Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1910-01-17
NATIONAL CIVIC
Federation
President Taft Addresses
Host of Reformers at
Washington
IN THREE DAYS CONFERENCE
Convention of Chief Executives
of States WillaConvene
Tomorrow.

Washington, Jan. 17.-With an op-
ening address by President Taft, com
plimenting the organization on the
work done and referring to some of
the important questions of national
moment to which it could yet lend its
aid, the National Civic Federation be-
gan a three days conference here to-
day. At the opening session were a
number of governors who are here
to attend conference of their own
which will begin tomorrow and dele
gates representing the American Fed
Grafton of Labor, the National Grange,
the Farmers National Congress, the
! National Association of Life Insurance
Presidents, the National Association
of State Boards of Arbitration and
ether bodies. Governor Curry of New
Mexico is one of the executives in
attendance.
Address BY Alton 3. Parker.
Washington, Jan. lit were I'M
wise to think of absolute uniformity
of legislation throughout the United
States, in the opinion of Alton B.
Parker as expressed today in an ad-
dress before the convention of Uni
form State Laws.
I'VE DO not aim at absolute unifor-
nifty of law, but a wise and cOnserva-
/ tive uniformity" said Judge Parker.
There is danger in pressing uniformi-
! ty to extreme lengths There are di-
versities OF climate, of production, of
tradition, of heredity, of population,
of pursuits among the people of our
several commonwealths which should
be generally respected.
uniformity should be promoted
along the lines marked out by the
commissioners on uniform laws, and
as much further as the diversities tC
which | have referred will reason
ably permit.
"A movement has recently been in
augurated to make each industry beal
| the burden of accidents to employees
without regard to the question o
negligence, upon the ground that such
burden is properly part of the cost
of the product. 1t has been accepted
as founded on sound business princi
pies, and put in operation by some
! employers already who recognize thai
otherwise great unfairness often re
suits in casting upon the employe an(
his family the entire burden of acci
dent. Legislation in England an(
Germany thus provides for the com
pensation to be paid to injured EN-
lployes The English statute provide!
for compensation during disability
equal to fifty per cent of the wage
rate, and in case of death or tota
disability a sum equal 10 Iour year
wages. Surely this country ought no
to lag behind those enlightened na
tions in righting what is now tn
most monstrous injustice of the age
Nevertheless that is likely to happel
unless there be uniform legislation il
many, if not all, the states on tn
subject. For in the absence of a ger
eral movement for uniform legisla
ton, for instance, one would hesitat
to place her contractors at a disaC
vantage in competing with New Yor
. contractors.
= From this convention now assen
bled representing not one or man!
: but all the civic interests of each an
: all of the states, there should go ou
an authoritative expression in favo
of uniform legislation in so far as
is conducive to the common veal. LIE
us strive to promote unity in dive
sity-unity in all that touches in lik
: manner the internal affairs of tn
communities separated by state line
diversity in those particulars whic
) are peculiar to each commonwealth
, Judge Parker thus closed his al
dress after having reviewed in deta
the complicated relations betwee
, state and national governments. ]
! this respect he said:
"Latterly complaints have arisen {
inefficiency resulting from the div
sion of powers between the feder
and state governm ents. 1t is sal
:, depending upon the point of vie'
that some states grant charters whio
are far too broad while others go
the opposite extreme. That in son
: states the law has not been enforce
against disobedient corporations al
/ their officers, while in others the te
e dency is to presume them guilty of
desire to violate all law, written
unwritten.
'The public complaint for the pre-
s ent is more generally that the stat
d have been lax in the enforcement
h law, with most disastrous cons
e quences. The charge of neglect mu
l. be admitted by all who appreciate tn
e every one of the corporations nc
o struggling for life was created in Il