The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1912-08-24
WORKMAN'S CODE
DISCUSSED BY BAR
Continued from Page l.


institutions for the mental wrecks of
society. We have penitentiaries for
the social detectives. We build hos
pitfalls to- treat the victims of tubercu-
losis, all paternal institutions, and
maintained at the expense Of the tax
payers, and this kind Of paternalism
seems, probably because of long use,
correct in principle and fundament-
al duty of a government.
However, when it comes to pro-
viding for sound system to be ad.
ministered by the state to provide for
the just care of our crippled popu-
lation, paternalism presents a new
aspect and those who fear it cannot
distinguish between g. paternalism
over utilities and the kind that makes
it the duty of government to provide
for the care Of helpless men and wo-
men.
In every phase of the discussion
before the State Bar association this
question manifested itself. Mr.. Nc
Even, in his speech before the con-
| ventton, in which he endeavored to
| express the workingmen's view, en-
phattcally declared for state insur-
ance. He recognized that there may
be constitutional objections to the
scheme. He knew not why they were
there except that lawyers had told
him that the state could not venture
into private business ''for profit ~
He thought he saw in such reasoning
on the part Of the opponents Of state
insurance an excuse to defend: the
existence of private insurance COM
panies, which came into existence as
allies of employers, and were given
birth because of the existence Of the
Ubiquitous employers liability which
! was based upon fault as a basis of
| recovery for injured workmen. He
| held that as private insurance COM
! panies came into existence because
of employers liability they ought to
60 out of business with the aboN-
ton Of it by law.
In Lieu of State Insurance.
However, in the event that state in
surance could not be had, Mr.. Nc
Even believed that the system pro-
Vided for in the Mercer code Of
fered the next best method Of relief.
He advocated a compulsory system
by which every employer in every in
dustry would be bound to compensate
every workman incapacitated by his
! employment. He declared that COM
| pensation should continue to the in
1ured for the entire period of disabil-
1ty, and In the event of death, to the
! dependents of the deceased during
the period of their dependency. Any
thlng short of this he said would be
inadequate and unjust and in the end
would prove disastrous to both the
workingmen and the state
George M. Gillette, president of the
Minnesota Employers association,
discussed the question from the en-
ployers' standpoint His views on the
subject have been very much altered
since his last speech. In some in
stances he is more liberal; in Others
ne Is as penurious as one can be.
Through him tentative bill for
a workingmen's compensation act,
!, drawn by committee Of the Mime
sofa Employers association, was pre-
!, sented to the conventions. Tho com
! pensation feature OF it. strange as
1t may SEEM. in many respects is
l more liberal than that contained in
] the Mercer code. This Is about the
only liberal feature Of the bill and II
1 81 liability - Just the kind thai