The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-03-12
A Moral Disease Of Birmingham
ETHEL AHs1f1s, eThe Coal In

Author of sThe Story of Col
 When an epidemic. say, of yellow fever, diphtheria, typhoid-any contagious dis ease-threatens the city, the Board or Health takes up the business of stamping 1t out. f | And the citizens cooperate. Extra pre- cautions are taken Infected houses are posted, infected places fumigated. The public is informed. Being informed it IS accordingly warned. Being warned 1t acts.
 | Cannot the same tactics be applied to | a moral disease that is a menace to the entire Birmingham district? This false and fiimsy damage suit business Is noth- | ing more nor less than contagious dis ease that is beginning to spread over Jefferson county like the plague itself. I One of the industrial leaders of Birrning- ham. a man widely known for his fore sight and sagacity in business affairs, and especially for his conservatism, was dis cussing the problem yesterday. | Said he: "One phrase of the damage suit problem not yet touched on to any great extent in The Age-Herald is the | fact that at the rate things are going at present here in Birmingham 1t will | not be long before practically all the | trades and professions will become in yolyed in greater CT less degree in the damage suit conflict.
 Disease Is Contagious
 "The merchants, farmers, carpenters and bricklayers will all, sooner or later 1 have just precisely the fight that the rail- l roads. the coal and iron, manufacturing and street railway companies are having right now, if some measures are not taken to put stop to the trivial and ground less damage suits that overload the dock | cts.
 Its just a question of time. If any one | of a farmers hired hands, for instance is injured in his employ-say darkey is | kicked by mule, or another one is in- jured, no matter how slightly, In manipu- Hating any farm machinery or imple- ments, why he has just as much, right to sue as company men have. If darlSey in our employ Is kicked by rnule down | in the mine he doesn't wait two minutes He sues Some shyster lawyer or other 1 is always lowering near and scents al accident the instant 1t happens. And no | matter how slight the accident he per suades the laborer or miner to enter suit at some preposterous figure.
 | Now simply transfer the darlsey and the mule to the corn field and let the mule do little kicking, the employe has just exactly the same right to sue the | farmer as he has to sue the operator un- der the law And as the shyster lawyer multiplies he will spread the information right and left, all down the line, and gather in the harvest.
 Lares and Penates Will Be Struck Not even the home will be free from the danger. If cook drops kettle and scalds her foot or her hand, she has right to sue-even though It's her own negligence.
 "Take trades like bricklaying and car penter work.
 "If a man gets a finger mashed a. little he has a right under the law to sue the head carpenter or head brickayer. And they can ask for s-~s..sum they want gut of all proportion to the injuries sustained.
 They'll all begin to find this out be- fore long. No. of course they don't all get what they ask for. A man will ask for 5000 sometimes and then settle for s2O. or $500 and settle for $10
 | Another phase of this question that 1t seems to me could be considered in more detail is the fact that in many dam age cases some lawyers really hurt their | clients, instead of helping them. | i. Take a recent case that came under my knowledge. There was a little boy slightly hurt by an automobile. The car belonged to friend of mine, and 1t was driven by his chauffeur. an exceptionally careful driver. The child ran out sudden ly, as little children will so often do, al- most into the car, and an accident was impossible to avoid.
 "Fortunately the little fellow was not seriously hurt, but the owner of the car at once took every means to tighten the | trouble, as a matter of common humani- l ty. He called at once on the parents, got doctor, offered to get a nurse if they needed one, asked them to let him know | of any delicacies or anything the little | fellow wanted-and. in fact, further of fered $500 in settlement, although. as was proven by every witness the accident was absolutely unavoidable. However-a little child-that, of course, makes things diff | fcrent.
 Measures to Alleviate Suffering