The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1912-10-17
BY SAMUEL MERWIN

Hgent, consistent effcrl on the part
of any American political party to-
insure the conservation CT human
resources through an enlightened
! measure of social and Industrial
Justice The carrying out Of this
sweeping promise means nothing
less than" effective legislation look
ing to the prevention Of industrial
accidents, occupational diseases,
oVerwork, involuntary unemployment
! and other injurious effects incident
TO modern industry"
! Tie problem of yesterday was to
oulld up industry and commerce.
The problem Of today is to BULL
! up strong people, for without a
strong people the industries them-
selves would fall The new under-
standing Of 9 social and industrial
Justice" is based on this tremendous
fact-on the fact that an industry
which in building it's own success
: tears out the heart and fiber Of Of it's
workers and throws its human husks
ON the great national waste heap as
an unconsidered charge on the COM
munity is an unsound industry.
Ihe new party recognizes at the
start that in this day of colossal in
dustries whose operations are neces-
sarily Interstate, that have really
naticnalized themselves, no uniform,
consistent legislation and control
can be expected from forty-eight
different and differing states. The
problems are national the solution
must be national. Therefore, the
national government must be COM
mitted to the great task Of establish
ing, for the first time In our history
as people, something approaching
this social and industrial Justice"
The solutions proposed are new
to us, Are. they new to the rest OF
the world? If. not. must we admit
that the United States is behind the
rest Of the world In Approaching
them?, Must we face the thought
that perhaps we stand today as, the
most ignorant and backward great
nation in the world? We chuckled,
a few years ago, when a speaker Of
the National House declared, this
country Is a hell Of success" Must
we now admit the chastening
thought that he and we were wrong
that these rather revolutionary
new proposals are not in any sense
daring and dangerous. experiments,
are not at all devastating "anarch-
istic" dreams, but are actually
today part of the settled government
tai policy Of the great commercial
nations that are our rivals in the
worlds trade-that this particular
country which was founded on the
supposed rights of man" today
limps haltingly one, two, three dec
AIDES behind Europe in the very es-
sentials OF progress.
Everey detail Of nc social and in
dustrial plank in tho Progressive
platform is today settled fact Of
law, Of business policy and of gov
ernmental action in Austria-Hun-
gary, Belgium, Denmark, France,
Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Nor
way, Russia, Spain and Sweden.
All Of these nations have adopted
the general principles Of Social in
surance" covering CD accidents, (2)
sickness, CD maternity, )4) invalid
ity, (5 unemployment, (6) widows
and orphans.
Dtsregarding acts affecting only
selected groups Of workmen. the fol-
lowing list shows the order in which
the various countries enacted laws
providing for national systems Of
Accident COMPENSATION or amending
laws already In force.
GER MANY. Employers LiabiI-
iity Act { Reichsgesetzblatt, 1871: p.
l207; 1896, y. 616. Industrial Ac-
cident Insurance Law, Reichsbesetz-
, blatt, 1900, PIP. 347 and 5S5, Law Of
June 80, 1900, amending the Acct
dent Insurance Laws, Reichsgesetz-
blatt, 1900, PIP. 335 and 573).
AUSTRIA. Law relating to the
insurance Of workmen, (Reichsgesetz
tlatt, Jan. /, 1888. Law Relating
to the Extension of Accident Insur-
ance, Reichsgesetzblatt, Aug. 8,
1894, No. 1857.
GREAT BRITAIN. Workman s
Compensation Act Of 1906 public
General Acts, 6, Edward VII, 1907,
up. 325-34S).
ITALY. Codif1cd Text of the Law
Relating to Industrial Accidents to
Workmen (Codifcation Approval by
Royal Decree, No. 81, Jan. 81, 1904.
FRANCE. Act of April 9, 1898,
Relating to the Responsibility for
! Accidents in which Workmen Are
Injured During Their Employment,
as Amended by the Acts Of March
%, 1902; March 81, 1906, and April