The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1911-05-12


tors were very generous in their con.
sideration of the interests of the work
ers. Their interest in the welfare of
the wage-earners can best be judged
In their disposition of the various bills
introduced by, or on behalf of labor.
Senator Gordons employers liabil.
lty bill, although fair and equitable
measure, was modified in committee
to such an extent that 1t was hardly
recognizable and finally relegated TO
the same graveyard where all its pre-
decessors lie inferred; that bin and
others in the interest of labor were
refused passage even though they
were planks in the governing partys
platform previous to the election.
THE employers liability bill, men
toned In the article, was introduced
by Representative Peck of Burlington,
under the title, An act relating to
the employment OF labor This law
neither abrogates nor modiles the
doctrines of assumption of risk or
contributory negligence and the fell
low servant doctrine only in so far
that the negligence of a superintend-
ent, foreman or someone acting in ali.
thority shall be no bar to recovery;
the slightest change that could ,ossi-
bly, be made IRON the commit law.
relative to employers liaDIitI.
Some employers expressed them.
selves as being quite agreeable that
such an alteration should be made
but at the public hearing on this bill.
not one OF labor's representatives
spoke a word in favor of it as pres
ented. Furthermore labor's repres-
entatiyes, over their signatures. Mr..
lronside included, made pub;ic state
ment to the eject that, wa they
could not consistently oppose the hi,
still 1t was not what they wantId; that
they preferred the Gordon bill oven
with its modlicationg. That state
ment was read in the House b. Repre-
sentative Cave while the bill
was being discussed.
Some OF the members in tue
House argued that the bill. was simply
nut without meat; Il was not what
labor desired and il woll1 be On
injustice TO force something upon il
that il did not want. Worthless as
''N hHF sAAA 90 RA"ffN1lA VI tue lIIlllI
element in the House (consiitulng a
large majority ii, not want L. take
any chances on H. aud II became ap-
parent that the bill could only lie pass
I'd by exempting the farmers from
It's provisions. consequently they we've
exempted, and although the exemption
raised the question OF its combinations
ality, the bill was passed and whether
1t is constitutional or not can only be
determined by the Supreme court. The
Senate. in passing the Peck bill, tern
ed down the GORDON one, which, had
some virtue in it.
Organized labor was, and still is
OF the opinion that the Peck bill. be-
ing introduced late in The session. was
done so for the purpose OF de- yirg to
labor that which il would have gained
from the Gordon bill The voluntary
compensation bill, introduced by Sen.
ator Gordon, and alluded to IN the ar
ticle, passed the Senate, but did not
pass the House, and therefore is not
law; although until the public acts
of the Legislature were printed and
distributed, it was generally believed
that 1t had passed Seemingly not
content with killing all labor's bills
asking immediate relief, a pill. the
first OF its kind in the United States.
was introduced, which if enacted into
law, would no doubt put a certain
curb on employers but it would deny
to organized labor in Vermont, rights
which 1t now possesses and is
granted to organized labor in every
state in the union.
THE granite cutters of Barre very
readily recognized the Importance and
far reaching effect such an act would
have and, being informed by the sec
rotary of the state federation that that
organization would neither favor nor
oppose the bill, they the granite cut
tiers, adopted every lawful and honor
able method to prevent its enactment
and to them, principally, belongs the
credit of its defeat eve have refer
ence to the compulsory investigation
and Cancellation bill)
Whether the voters of the state
shall have an opportunity to say
whether compulsory compensation
shall be legalized or not, will not be
determined until the next session of
the Legislature. The amendment to
the child labor law is wise and hui
name, and very acceptable to labor,
the more so because it came spon-
taneously and no organized effort was
made or required to bring IL about: |
but apart from that, labor legislation |
in the last session of the Legislature |
can be summarized thus: All our bills !
were defeated and we consider our
selves fortunate that we were able to |
prevent anything being taken from |
US; consequently we cannot agree |
with the writer of that article, when |
he says, we are well pleased with |
the fruits of the session." .