The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1910-12-30
MORAL MEASURES
UP TO CONGRESS
Passage of Eight Legislative
Acts Asked by international
Reform Bureau.
INTERESTING INQUIRY BEGUN
Commission Trying to Devise Law
for the Compensation of Injured
Employees-Many House En-
ployees Soon to Lose Jobs.
BY GEORGE CLINTON.

Washlngton.-Cong has been
asked to pass this winter eight legis.
iative acts, the advocates of which
cali them moral measures" The
international Reform bureau is AT
work with a militant uplift spirit
winch refuses to be cast down. The
house and senate are not always
ready or willing to pass these moral
measures but they are always very
anxious not to appear to be antago-
nlsuc to the bills except on the ground
OF unconstitutionality or for some 9th.
er reason which cannot be considered
as springing from a desire to stand
against morality.
Former Senator Henry w. Blair IS
the president Of the Reform bureau
which has for its secretary and NOV.
Ing spirit DR.. Wilbur f. Crafts. The
bureau has Endorsed and commended
10 churches and reform societies for
support these legislative measures
10 remove the federal shield of in
terstate commerce from the original
packages imported into dry terri
tory; ITO prohibit Interstate trans
mission OF race gambling odds and
bets, TO prohibit Interstate trans
portation of pictures and descriptions
OF prize fights" ITO prohibit Sunday
toll and traffic in in the District of Co
lumbia;" ITO prohibit saloons in Ha.
wall; ITO prohibit the United States
district attorneys from engaging In
private practice" ITO forbid liquor
selling in shops and buildings used
by the United States government.
an ITO restrain the traffic in opium"
On so-called moral measures con-
gress never divides politically and the
reason for this is apparent. There al
ways is division, however, on meas
ures which touch the liquor traffic in
any way. Into this question, for it is
an interstate commerce one largely,
enter the questions of states rights
and of per. onal liberty.
New England Enjoys Mosby
Colonel John S. Mosby. who in the
civil war days was called guerilla"
and who now is called "a noted con
federate cavalry leader" has been lee
turing in New England, section of
the country which forty-sevcn years
ago was demanding that he be cap
tured and treated like a pirate. The
years that have gone by have softened
the animosities of war time and now
New England is listening with a keen
kind of pleasure 1t is said to the old
veterans raiding stories of the civil
war.
Colonel Mosby is a noted figure in
fha CQnifal HIS faNa ic a IF ho
novel and picture book soldier. He
is hawk nosed, sharp eyed and 1.-THE
figured. 1t was only year ago that
the colonel was in the hospital under.
going a severe operation. The sur.
geon said the colonel would die. The
colonel said he would not die, and he
did not
Has Interesting Task.
A commission composed of six mem
, bers of congress and two non-official
associates is Just now engaged in an
investigating work which several of
the members declare is the most inter
, esting which ever took their attention.
,, The commissions endeavor is to find
some means by which damage suits
brought by injured employees against
their employers may be adjusted with
out recourse to the courts and without
the tremendous cost which even small
damage cases inflict upon the county.
the state, or 1t may be the federal
government
In many countries In Europe there
are laws which provide that the en-
ployer shall pay a fixed sum for in
turies. and the laws have been found
to work well. In the United States
there is a constitutional difficulty in
the way of the passage of laws like
those of Europe, and one of the labors
of the commission will be to find a
way OF getting around the obstacle of
The constitution without injuring the
Integrity of the Great Document itself
To take case in point which will
show the problem which the commits
sion is trying to solve It may be said
that workman In Pennsylvania sued
for damages because of an injury
which he had received. He was award
ed $1,000 by the court OF this
amount he was compelled to pay $500
to his attorney and he had left only
$500 TO support his family and to pay
the bills which had accumulated while
he was incapacitated. The suit cost
the taxpayers $4,000 before it was
completed. In other words, the work
man In order to get $500 caused an
expense TO the county of five times
the amount which he received.
There are thousands Of such cases
In the courts every year. Several OF
the states already have appointed
commissions to consider the general
Iubject Of effective laws which win
cover the matter and do away with ex-
pense and injustice to employer and
employee. New York already has
passed law which helps a little in
he solution Of the difficulty. The
congressional committee viii ramon,