East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1910-09-05

| it has too often been held by the
courts that the frightful burden of
the accident shall be borne in its en-
| tirety by the very person least able
| to bear it. Fortunately, In a number
of states-in Wisconsin and in New
York, for instance-these defects in
remedied or else are being made a
subject of intelligent study with a
view to their remedy. In New York
bill embodying moderate compen-
sation for accidents has already been
passed. Other states will undoubted-
| ly follow in the same path. The fed
| eral government has, SO far as it's
| own employees are concerned, been
| the first to recognize and put into
| shape this principle. However this
| pioneer law was not made compre-
hensive enough; it does not cover all
| the employees Of the federal govern
| ment that ought to come within its
provisions, and the amount paid for
permanent disability or death is en-
tirely inadequate. Nevertheless, il
| was great step in advance to have
| this principle Of workmen's compen-
| sation accepted and embodied in the
federal statues, and the recent ac-
| ton of congress in providing for a
commission to study and 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 govern
| ment
Women and children should, beyond
all question, be protected; and in their
cases there can be no question that
the states should act. They should
| be particular objects of our solicitude;
and they should be guarded in an
effective fashion against the demands
of too greedy commercialism On
| my recent trip in the neighborhood of
Scranton and Wilkesbarre every one
l spoke to agreed as to the immense
improvement that had been wrought
by the effective enforcement of the
laws prohibiting children under the
age Of fourteen years from working,
and prohibiting women from working
| more than ten hours a day. Person
ally, l think ten hours too long; but,
be this as it may, ten hours a day was
great advance.
Needed Conditions.
Among the planks in the platform
of the American Federation of La
Dor there are some to which I very
strongly subscribe. There are:
/. Free schools; free textbooks;
and compulsory education.
2. A workday of not more than
eight hours.
3. Release from employment one
day in seven.
T. The abolition of the sweat-shop
system.
5. Sanitary inspection of factory,
workshop, mine and home.
6. Liability of employers for in
jury to body or loss of life.
II regard the demand in this form
| as inadequate. What we need is an
automatically fixed compensation for
all injuries received by the employe
| in the course of his duty, this being
infinitely better for the employe and
more just to the employer. The only
sufferers will be lawyers Of that un-
desirable class which exists chiefly
| by carrying on lawsuits of this ma
ture.)
I. The passage and enforcement Of
rigid anti-child labor laws which will
cover every portion Of this country.
s. Suitable and plentiful play
grounds for children in all the cities.
Inasmuch as prevention is always
best, especial attention should be paid
to the prevention of industrial acci-
dents by passing laws requiring the
use of safety devices. At present the
loss of life and limb among the in
| dustrial workers of the United States
is simply appalling, and every year
equals in magnitude the killed and
| wounded in a fair-sized war. Most
of these casualties are preventable;
| and our legislative policy should be
shaped accordingly. 1t would be
good idea to establish in every city
a museum of safety devices, from
which the workers could get draw
ings of them and information as to
| how they could be obtained and used.
The matter of compensation for in
juries to employees is, perhaps. more
| Immediately vital than any other. The
| report of the commission which has
begun to look into this matter on be-
half Of the New York legislature is
we'll worth reading. The bill present.
| ed by the Federation of Labor in
Wisconsin on this subject seems ex-
cellent. In all dangerous trades the
employer should be forced to share
the burden of the accident so that
the shock may be borne by the COM
munity as a whole. This would be
measure of justice in itself, and would
| do away with a fruitful source of an
tagonism between employer and en-
ployed.
Our ideal should be a rate of wages
sufficiently high to enable workmen
to live in manner conformable to
American ideals and standards, to
educate their children, and to provide
| for sickness and old age; the aboll-
ton of child labor; safety device leg
| islation 10 prevent industrial acci-
| dents; and automatic compensation
| for losses caused by these industrial