The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1910-09-09

endure unless the rank and file live up
to their duties, and search for sucn
leadership, and support it when they
find it.
The stay at home mar in q union 1s
lust as much responsible for the sins
of omission and commission OF bis or
ganization as the stay at home nan II
a CITY is for the civic conditions under
which he suffers and about which he
complains.
Improve Standard Of Living.
All that can properly be done should
be done by all Of US to help upward the
standard of living and to improve the
ability Of the average mar to reacn tnat
standard. There are still in the United
States great masses of skilled n un-
organized labor whose conditions OF
work and living are harsh and pitiable.
1t is a shocking indictment OF our In
dustrial condition to be told In q mat
ter of course way in a government re-
port that thousands OF men IN tnls
country are compelled to toll every Gay
in the week, without II day OF rest. for
a wage of $45 q month. Such a condi-
tion is bad for them and in The end bad
| for all Of us. Our commercial oeVeiop-
ment should be heartily encouraged
hut It must not be allowed to commer-
| cialize our morals.
This opens a vitality important heid
OF legislation to the national govern
ment and to the state alike. II Is
humiliating to think how far we OF
this country are behind most OF the
other countries in such matters. Prac-
tically all civilized countries nave Tor
more than a decade prohibited by the
strictest regulations he poisonous
match industry, yet we had not done
anything at all until very recently to
protect the laborers against this hor-
rible danger. The national govern
ment made an investigation a year ago
into this industry, which showed a
condition of things unspeakably shock
ing and revolving.
Legislation to prevent these abuses
was introduced in congress which was
not passed. Since then the companies
in fault have ostentatiously announced
that they have done away with the
Objectionable conditions. l hope so;
bnt, whether they have or not, a law
Should be passed in stringent form to
prevent any possible backsliding.
employers Liability"
So it is in the matter of injuries to
employees. In what is called employ
,ers' liability" legislation other ndus.
trial countries have accepted the prln-
ciple that the industry must bear the
monetary burden of it's human sacri-
1 fees and that>the employee who is in
iured shall have a fixed and definite
sum.
The United States still proceeds on
an outworn and c%uriously improper
principle, in accordance with which 1t
has too often been held by the courts
that the frightful burden of the acct
dent shall be borne in its entirety by
the very person least able to bear it.
Fortunately. in a number of states
in Wisconsin and in New York, feS
instance-these defects in u indus
trial life are either being remedied or
else are being made a subject OF In
telligent study with a view to their
remedy. In New York a bill embody-
ing moderate compensation for acct
dents has already been passed. Other
states will undoubtedly follow in the
same path.
The federal government has. SO far
Nc 3fe n~po ornr00NynoS aNn concerned.
been the first to recognize and put
into shape this principle. However.
this pioneer law was not made COM
%prehensire enough; it does not cover
all the employees Of the federal gov
eminent that ought to come within its
provisions. and the amount paid for
permanent disability or death is en-
tirely inadequate.
Nevertheless it was a great step Ill
advance to have this principle Of work
ingmen's compensation accepted and
embodied in the federal statutes. and
the recent action of congress IN pro-
viding for a commission to study n
report upon the subject gives promise
that the same principle will soon be
applied to private firms that come
within the jurisdiction Of the federal
government.
Pretset YNomsn and Children.
Women and children should beyond
all question be protected. and In their
cases there a be no question that the
states should act. They should be par
ticular objects Of our solicituda. and
they should be guarded in an effective
fashion against the demands OF = too
greedy commercialism.
On my recent trip in the neigli'or-
hood of Scranton and Wilkesbarre
every one l spoke to agreed as to tue
immense improvement that had been
wrought by the effective enforcement
of the laws prohibiting children under
the age of fourteen years FROM work
ing and prohibiting women from work
ing more than ten hours Il day. Per-
1HrT