The San Francisco call., 1908-12-09

invest it in the tolls and instruments
by which all work is carried on As.
Iar as possible | hope to see frank
recognition of the advantages con-
1erred by machinery organization and
division of labor. accompanied by an
eHort to bring about a larger share
railway, mill and factory. In farming
this simply means that we wish to
see the farmer own his own land; we
40 not wish to see the farms SO large
that they become the property of alb
sentee landlords who farm them by
tenants, nor yet so small that the
farmer becomes like a European peas
ant Again, the depositors in our saw
ing banks now number over one-tenth
OF our entire population These are
all capitalists, who through the savings
banks loan their money to the workers
that Is, in many cases to themselves
to carry on their various industries.
The more we increase their number,
the more we Introduce the principles
OF cooperation into our industry.
Every increase in the number of small
stock holders in corpora tions is a good
thing, for the same reasons; and where
the employees are the stock holders the
result Is particularly good. Very much
OF this movement must be outside of
anything that can be accomplished by
legislation; but legislation can do a
good deal. Postal savings banks will
make it easy for the poorest to keep
their savings in absolute safety. The
regulation of the national highways
must be such that they shall serve
all people with equal Justice.
Corporate finances must be super
yised so as to make it fap safer than
!. at present for the
C,I~ sor Saso- man Of small
Investments for fngsnS hi m o ~ Wv i9s n
small specuiafor stocks. There must
be prohibition of
shortening of hours of all mechanical
labor; stock watering should be pro-
hibited, and stock gambling so far as
is possible discourage There should
be a progressive Inheritance tax on
large fortunes. Industrial education
should be encouraged. AS far as possi-
taxation on the small man. We should
put a premium upon thrift, hard work
and business energy but these quail
ties cease to be the main factors in ac-
cumulating a fortune long before that
fortune reaches a point where it would
be seriously affected by any inheritance
right that the nation should fix the
terms upon which the great fortunes
are inherited. They rarely do good
and they often do harm to those who
Inherit them in their entirety.
The above. is the merest sketch, hard
" even sketch in outline, of the re-
forms for which we should work But
there is one matter with which the con-
gress should deal at this session. There
should no longer be any paltering with
the question of taking care of the
wage workers who, under our present
industrial system, become killed. Grip
pied or worn out as part of the regular
incidents of a given business. The ma
jority of wage workers must have their
rights secured for them by state action
but the national government should
legislate In thorough going and far
reaching fashion, not only for all en-
ployes of the national government, but
for all persons engaged in interstate
commerce. The object sought for could
be achieved to a measurable degree, as
far as those killed or crippled are con-
cerned, by proper employers liability
laws.
AS far as concerns those who have
been worn out, I call your attention to
the fact that def
FIRMS Proyiding mite steps toward
Old Age Pensions = baSe
for the workers 5 been taken IN
many of our pri
Vate industries. These may be indefi-
nitely extended through voluntary as
sociation and contributory schemes. or
through the agency of savings banks.
plan. To strengthen these practical
measures should be our immediate
duty: it is not at present necessary to
consider the larger and more general
governmental schemes that most Euro
pean governments have found them |
selves obliged to adopt.
Our present system, or rather no
system works dreadful wrong, and is
of benefit to only one class of people
the lawyers. When workman is in |
Nildl l6 UtcuS Is not an expensive /
and doubtful lawsuit. but the certainty |
of relief through immediate administra- |
tive action. The number of accidents |
which result in the death or crippling
of wage workers, In the union a. large. |
is simply appalling; in very few years |
it runs up a total far in excess of the |
aggregate of the dead and wounded in |
any modern war. No academic theory |
about freedom Of contract or con |
stitutional liberty to contract" should |
be permitted to interfere with this and |
similar mnVpn0aNfS prOOraEc N cfx-flf- |
zation has everywhere meant a limita- /
tion and regulation OF contract. I call I
your especial attention to the bulletin /
of the bureau of labor. which gives /
statement of the methods of treating |
the unemployed In European countries, |
as this is a subject which in GERMANY |
for instance. is treated in connection
with making provision for worn out |
and crippled workmen.
Pending a thorough going investiga- t
tion and action there is certain legisla-
!. tioh which should |
be enacted at once.
for Employees of the last session Of |
the Government the cong ress.
. granting compen- |
sation to certain classes of employees /
of the government should be extended |
to include all employees of the govern
ment and should be made more liberal /
in its terms. There is no good ground /
Tor the distinction made in the law be-
tween those engaged in hazardous oc-
cupations and those not so engaged. I
II a man is injured or killed in any line 1
of work, it was hazardous in his case. |
whether / per cent or 10 per cent of /
those following a given occupation ac- |
tually suffer injury or death ought not |
TO have any bearing on the question of /
their receiving compensation.
1t is grim logic which says to an
injured employe or to the dependents
of one killed that he or they are en-
titled to no compensation because very I
few people other than he have been IN
Jured or killed in that occupation. Per-
haps one of the most striking omissions I
In the law is that 1t does not embrace
peace officers and others whose lives
may be sacrificed in enforcing the laws /
OF the United States. The terms of the
act providing compenSatonS should be
made more liberal than in the present I
act. A years compensation is not ade
quate for wage earner's family in the +
event of his death by accident in the
course of his employment. And in the +
event of death occurring, say, 10 or II
months after the accident the family
would receive as compensation the
equivalent of one or two months earn
ings. 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 terms of the act are also hard /
ship in prohibiting payment in cases