Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1910-09-08

that the frightful burden OF the accident
shall be borne in its entirety 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 our industrial life are either being
remedied or else are being made a subject
OF Intelligent study with a view to their
remedy In New York bill embodying
moderate compensation for accidents has
already been passed. Other states will
undoubtedly follow in the same path. The
Federal government has, so far as its
own employees are concerned, been the
first 10 recognize and put into shape this
principle. However, this pioneer law was
not made comprehensive enough: it does
not cover all the employees of the Fed
eral government that ought to come with
in its provisions, and the amount paid for
permanent disability or death IS entirely
inadequate. Nevertheless, 1t was a great
step in advance to nave this principle OF
workfngmen's compensation accepted and
embodied in the Federal statutes and the
recent action 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 government.
Federation PIanks Approved.
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 par
tcular objects of our soicitude; and they
should be guarded in an effective fashion
against the demands of too greedy COM
mercialism. On my recent trip in the
neighborhood of Scranton and Wilkes
barre every one I 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 day. Personally, think
ten hours too long; but, be this as it may,
ten hours day was a great advance.
Among the planks in the platform of
the American Federation of Labor there
are some to which 1 very strongly SUBJ
scribe. They are:
1. Free schools; free textbooks; and
compulsory education.
2. A work-day of not more than eight
hours.
8, Release from employment one day in
seven
4 The abolition of the sweat-shop sys-
tenn.
8. Sanitary inspection of factory work
shop. mine, and home.
6. Liability Of employers for injury to
body or loss of life
q regard the demand in this form as in
adequate. What we need is an automati-
cally fved compensation for all injuries
received by the employee in the course of
his duty, this being infinitely better for
the employee and more just to the en-
ployer. The only sufferers will be law
yers of that undesirable class which exists
chiefly by carrying on lawsuits of this
nature)
Z. The passage and enforcement of rigid
anti-child labor laws which will cover
every portion of this country.
8. Suitable and plentiful Fairgrounds
for children in all the cities
Inasmuch as prevention is always best.
especial attention should be paid to the
prevention of industrial accidents by pass
ing laws requiring the of safety de-
vices At present the loss of life and
limb among the industrial 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 a good idea
to establish in every city a museum of
safety devices, from which the workers
could get drawings of them and informa-
ton as to how they could be obtained and
used
The matter of compensation for in
juries to employees Is, perhaps, more i'm
mediately vital than any other. The re-
port of the commission which has be-
gun to look into this matter on behalf of
the New York legislature Is we'll worth
reading. The bill presented by the Fed
Grafton Of Labor in Wisconsin on this
subject seems excellent 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 commu-
nifty as a whole. This would be meas
ure of Justice in itself, and would do
away with a fruitful source of antagon-
ism between employer and employed
Our ideal should De q rate of wages
sufficiently high to enable workmen to
live in a manner comfortable to American
ideals and standards, to educate their
children, and to provide for sickness and
old age; the abolition of child labor;
safety device legislation to prevent in
dustrial accidents; and automatic com
pensation for losses caused by these in
dustrial accidents.