The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1910-06-18
PLEAD FOR UNIFORM !: :
LABOR LEGISLATION .
At BIG CONFERENCE

. CHICAGO June 17.-One} Of the
most important gatherings Of the year
was held in this city last Friday and
Saturday, when the general admins
tive council of the American Associa-
ton for labor Legislation assembled
and the third national conference on
Industrial accidents and workmen's
eompensa tion.was held ~
The. ,asseeiat tienyis largety caomp posed
of business and professional people
more or less in sympathy with labor,
together with union = officials. The.
keynote of the conference throughout
was to push the national fight for
uniform labor and: social legislation.
For years Massa chusetts has been
regarded as the state leading in pro-.
gressive legislation for the working
people, but now. many believe that
Ohio: is justly entitled to claim that
distinction. Besides having the best
child labor law SO far enacted, the
Chicago conference accepted the en-
ployers., liability law, just passed by
the Ohio Legislature, as the model to
be forced to the front in other states.
The new Ohio law abolishes the old
worn-out judicial .fictions of assumed
risk. and contributory negligence and
fellow servants liability, with which
compensation for deaths and injuries
sustained by the workers were denied.
The new law will not. only cause en-
ployers of the Buckeye state to adopt
the best safety devices .obtainable, but
to- become as persistent for compen-
sation act ESQ that they may know
exactly what is. required of them) aA
the working people.
i :: The point has been raised that the
Ohio law may be declared unconsti-
tutional by the courts. That is hardly
probable. For many months a. spe-
cial commission labored to codify the
laws Of Ohio, among them the stat
utes relating to the working people.
and the employers liability act has
been SO thoroughly intertwined with
other labor laws that have stood all
tests that, should the courts attempt
to destroy the liability act, they would
pull down pretty nearly the whole
structure. :..g.' 4 - - :. - - @'f<.'
Among the speakers were repre-,
sentatives of the various states, men
prominent. lin Industrial and labor
matters, who, in turn, made brief re-:
ports of the progress in. their respect
i've. territories. The following were
among those; present. ~ :s5a =,-r
.Minnesota-H. ". Mercer, George
M. Gillette. - <, I: 14t H. 4
:. wfsconssin--A:, W. sanborn, E. T.
Fairchtld, John J. Blaine, Wallace
ingalls,, G.. B. Culbertson, Walter D.
Egan, George G.. Brew. i, .s !.
New York;. Mayhew Wainwright.
Joseph p. Cotton, Jr., Henry r.. Sea-.
ger, Crystal Eastman, Howard. r..
Bayne, Frank G.. Piatt George A..
Voss, Cyrus w. Phillips, Edward D.
jackson, Alfred D. Lowe. Frank 81.
Thorn, Otto M. Eidlitz, John MITCHELL
George w. Smith. Eff. :a #
illinois, q. Rawn, j.. =. Bent,
Robert E. Conway. P. A. Peterson,
Charles, Piez, Mason B. Starring, NJ
j.: Boyle, Patrick Ladd Carr. John
Flora, George Golden. Daniel j. Cor
man, Edwin r. Wright. 4. 5i.,.
New Jersey liam B. Dickson, J..
William Clark. Samuel Botterill, John
Il. Cosgrove, Harry D. Leavitt. Walter
p. Edge. 4 5s 4 /
w E. McEwen, state labor commits
sioner, was on the program for an
address. but was prevented by sick
ness from attend ling. Hisf olleagues
on the recent European trip, Messrs..
II. Mercer and George M. Gillette.
both spoke. on heir. a vestig gations
. abroad /.