The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1911-02-17

order to earn a livelihood. You know
that is disgrace. CApplause.) This
legislature we hope will wipe this prac-
ticc out in the state of Washington.
Not only that. You know the system
of our cities can be improved upon. You
know great many victims of indus
trial accidents 90 down to the bad and
ruin. being compelled to make a living
through vice, and in this respect the
state of Washington rightfully is oblig
ed 10 come to the aid of these people
so they can grow to be graudcr and no
bier citizens than under the present
condition of affairs.
Many of the features of this bill that
really come before this legislature are
ALREADY under discussion. | realize You
have had a long session, and will try
to be as brief as possible. During the
past wear we have had n large number
of fatal accidents and large number
of inurics serious ones. and no recov-
cries to amount to anything for victims
of thise injuries. have seen in my
time. in my experience. and so have
many other miners in this room. some
of our brother workmen destroyed and
in some instances their bodies not rec
ognizablp. We have helped to take
them home. | have one particular case
in mind at the present time which has,
more than any other experience | ever
had. made me determined to help to get
law of this kind enacted. One case
remember particularly, a brother mine
worker. whom, when examined. we
found crushed beyond any hope of re-
covery. He was placed ON cot and
Informed by Il physician he had only a
few hour. to live He loked around in
| that shack of home. at the bare walls
of the room; he lokcd into the eyes OF
his wife he must leave. and into the
eyes of four little children the oldest
eight years of age He knew his time
on earth had come, and he knew before
tomorrow's sunrise his life would be
wiped out He knew he was going to
sprinkled few tears would be shed,
and he knew he could leave nothing for
that loving wife and those helpless
babes of his except the hand of charity.
cold charity. Do not you believe that
a law such as this would tell that man
in his dying moments that the state of
Washington would see to it that he
would get decent burial? 1t would tell
him that the wife he loved, and whose
children he valued more dearly than
anything ON earth. would be provided
for amply and taken care of until able
to take care of themselves as men and
women? Don't you think this law
enacted would have made that poor
brother of ours die easy? Can you i'm
aginc. You laboring men in this room
anything that can make the dying mo-
ments of workman more severe, any
thing that will bring pang of pain
anything that will bring Il pang of sor-
row to a man more surely than to know
he is about to depart and leave those
whom he loves to become public
charges?
This is the condition that is before
You, men, and this is the remedy that
we propose; and | hope and trust am
believe that this legislature assembled
will enact this law in the interests OF
humanity, in the interests of work
men, and, more than that in the state,
interest so that some provision may bl
made without having to 90 into the
courts and meeting legal objections be
lore it can be secured This is a practi
al proposition and we shall be the first
state in the country to have admitted
1t. So long as we are able bodied we
do not require state guardianship, but
Immediately we meet with an accident,
our dependents and relatives require it.
and the natural interest of higher civ
ilized progress demands it for those we
are trying to protect | ask this legis
lature. and | ask this body of work
men, to give it their unanimous sup
port and put the state of Washington
behind those who can not take care of
themselves. long continued applause }