Daily Kennebec journal., 1913-08-30
BINGHAM RALLY.
CONTINUED from Page One.

Notwithstanding the fact that neither
Mr. Pattangall nor anybody else of
fcred, proposed or suggested any
amendment making the compensation
larger Mr.. Pattangall now says that he
objects to the bill and that he helped
to defeat it because the compensation
provided by ii was not large enough.
His motives are So apparent, his
subterfuge is So transparent that it is
difficult to say whether his attitude is
more largely characterized by his hos
tility to the interests of workmen or
his arrogant assumption of their gull
bilitg =A- *++-4 zt
Caught in the ACT II robbing poor
woman of the stipend which this law
if put in force, would have provided
for her to tide over the period of dis
tress caused by her husbands dis
ablement he pleads guilty, but says he
robbed her of the stipend because 1t
was not large enough.
A few days ago, | saw in the Wa
teryille Sentinel in flaring headlines
the announcement that Mr.. Pattangail
in the speech made by him. | think
in Clinton, clearly explained the
Workman's Compensation Law and
showed why he opposed it. l looked fer
a report of the meeting in the Senti-
nle To find his clear explanation. l
found that it consisted in calling the
bill a Cold Brick"
Now | am willing to admit that
when Pattangall characterized bill
as a gold brick it disposes of it; it
settles 1t, il puts the matter beyond
the domain of argument. | am will
ing to- admit that it is an explanation.
iButaI must insist that calling bill
a gold brick is not a clear explanation
of it. Let me quote his words as re-
corded by the faithful Piper. This IL
what he said:
Il have been around the Legislature
too long to let them hand me any suc1-
gold brick as that Compensation Law.
proposed. last winter"
Now this statement contains some
truth | am more ready to admit this
because before | get through | shall
have occasion to call attention to
some of his utterances that contain
no truth. The above quoted sentence
begins with statement undoubtedl4
true. Is it not strange that man VIII
some times utter a truth that nobody
will question and then go on and spol
it all by qualifications and modiffca-
tions, as COW will some times give
foaming pail of milk and then kick
it over. The first eight words express
an unquestionable fact. The first eight
words are, Il have been around the
LEGISLATURE too long" Mulhall has
been around Congress too long. The
insidious lobby that President Wilson
denounced and which is now being IN
vestigated has been around WASH
ington too long. A quite as insidious
lobby has been around Augusta to9
long.
As Pattangall admits himself he
| has been around the Legislature too
| long.
| Consider with me for a moment the
reasons for the adoption of work
mans compensation law Last year
labout 900 operatives We're killed ol
manned by industrial accidents in thu
United States. This is 100000 more
THAN were killed and wounded in bat
tile on the northern side in five years
tof Civil War More than three-fourths
killed and manned have no right un-
der the existing law of Maine to re-
cover any damages or any compensa
ton. The fellow servant rule forbid
ding recovery where accidents are
caused by the negligence of a fellow
employee; the eontributory negligence
rule which forbids recovery where the
injured workman has been in any
slight degree negligent, notwithstand-
| ing the injury may have been mainly
caused by the gross negligence of his
Iemployer, and other mosSgrown out
worn rules which once had some pos
| sibe reasons for existence but which
now have none, prevents any recovery
whatever in more than three-fourths
| OF the cases of industrial accidents
The other fourth have a remedy, but
| what n remedy. 1t is a remedy in
which hope deferred maketh the heart
sick The injured workman has the
right to employ lawyer and sue his
employer in court, and after the case
has dragged its slow length along fo1
years he may recover enough to pay
his experts and his lawyers or he may
| MOI. Now this old system which pro-
| =
of cases and very inadequate remedy
in other cases has been abolished In
almost every civilized country and
| state in the world. 1t has been abol-
ished in every European country ex-
cept Turkey. 1t has been abolished il
Ialmost every northern state. The civil
IliZed and semi-civiliZed states ant
lcountries that now tolerate this ole
system are the southern states where
manual labor is performed largely by
negroes and where there are very few
laws for the benefit of labor and by Tho
country of the unspeakable Turk, ant
q. 'Tis true it's pity and pity It's true
| in Maine. An effort was made, las
winter to put Maine in the class witt
other civilized communities. A work
mans compensation law was drafted
which in all essentials and especially
in respect to the amount of compen
tsation was like that of other states
land countries. ! drafted the bill. II
drafting it I had the assistance ant
was assisted by Mr. Peters. | received
valuable assistance from the very eff
ficient Democratic commissioner ant
deputy commissioner of labor and O
Roscoe Eddy who faithfully represent:
labor interests before legislative com
| NIT T al Inc