
the most upright. honest and broad
minded judges. no less than those OF
narrower mind and more restricted
outlook. IL was the kind of attack
admirably fitted to prevent any sue
cessful attempt TO reform abuses of
the judiciary, because II gave the
champions OF the unjust Judge their
eagerly desired opportunity TO shift
their ground into championship of
just judges who we're unjustly as
sailed. Last year, before the house
committee on the judiciary. these
same labor leaders formulated their
demands. specifying the bill that con-
tained them. refusing all compromise.
stating they wished the principle OF
that bill or nothing. They insisted
on provision that In labor dispute
no Injunction should issue except TO
protect property right, and speclfi-
cally provided that the right 10 carry
on business should not be construed
as a property right; and In a second
provision their bill made legal In q
labor dispute any act or agreement
by or between two or more persons
that would not have been unlawful
II done by - single person. In other
words, this bill legallzed blacklisting
and boycottlng In every form. legal
izing. for instance. those forms OF the
secondary boycott which the anthra-
cite coal strike commission so unreJ
serYedly condemned; while the right
70 carry on a business was explicitly
taken out from under that protection
which the law throws over property.
The violence OF the crusade for
this legislation, and It's complete fall
ure. illustrate two truths which IL IL
essential our people should learn. In
the first place. they ought 10 teach
the workingman, the labofer. the
wage-woTker, that by demanding
what is improper and impossible he
plays into the hands OF his foes.
Glass consciousness. where II Is
merely another name for the Odlous
vice OF class selfishness. is equally
noXiOus whether In an employers as
ISOLATION or In a workingmRn's assO-
citation.
This healthy truth. by the way,
will be learned by the socialists II
they ever succeed In establishing In
this country an important national
party based on such class conscious
ness and selfish class interest.
But the extreme Teactionaries, the
persons who blind themselves n the
wrongs now and then committed BY
the courts on laboring men. should
also think seriously as 10 what such
movement as this portends. The
rapid changes In our social and In