The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-09-05

yers and dishonest business men. dis
honest men of great wealth and dis
honest poor men. and the man who is
q genuine reformer will decline to sim
gle out any one type for exclusive
denunciatiOn. but will fearlessly at
tack the dishonest man as such when
ever and wherever he is to be found.
For many years l have been more or
less closely associated with represent
atiye leaders Of labor unions. Some Of
these men are among my close friends
whom ! respect and admire as heart
lily as do any men in America. There
are some OF them to whom I go as
freely for assistance and guidance. for
aid and help. in making up my mind
how to deal with our social problems
as I go to the leaders Of any business
or profession.
cannot pay too high tribute to the
their sincerity and good judgment as
leaders. But no movement-no leader
ship-however earnest and hou.:s;. csn
endure unless the rank and file live up
to their duties, and search for such
leadership, and support 1t when they
nnd it.
The stay at home man in a union is
just as much responsible for the sins
Of omission and commission OF his or
ganization as the stay at home man In
q 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 man to reach that
standard. There are still in the United
States great masses OF skilled and IN
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 mat
ter Of course way in a government re-
port that thousands Of men in this
country are compelled to toll every day
in the week, without one day Of rest. for
a wage Of $4J q month. Such condi-
ton is bad for them and in the end bad
for all Of us. Our commercial develop.
ment should be heartily encouraged.
cialize our morals.
This opens Q vitality important field
Of legislation to the national govern
ment and to the state alike. 1t 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 have for
more than a decade prohibited by the
strictest regulations the poisonous
match industry, yet we had not done
anything at all until very recently to
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 SYSTEMATICALLY announced
that they have done away with the
Objectionable conditions. I hope SO;
but. whether they have or not. law
should be passed in stringent form to
prevent any possible backsliding.
"Employsrs' Liability"
So 1t is in the matter Of injuries to
employees. In what is called employ
ers' liability" legislation other indus
trial countries have accepted the prin-
ciple that the industry must bear the
monetary burden of its human sacri-
ices and that the employee who is in.
jured shall have fixed and definite
sum.
The United States still proceeds on
an outworn and curiousiy 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 q number Of states
In Wisconsin and in New York, for
instance-these defects in our indus.
trial life are either being remedied OF
else are being made a subject Of in
telligent study with q view to their
remedy. In New York 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
a. itx own employees are concerned
been the first to recognize and put
into shape this principle. However
this pioneer law was not made com
prehensive enough: 1t does not cover
all the employees of the federal gov
eminent that ought to come within itl
provisions, and the amount paid fol
| permanent disability or death II en-
tirely inadequate
Nevertheless 1t was great step IN
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 . commission to study and
report upon the subject gives promise
that the same principle win soon b.
applied to private firms that come
within the Jurisdiction Of the fedora
government.
| Protect Women and Children.
Women and children should beyond
| all question be protected. and in theil
cases there can be no question that thu
| states should act They should be par
ticular objects Of our solicitude, and
| they should be guarded in an effective
fashion against the demands Of q to(
| ~reo1v rommerrialtSm