The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1913-03-22
LABOR NOTES OF
WIDE INTEREST

1t is hardly necessary for me to agar
review the evils of the present system
or to talk to the workingmen of thu
Virtues of workmen's compensations
You are as well informed on the subject
as j am; however, we are coming to the
time when the legislature win be called
upon to enact workingmen's compen.
sation law in Vermont.
Ii is a subject in which everybody is
interested, and almost every class OF
people is demanding that a change be
made in the law, and that it be made
soon. The employers are alive to the
situation. They see the handwriting on
the wall. They recognize that they will
soon be obliged to meet workmens
compensation system, and ] am quite
sure they are permitting no thought on
! the subject to escape their attention.
The various employers associations
| throughout Vermont are as busy as bees
endeavoring to frame bill to be passed
by the legislature of this state. There
are also many lawyers who want legi1-
lation along these lines, but the kind
of legislation they want is not the kind
of legislation labor wants. And, as n
matter of fact, neither is it the kind o.
legislation the majority of the people
want.
Principle first; detail later. On the
other hand it would be more than the
workers expect to have the legislature
enact just the kind of law they would
prefer to have. | am not so much
concerned about the general detail OF q
workingmen's compensation act at this
time as | am in having written into
the law correct principles.
| have found many manufacturers and
lawyers who would accept no PROPOSE
tion on workingmen's compensation that
did not provide for financial contribu-
ton on the part OF the employees to
partially pay the cost OF industrial ac
cidents. Upon this point | could not
agree with them, and l have had no
reason to alter my opinion since. The
workmen hold that industry should bear
the full cost of it's accidents. Under
any system, the employers pay moth
ing. They simply charge what they are
obliged to pay to expense or cost of pro-
duetion and the consumer, the laborer,
pays it in the end If, in addition, the
laborer is required to bear directly a
portion of the financial cost, he can
blame no person but himself. The por-
ton must necessarily be taken from his |
wages, and he and his family would be
obliged to make sacrifices to meet it.
The man who faces the hazards OF !
modern industry, who runs the chance,
who suffers the pain, and the loss of his |
full earning power has made all the cor |
tribution he should be asked to make.
To compel him to pay greater tribute
would be adding to the injustice that
now bears heavily upon him. The po-
sition of organized labor toward this
important phase of workingmen's COM
pensation legislation cannot be too
strongly emphasized at this time.
II the wrong principle is permitted
20 be written into law, even for expedi-
,ney's sake, il would require years of
,ffort TO remove it. Organized labor
las and will be more than pleased 10
meet and council with any group of eitl-
ems, including the various employers
ssociations, for the purpose OF discuss
ng and framing workingmen's com
,ensation act. They will go more than
Ialf way for the purpose OF agreeing
lpon a bill, but in no case can we be
xpected TO surrender principle that
III workingmen hold to be fundamental
V right. We would prefer to tolerate
trifie longer an existing wrong. for
which we are not responsible. than TO
e party 10 the recognition of wrong
rineiple in attempting to right that
rrong Organized labor should lose nc
to acquaint all men with
heir position in this respect.
According to an official report there
ave been in the construction Of the
ew water viaduct to New York out Of
900 men employed. 200 killed snd
500 severely injured, chiefly through
ynamitc explosions. This sad record I
as only been beaten in the construe-
on Of the Panama canal. where. in
ght years. lOS7 lives have been lost.
Are the children Of the United Stales
orth one-eighth ~ much a. the bug
on. Andrew =. Peters. a member %
1ngress from Massachusetts,. asked this
Ither startling question At Louisvills !,
4 SUNDAY at a mass meeting on ch ~ =,
boF. Mr. Peters showed that the bsi- ,.
au Of animal industry costs the corn il
' si!e54.7so q year. and that the b. q
su 81 plant Industry costs s205l SD. q
BE- proposed chihreu's bureau Womii q
Il 500 .44o and would investigate q Z "
Dor. infant mortality and other ina q
.~s.rs rhasss If ahffH con aerrarir-r IL