The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1911-02-17
ADDRESS DELIVERED BY
MR.. PETER HENRETTY

Mr.. Chairman and Gentlemen of the
Joint Committee of the House and
Senate and Representatives of Labor
of the state of Washington:
| wish to say at this time that it af-
fords me the greatest pleasure to be
able to say something on Il measure
which, | believe sincerely, affects in a
humanitarian way the entire people of
the state. As the preceding speakers
have explained, we have been members
of commission created by public
meeting and appointed by the governor
of this state to submit for the consid
Grafton of the present legislature some
scheme that would bring some relief to
the victims of industrial accidents. We
have been engaged in that work for
the last four months, and only on the
31st of December did we finish our
work and make our report to the chief
executive of Washington. | do not
know at this time what the critics
think of the bill, because | have had
no opportunity to find out bsfore com
ing to Olympia, and here | anticipated
the first word of honest criticism of
our labor would come from our present
State Federation of Labor in conven-
tion. | find, outside of labor entirely.
outside of the working class, we have
criticism coming and advice rendered
regarding some movement on foot to
save the workers from the hands of the
legislature in the event this lawmak
ing body should deem it wise to pass
this law. Yesterday evening was the
first opportunity | had to meet with
one of the representatives of this oppo-
Sition, and | was fortunate to meet him
in a committee session of our conven
tion and there discuss with him an ar
ticle which Senator Falconer has re-
ferred to in his remarks today. The
gentleman has two-column letter of
criticism against our law which appears
in the Olympian of this morning, and
whose arguments he defends, and | had
hoped he would have the manhood and
courage of his convictions to come here
before these people who are here as
sembled and interested and defend
these arguments and let us meet him
face to face, and let you men decide
whether he is right or wrong.
The question of compensation is one
that is not only agitating the people
of Washington, but is agitating the
people of the entire country, and at
the present time there are commissions
working upon this problem in seven or
eight or probably nine different tsates
in the Union; men who have been
drawn from the ranks of labor and men
who are drawn from the ranks of the
employers, trying to arrive at some
solution of this question that must be
solved in some way by the different
state legislatures In the state of New
York the legislature has already passed
law which working men will get no
benefit from, and which we who repre-
sent labor on this commission rejected
at the beginning of our labors-refus-
ing to consider it in any way. The
states of Minnesota and Wisconsin are
discussing the question Of Employers
Liability and Workmen's Compensation
but up to the present time have not
been able to reach any decision that
would meet the requirements of the
present condition of industry. Other
states are trying TO investigate the
causes of industrial accidents, and l
presume will try to provide some rem
edy for the victims of those accidents
| believe up to the present time Wash
ington is the first state which has had
a commission that had the manhood and
courage both on the employers and
the employees side to solve the problem
and solve it right and submit a decision
for the action of this Legislature, so that
Washington will be in the lead in this
progressive movement. (Applause.)
There are many features of this law
that believe could be improved upon,
There are many features of this law
that the future will change. 1t is such