The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-01-30
OBJECT TO ch|lllet
N Liability LAM
ATTORNEYS ASK THAT srREcT
RAILWAY m ILLUMINATED
rnOM BILL
WILL STOP PROGRESS
MIR. wENDENBURG SPEAKS ABLY
ron MEASURE INTRODUCED
ny HIM IN xNTEREST
or LABOR.

Contending that II - unfair to make
railroads responsible and exempt
other corporations. .attqEpsys yester-
day before the Senate COMMITTEES on
General Laws declared II was unwise
at this time to change 4 law they
said answered every purpose. tho
law thcy- do not want changed In the
employers liability law. which Louis
wendsnburg, Of Henrfco county,
amends in q bill modelled after the
Federal statute. Mr.. Wendenburg
spoke for his bill.
He declared the old law does not
serve it's purpose and that under q
ruling OF the Supreme Court its In
law street railwayA which have been
declared to be not railroads. The old
law, Mr.. Wendenburg said. makes
the nlnn Who 10 injured che sufferer
Ia that he 10 the least bit negligent
he cannot recover. however Negligent
the c,mpAny might have been.
why was the rule ever started,
he arKed. that railroads although
80 per cert. negligent. do not have
TO pay for accidents to employees when
the employees Ale ! per cent. negli-
CENT? The reason u because the co n
mon law G.: England was founded by
English jurifts who were niemf cra
Of tho House Of Lords. They drew
! laws not for the common people but
for Themselves. This bill II in the
interest OF justice. humanity and
right"
Railway Men Object.
| John r. hison, OF Danv.lic. pres.-
dent " the Danviiie street railway
system. said the law. II passed. would
| cripple sn,sil electric lines. f!e said
his COMPANY would have to give ~
| program Of extension II tho law
| passed. because 1t would be toe
| heavily saddled.
| William McIlwaine, representing thu
Southern railway, declared It was un-
| fair to saddle burden on railroadi
and to overlook other lines Of bust
ness. It IN no more right, he said
to make q railroad pay for injury tt
an empioye than q saw mill or {
bank. He said the Legislature should
not pass laws affecting railroads alone
and that the only reason Congress
passed the law was because II wa
dealing with interstate commerce. HI
brought out the fact that the Fed
eral law affects employees only wh'
are engaged In hazardous work. ant
unlike the Wendenburg bill offers M
protection to other employees
object 10 Street Railways.
j. Tinaley Coleman. OF Lynchburg
said street railways should not b
included in the law because there \
little danger to employees in thei
operation. He said doxens OF othe
businesses were more hazardous. TIL
only danger to employees In stree
railway work. he said, came not +
| operatives, but to men who repai
highly charged wires. II street rail-
ways are included all light and powe
companies should come under tn
scope OF the law.
Mr. Wendenburg. whe closed TIL
argument, said there wa1 4 discrep
ancy In the argument Of his opponents
"They declare there is no danger II
the operation OF street railways In on
breath, and In another they say the
have 80 many accidents caused D
their negligence that this bill Wi
keep them from extending thei
fineR.
The committee discussed the bi
in executive session. but came !
no conclusion.