Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-09-21
BATTLE ROYAL COMING BETWEEN
i woRkMEN's FRIENDS AND
ENTRENcHEp CAPITAL.
INDUSTRIAL COMMISSIONER
GARsr ISSUES CHALLENGE
Commissioner Engages in Discussion Of
Problem Of Handling Workrsn's
Compensation and Denunciation Of
Insurance Company System Of linus
tiee to Both Employer and EmpIoye.
to rimes-Republican.

/ Special to Times Republican.
| Des Moines, Sept. 21-A battle royal
between forces supporting the rights
trenched financial power is scheduled
! for the next general assembly of Iowa.
| Signs are not wanting that it will be
/ the spectacular as well as important
thing before that body.
| The challenge appears in the report
Of Governor Warren Garst, Industrial
| com missioner for Iowa, for that report
contains a free hand discussion of the
! great problem of handling workmen s
! com pensation and the most sweeping
denunciation of the insurance company
| system ever written. Commissioner
Garst presents an array Of facts that
will make the students and the states
men take notice He sounds call to
move forward. He says ii is no time
| to pause. He refers to the carnage Of
peace which the American industrial
system yields.
ITO reduce this waste of peace was
! the main purpose of the adoption of the
compensation laws" he says, but since
| the awful labor loss in Europe in con-
sequence of the great war puts an IN
| creased duty on us TO save and protect
! our working classes. Our country
| must make good as best it can the
great void tn the worlds manual Ia
Dor The necessity on US TO check ana
! prevent all waste of labor is redoubled.
1t is no time now to think OF backward
steps from workmens compensation.
Favors State Insurance.
| Commissioner Garst declared straight
out for what has been called estate in
| surance" as against the system of leav-
| ing the matter Of collecting funds to
! NEE, the schedules to private corpor-
ations. He would absolutely forbid the
private insurance companies engaging
| in this class of business. The state it
! self would take it all over and admin
/ lister a fund for all industry and in
sure equality and justice to all work
/! ingmen and to all employers. To him
| it Seems illogical and unfair for the
state to stand the employer in corner
then disarm him by taking away his
common law defenses. and saying to
| the insurance people. you are permitted
| to exploit him to the greatest extent
| possible" But in its stead:
| 1.-THE state having assumed the atti-
| tude of protector is morally and log
ically under obligation to- provide a
| fund administered by the state that will
| give to the employe the maximum
s-nnmnensatinn-atztt the minimum cost to
! the employer. II the stars comes IN
to fix fair and uniform schedule 1t
should apply that rule to the insur-
ance side as we'll as the com pensation
side Of the problem and fix standards
just to both"
E! The evil effect Of the present sys-
| tenn is made very plain. 1t is because
! Of the fact that details are left to the
| insurance companies to be treated on
commercial basis. that such a large
number of the employers OF the state
have failed to come under the law.
This Is the reason for all the trouble
over the partially disabled and old en-
ployes whose retirement is being
forced by the insurance companies.
The determinations of the law are the
result of the application Of the system
| as left to organizations formed pri-
| marily to make profit out of the mis-
fortunes Of the workmen.
Laws Imperfsctions.
| In his report. dealing with the imper-
| fections Of the present Iowa law on
worl.men's compensation Commissioner
Garst says:
Experience In this country is limited
but already It threatens In worse de-
gree the first great evil Of loss Of en-
ployment. as felt IN the eastern states,
and In England. The Iowa law not only
| leaves the employer at the mercy OF an
Insurance monopoly. II he seeks pro-
lection in that direction, but IL he takes
the other course and rejects the act he
IL loaded with liability to an extent not
known In compensation laws in other
states or abroad.
"Are Iowa employers to be forced to