The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1912-04-04
Gov. WILSON and
LAWS FOR LABOR
Real Service He Rendered to
New Jersey Workers.
FOUGHT BY INSURANCE MEN
They Threatened to Raise All THEFT
Rates # Employers Liability Law
Were Passed, but Became Quiet at
Hint Of State Offering Indemnity.
Sacramento (Cal.) Union.]

l
Hint of State Offering Indemnity.
| Sacramento (Cal) Union.]
| 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-
cd 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
ton. But Governor Wilson determin-
ed to change it and with his custom
airy yigor 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 I'M
swerving purpose that had obtained
the Geran primary election law. After
the bill had been introduced In the leg
islature and became known as one Of
the governors measures the insurance
companies sent representatives to the
capitol and through them threatened
reprisal. If you enact such law
We'll raise the rates on all insurance
throughout the state. Well pile them
up on everybody" they said. But the
bluff didn't work
Every well, gentlemen. as you
please" replied Governor Wilson, "but
remember that if you try anything of
that kind it may he 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 we'll as to the employee, for Wood
row Wilson is not demagogue who
plays for labor's 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. 1t establishes
an elective schedule Of payment and
strictly regulates the procedure for de-
termining the liability and compensa-
ton. 1t relieves an employee who is
injured of the necessity of instituting
suit to obtain damages by providing
a 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 fixed income at time
when money is most needed and be-
cause it avoids long drawn out litiga-
ton, with its attendant expense and
suffering.
Real Service to Labor.
Governor Wilson meant it for both.
He supplemented it shortly with 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 recurrence in 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
man who believes in the honesty of la
boris 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
eminent to the people. They wrote
genuine reforms into the statute books.