United labor bulletin., 1909-10-29
LIABILITY

hear. His mind is afar on The SEN
tence he does not understand The un-
feeling bailiff seizes him and brutally
drags him back to jail to serve his sen.
tence. He is now a convict, with all of
the consequences of that terrible expert
ence. Henceforth he will be an outcast.
with the finger of suspicion always
pointed at him. So long as he shall live.
he will be hunted down by the authori-
ties, like a wild beast, with little oppor-
tunity to live uprightly, little opportu-
nifty for honest employment Such is
the lot of those who have been convicted
OF public offense. They may leave the
Jail behind, but not the record.
Kind reader, what do you think of the
sequel? Who was the real criminal?
Was it the unfortunate child, or was it
those who placed him in the circum-
stances that made it necessary for him
to steal? Would not any one of US have
stolen lump of coal or loaf of bread
under like circumstances? Put yourself
in the boys place and answer the Ques-
tion to your own conscience.
railroad company to take from that little
family its means for support as for the
child of that blighted home to take a
lump of coal from the corporation that
killed his father? The corporation killed
the father because it was cheaper than
to protect him. The child was prompted
to take the goal by that impulse of fiial
tenderness which is the purest and holi-
est impulse of the human heart If the
boy should be punished what should be
done with the railroad company? Is the
life of a man and the welfare of his fam
lily worth as much as lump of coal?
That depends 1t depends whether the
man happens to be laborer slaughtered
at his post of duty by an employing cor
poration and whether the coal happens
to be taken from railroad company by
a friendless child.
plate sin with gold
And the strong lance of justice. hurt
less, breaks;
Arm it in rags, a pigmy's straw doth
| pierce it"
The few decisions related are fair ex-
amples of the thousands that are occur
ring every year. They are not exagger-
ated, but, on the contrary. have been Sc
lected almost at random from the re-
ported cases. They have been cited to
Illustrate our system of legislating for
property and not for men. Our lawmak-
ers have assumed that the value of
man depends upon his commercial rating
instead of upon his character. We turn
out with brass brands if a Rockefeller
comes to town, but if Jesus were to re-
turn to earth prosperous citizens would
refuse to be seen in His company
| Emerson said: The true test of CIV
ilization is the kind of men the country
turns out" The current notion is that
the true test of civilization is the size of
the fortunes that can be turned out. The
real business of organized government
ought to be to make 1t as easy as possi-
BILE for men generally to enjoy life, lib
erty and happiness. and as hard as pos
sible for the ill-disposed to destroy life.
liberty and happiness. Our lawmakers
seem to have assumed that it was their
business to enable the prosperous few
to ride rough-shod over the less favored
many.
The question of obtaining Just laws
for the protection of laborers against in
juries in the service is closely linked
with the larger question of free govern
ment. We boast that this is a govern
ment in which all men are free and
equal No greater delusion ever pos
sessed the minds of men. The working
class. in this country. have attained a
certain bastard freedom. They are in
dividually free, and. within limits, polit-
ically free. They are not free socially
2or industrially. The question of Just
employers liability is but one phase OF
the greater question Of placing industrial
burdens on the shoulders OF those who
are justly entitled to bear them. and OF
distributing the rewards of labor equit-
ably among those who do the work.