The Prescott daily news., 1912-04-03
Real Service Ne Rendered to
 New Jersey Workers.
FOUGHT BY INSURANCE MEN
They Threatened to Raise All Their Rates # Employers Liability Law Were Passed, but Became Quiet at Hint of State Offering Indemnity.
fsacramento (Cal.l Unlon.1

-~- Sacramento (Ca1) Union.1
 When Woodrow Wilson became gov ernor of New Jersey he found that wealthy employers had been given the laws they desired regardless of the welfare of the thousands of men, wo- men and children on their payrolls. He found that in the factories of the state scores had been killed or maim- ed for life and that there was absO- lutely no provision for the protection of the families of those workingmen engaged in hazardous occupations. He found that the bosses had been carry ing out the wishes of the interests, from which they had obtained cam paign contributions.
 That was the situation in corrupt New Jersey, where the conditions of labor had been notoriOusly oppressive and seemingly hopeless for genera tion. But Governor Wilson determin- ed to change it and with his custom ary vigOr tackled the problem.
 Employers Liability Law.
 One of the reforms he effected was the enactment of a strong employers liability law. But for this he had to fight with the same grim and un- swerving purpose that had obtained the Geran primary election law. After the bill had been introduced in the leg islasure and became known as one of the governors measures the insurance companies sent representatives to the capitol and through them threatened reprisal eff you enact such a law we'll raise the rates on all insurance throughout the state, We'll pile them up on everybody" they said. But the bluff didn't work.
 ''Very well, gentlemen. as you please" rcDlied Governor Wilson. "but remember that if you try anything of that kind it may be necessary for us to establish a system of state insur- ance." After that the insurance com panies decided that silence was the better part of wisdom.
 The employers liability law was passed, and an apparently fair statute 1t is, essentially fair to the employer as well as to the employee, for Wood row Wilson is not a demagogue who plays for labors support. He merely believes in justice to the whole people within the authority of his office.
 Prevents Long Litigation.
 The law prescribes the liability of an employer to make compensation for in juries sustained by an employee in the course of employment It establishes an elective schedule of payment and strictly regulates the procedure for de- termining the liability and compensa- tion It relieves an employee who is injured of the necessity of instituting suit to obtain damages by providing definite schedule covering the differ ent classes of injuries and fixing the employers liability for each
 Employers now regard the law as fair because under it they can calcu- late with reasonable certainty what their maximum liability for any one year will be instead of leaving this to be determined by jurors Employees are greatly benefited by it because in case of accident it secures to them without delay a fixed income at a time when money is most needed and be- cause it avoids long drawn out litiga- tion, with it's attendant expense and suffering.
 Real Service to Labor.
 Governor Wilson meant it for both He supplemented it shortly with a law compelling the erection of fire escapes on all factories and buildings housing number of employees-not one or two spider ladders. but equipment suffi- cient to prevent a recurrence :n New Jersey of the horrors that had shocked the people of the New England manu- featuring cities.
 Such laws are worth something to labor. They reflect the opinion of a man who believes in the honesty of la- bor's purpose to the extent that he holds labor above seeking selfish or undue advantage. AS they were en- acted they represented steps in Will sons restoration of New Jerseys gov ernment to the people They wrote genuine reforms into the statute books
 Lakewood (N. M.) Progress: Tt is a rr~w.t4