The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1911-04-01
Looks AS IF Legislature Will
Adjourn Without Giving
Relief to Labor.
EMPLOYERS ARE ACTIVE;
BREAK FAITH WITH LABOR
Dollar Is Placed Above the Man.
Cost to Industry Scares
Employers.
By ". E. NicEWEN.

By ". E. McEWEN.
ST. PAUL, March 30.-(Special
)-It is beginning to
look as if the legislature intends to
adjourn without enacting any kind
OF legislation bearing upon working
mems compensation or employers
liability.
The platforms of both of the lead
Ing political parties pledged their
mem bers Of the legislature to pass a
workingmen's compensation act that
would give just and adequate COM
pensation to all injured workingmen.
But platform pledges don't amount
to anything nowadays. 1t don't
make any difference whether they
are made by parties or candidates.
Labor's Long Wait.
Labor has pleaded for eighteen
years to the legislature Of Minnesota
for amendments to the employers
liza bility law, and it's pleading has
been in vain. Until this week it
looked as if a change would be made,
but the disposition now seems to be
to pass up all legislation of this char
aCter.
Every member of the legislature is
being deluged with letters from every
nook and corner of the state. They
are being sent by merchants, hotel
keepers. small employers of labor
and manufacturers, and plead for a
delay Of two years more.
Employers Circulate Letters.
Yesterday I came into possession
of two circular letters being sent out
by the Minnesota Employers asso-
citation. They ask every employer of
labor to write to his member of the
legislature urging him to vote against
every measure before that body
which bears on the question of work
ingmen's compensation and employ
ers' liability
They raise the calamity howl that
the passage of any kind Of law at
this session will destroy industries in
Minnesota. This has even been the
argument raised with the considera-
tion of every kind of legislation that
has brought material relief to labor.
It is the principle of the dollar be-
fore the man, and the legislature
seems disposed to give more atten-
ton in this case at least, to the cry
of the dollar.
When Labor Is Weak.
whenever l hear labor measures
discussed before the legislature, my
heart goes out to the cause. What a
pity it is that we have no champions
of our own on the floor of the legis-
laturec Every other class is repre-
sented, but the working class. There
Is but one member direct from the
field Of labor to press our claims
with knowledge of actual conditions,
and he is a socialist.
The course of Representative Hill
man is fully demonstrating to every
sympathetic observer that If labor is
to obtain any material relief from the
legislature it must learn to send re-
presentatives of it's own class there.
Others are positively useless Some
may mean we'll, but they do not
know.
Cost of Compensation Act.
The president of the Minnesota
Employers association is very much
worried about the cost of a working
man compensation act. would be
disposed to sympathize with him
were his fears based upon truths.
He is getting his estimates of the
probable cost from employers liza
bil1ty companies. Most of these are
decidedly opposed to any kind of a
Workingmans compensation act.
They are doing everything within
their power to defeat this kind of
legislation. So they have a reason
for giving excessive estimates of the
probable cost in order that employ
ers may become frightened, and joir
with them to kill our bill.
Washington Takes the Lead.
Out in the state Of Washington the
legislature passed an act which COM
pensates every injured workingman
from the date of his injury until he
has fully recovered, and if he Is in
Jured for life he is compensated for
life. If he is killed his widow is
compensated during the entire peri :
odt of her widowhood. How would
Minnesota employers like to get a
taste of the Washington law? They
then might have some reason for
complaint
Wisconsin Bill to Pass.
In our neighboring state of Wis
consln We are informed that the leg
lslature Is sure to pass the bill re-
commended by the commission of the
state. The bill compensates every in
1ured workingman for period of
fifteen years. Surely if Wisconsin
employers can stand a law compel
ling payment on a. basis of IS per
cent of the earnings of a workman
Tor fifteen years, Minnesota employ
ers can pay their injured laborers
on the low basis of so per cent for
eight years.
,--~ New York Decision
The recent decision of the New
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