Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1911-01-18

was designedly emplyed to mislead
the voters and befog the issues pend
ing before them. Nothing more SIMS,
ter in it's political tendencies can be
imagined.
This condition of affairs should no
longer be tolerated. In the interest
of fair play among candidates, of Of
fetal independence and political integ-
rity, the present defenseless and de-
mortalizing practices should be pro-
hibited. I therefore most urgently
recommend the prompt enactment of
an effective corrupt practices act.
The influence Of money in political
campaigns in Wisconsin must be re-
moved. No more important or urgent
Legislative problem exists or can pos
sibly be- presented to you.
Workmen's Compensation Act.
A demand has grown up for more
enlightened and humane system of
compromising wOrkmen injured in the
course Of their employment.
Losses due to industrial accidents
to workmen now fall in the first in
case of death upon his widow and or
phan children. This burden can be
shifted to the shoulders of the employ
err and thus upon society as whole
only by means of a lawsuit. AS the
law now stands, in order to prevail
in such an action, the plaintiff must
show that the injury for which he
seeks redress was due to the negli-
gence of the employer. Even then his
action may be defeated by showing
that he was guilty of contributory
negligence no matter in how slight
degree, that the accident was due to
the ordinary risks of the employment
which the law says he assumed when
he went to work or that it was due to
the fault of a fellow servant Tested
by these rules probably in not fifteen
per cent of these personal injury cases
does a valid right of action exist. In
the remaining eighty-five per cent not
only does the loss fall in the first in
stance upon the weakest and most de-
fenseless members of society but it
remains there until shifted, if at all,
by private charity or the operation
of poor laws.
Investigation shows that the eX-
pense Of maintaining the courts for the
trial of this class of cases often ex-
ceedS the amount of the Judgment
secured by the injured workmen VINO
resort to litigation for relief. Tax
payers could we'll afford to have the
compensation recoverable in these ac-
tions paid out of the public treasury
and thereby save the expense of main
tanning the courts for the trial of
them But of course there is no
reason why taxpayers should assume
this burden and it would be a very
clumsy, unintelligent and indefensible
way of eliminating the wastfulness
characteristic of present methods.
The present system which bases the
right of recovery in these cases upon
litigation should so far as possible be
abolished altogether and a system of
just, prompt and certain compensation
of all wage-earners injured in the
course of their employment should be
substituted for it. This plan has re-
Gently been put in operation in New
York state. For years it has been in
existence in the leading Industrial
countries of Europe. In fact, no great
industrial nation in the world except
our own retains the archaic, wasteful
and unjust method which still prevails
here. No time should be lost in deal
ing thoroughly with this entire sub
ject in order that the reas enable eX-
pectations of an enlightened public
opinion may be met, the present in
justice to men and women who live
by manual labor abolished and the in
dustries Of the state placed upon
humane, satisfactory and enduring
basis.
1t seems to me, however, that of all
plans thus far put into operation, the
German system is the best. 1t is COM
pulsory and requires no contribution
from employees in accident cases. So
far as possible in view of difference
in industrial conditions, the complex
ity of our form of government and es-
pecially existing legal obstacles, we
w
the German plan. So long as the con-
situations of the state and nation re-
main as they are, any system of work
mems compensation established here,
unlike that of Germany, cannot be
compulsl V, but must be optional or
elective. have faith that even with
this exec, ion and in the face of con-
stitutional difficulties, the ingenuity
of the legislative mind will find way
for the enactment Of a statute which
will do for us substantially what the
German law has accomplished.
Conservation of Natural Resources.
The conservation of the natural re-
sources of the state is question Of
vital public interest. 1t is a compar-
atively new subject, having received
but little attention until few years
ago. The general movement in favor
of conservation, nationwide and all
embracing as it. now is, has found eX-