The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-05-05
SENATOR REED
CONDEMNS BILL
Of SUTHERLAND
Workmen's Compensation
Act, Now Pending in SEN
ate, Declared to Be Vicious
Piece of Legislation.
CHARGES ARE MADE
IN DIRECT MANNER
Utah Man Accused of Acting
in Collusion With New
York Central President
and a Claim Agent.
BY JAMES A. REED


Sy International News Service.
ia rASHINGToN. May s--rhe WORK
&A mems compensation act now
!" before the United States senate,
w is the most vicious piece OF leg
islation that has come under
my observation since have been mem
Der OF that body.
1t deprivss employees OF common car
riers Of every right they have enjoyed
under common law and the employers la
bility act OF 1908. It's provisions degrade
them as men
The bill was framed under the sugges-
tion and direction, TO a large extent, Of
w. c. Brown, president Of the New York
Central railroad, and Frank v. Whiting.
one OF the New York Central's claim
agents.
Its sponsor in the senate is Senator
George Sutherland Of Utah. whose legal
talents. before he took the seat he now
occupies. were devoted to the great rail-
road interests OF the west
Says Bill Is Loaded.
Senator Sutherland and President
Brown were the most noted corporate
figures ON the employers liability COM
mittee. l charge that this bill has beer
deliberately and Intentionally loaded by
the railroad interests.
While the employers liability act Of
1908 and the amendment adopted In 1910
may not be all that could be hoped for,
II preserves to the injured employee his
rights under the common law and gives
him an opportunity to secure equitable
damages for injuries received.
The present bill abolished all this IT
compels all damage trials, In the event
claims go that far. to be tried in the
United States courts. 1t leaves the In
5ured mans interests to the tender .ner-
cies OF the presiding officer OF United
States court. This feature of the bill is
sufficiently suspicious OF Itself.
Compensation is listed in an ur1usti-
liable scale OF payments. 1t In to be
paid monthly instead OF In a lump sum-
in no instance does this scale of pay
nents permit a recovery Of more than
.one-half OF Tho workman's xalary
Limit Is $10O a Month.
One hundred dollars month is arh.-
trarily fixed as the largest sum an en-
ployee can be regarded as making at the
time OF his injury when compensation
is considered. This is, in turn, cut in
half before the prelminariss for a set
tlement are under way, Under the rro-
visions Of the bill an engineer making
200 month is regarded aa making
slo0 II he is injured and attempts re-
coVery. for his injuries. This $l0j is cut
IN half and the compensation allowed 20
him. II he accepts the adjuste-B' ruling,
Is paid TO him at the rate of $50 a month
II an engineer loses his leg above the
knee and is willing to accept the pro-
visions OF the bill, he will receive $500,
payable 10 him In installments OF S5C a
month. A fireman, or train hand max
ing $50 a month. II he loses leg above
the knee, would receive $3.50. payable
In sums ranging from SIS to $50 a month.
This Is a total disability in fac:, After
tho payments are made tho injured eng,-
neer Is left 10 shift for himself
Provision for Widows.
II an employee is killed, his widow re-
ceives. for limited length of time, 40
per cent OF her husbands earnings. The
widow OF an engineer making 5000 a
month would receive s3s40 In monthlv in
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