The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1910-01-18
A WISE AND CONSERVATIVE UNI.
-FoRMiTY-DANG IN PRESS.
ING TO EXTREME LENGTHS.
ADDRESS BY ALTON B, PARKER
Neglect by State in the Enforcement
Of Law is the Most General Com.
plant, With the Most Disastrous
Consequences.

: Washington, Jan. lit were un.
wise to think OF absolute uniformity
/ OF legislation throughout the United
| states. In the opinion of Alton y. Par
/ kcr as expressed today in an address
before the Convention on Uniform
State Laws.
I'VE do not aim at absolute uniform.
/ ity of law. but a wise and conservative
uniformity said Judge Parker. There
is danger in pressing Uniformity to ex-
rene lengths. There are diverstic;
Of climate, OF production, of tradition,
of heredity OF population, of pursuits
among the people of our several COM
monwealths which should be general
ly respected.
Uniformity should be promoted
along the lines marked out by the
Commissioners on Uniform Laws.
and AS much further as the diversities
TO which | have referred will reason.
ably permit.
"A movement has recently been in
augurated to make each industry bear
the burden of accident to employees,
without regard to the question of neg
ligence, upon the ground that such
burden is properly part OF the cost
of the product. II has been accepted
as founded on sound business pr!nci-
pies, and put In operation by some
employers already who recognize that
otherwise great unfairness oft'l I,.
suits in casting upon the employ ee
and his family the entire burden of
accident. Legislation in England and
Germany thus provides for the com
pensation to be paid 10 injured em-
ploycs. The English statute provides
for compensation during disability,
equal to fifty per cent of the wage
rate, and in case OF death or total
disability, "A sum equal to four years
wages. Surely this country ought not
to lag behind those enlightened ma.
tions in r!ghting what is now the most
monstrouS injustice of the age. Never
theless that is likely to happen unless
there be uniform legislation in many
il not all. the states on the subject.
For in the absence of "A general move
ment for uniform legislation, New
Jersey, for instance. would hesitate to
place her contractors at a disadvant
age in competing with New York CON
tractors
From this convention now assem-
bled representing, not one or many.
but all the civic interests of each and
all OF the states. there should go out
an authoritative expression in favor
OF uniform legislation in so far as IL
in conducive TO the common veal. Let
us strive to promote unity in diver
sity-unity in all that touches in like
manner the Internal affairs of the
communities separated by state lines
diversity in those particulars which
are peculiar TO each commonwealth" "
Judge Parker thus closed his ad-
dress after having reviewed in detail
the complicated relations between
state and national governments. In
this respect he said:
Iatterly complaints nave arisen OF
inefYiciency resulting from the division
OF powers between the federal and
the state governments. /, is said. de-
pending upon the point OF view, that
some states grant charters which are
far too broad while others go 10 the
the law has not been enforced against
disobedient corporations and their offi
GERS, while in others the tendency Is
To presume them guilty OF desire to
} violate all law, written OF unwritten.
The public complaint TOR the pres.
ent is more generally that the states
law, with most disastrous conse-
Quences The charge OF NEGLECT mus:
be admitted by all who appreciate that
every ohe OF the corporation now
struggling for life was created in the
face of the law under which they are
nov prosecuted law which by reas-
on Of its deliberate non.enforcement
was assumed by the corporation fouH-
ders 10 be- more honored i'm the breach
than in the Observance
This is not the time To consider
whether the one government or the
other is the more responsible for this
condition. For the claim is that IN
any event efficiency is sacrificed IN
the dual form of government. and that
in the interest OF business prosperity
efficiency is of greater Importance
than all else