The Sauk Centre herald., 1909-02-04
House Steering Committee Seeks to
GIorify Itself at Expense OF
y
the Executive
HAS DESIRE TO BE 1T"
Wants to Claim All the Credit for
Introduction of Employers
Liability Measure
Especial to The Herald)

ST. PAUL. Feb. 2.-Ihe governor
though favoring employers liability
legislation wants the legislature to go
slow. The representatives of labor,
in whose interest such legislation is
designed to be, wants the legislature
to 60 slow. The representatives of
the employers of the State want the
legislature to 60 slow. Before enact
ing any legislation the governor sug-
gests the propriety of finding out
what such legislation is about, what
effect it would have and how it has
worked out elsewhere. "All interest
ed" said the governor in recent
message, "are now agreed that before
any legislation affecting the case is
enacted, the field should be most care
fully reviewed with the object of Sc
curing to labor the greatest possible
benefits without embarrassment to the
employers of labor And he recon-
mer,ds the appointment of commits
sion by the legislature "looking to-
wards scientific investigation of the
entire problem, with the ultimate
purpose of the preparation of a bill
for an act to be presented at the next
session Of the legislature"
The Governor, however, made his
reconciliation without taking into
consideration the capacity of the
.heayeu-born statesman of Minnesota's s
thirty-sixth legislature. OF inquiry,
scientific investigation, deliberation,
the consideration of conflicting inter-
ests, they haven no need. 1t is only
necessary to suggest to them a need;
when it is found they are already
cooked and primed with a remedy.
And they are now congratulating
themselves that this is so. Other
wise Governor Johnson would have
said employers liability first, and
he would have been ''it." Now, be-
cause Fred b. Wright of Minneapolis
had his cure-all ready to hand, the
Republican steering committee, which
has been playing dry-nurse to Mr..
Wright's bantling, is the really-truly
1it," and entitled to all the glory of
it's discovery of the universal panacea.
And it's such a small thing Mr..
Wright proposes to do. So he starts
out boldly to knock into smithereens
principles affecting injuries which
have been recognized in law as bind
ing ever since there was any law in
America. "All questions" his bill
says-and it is of universal application
ON the employers side ''every person"
on the employers side, "any person,
firm or corporation doing business
within this State"-"All questions as
to whether or not the employe was
guilty of contributory negligence in
receiving such injury, or whether the
employer furnished safe or suitable
places wherein to work, or safe in
strumentalities for the use of such
employe at the time of such injury,
shall be entirely eliminated from the
case in determining the liability of
the employer, and the fact of the in
jury being sustained by the employe
while in the line of duty for such en-
ployer shall be absolute proof of the
right of the employe to recover ade-
uuate compensation for such injury"
What more could anyone wantP 1t is
enough that workman is in the en-
ploy of another to entitle him to dam
ages in case he is hurt.
Now, as / SAID, this proposed legis-
lation affects all kinds of employers
and all kinds of occupations. 1t
doesn't apply to factories or to rail-
roads only. 1t applies to everybody.
It applies, among others, to farmers,
to shopkeepers, to liverymen, to the
butcher, the baker and the candle
stick maker, and this will bring it
home, not to dwellers incities merely,
but to all the readers OF the local
newspapers.