Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1916-04-28

the bills? What is wrong about that?
The legislature puts arguments" in
its bills frequently, and that is all
right Some times these arguments
are very necessary, for the purpose
of making clear the intent of the law.
and thus the courts are given valu-
able assistance in interpreting the
law. For instance, take the work
mems compensation act, passed by
the 1911 session of the state legisla-
ture, and you will find the following
remarkably strong "argument" for
the law, which is contained in Sec
lions l and of the act:
Section 1. The common law sys-
tenn governing the remedy of work
men against employers for injuries
received in hazardous works is incon-
sistent with modern industrial condi-
tons. In practice it proves to be
economically unwise and unfair. It's
administration has produced the re-
suit that little of the cost Of the en-
ployer has reached the workman, and
that little onyl at large expense to
the public. The remedy of the work
man has been uncertain, slow and in
adequate. Injuries in such works,
formerly occasional, have become
frequent and inevitable. The welfare
of the state depends upon its indus
tries, and even more upon the well
fare of it's wage worker. The State
of Washington, therefore, exercising
herein it's police and sovereign power,
declares that all phases of the prem
ises are withdrawn from private con-
troversy, and sure and certain relief
for workmen injured in extra hazard
Gus work and their families and de-
pendents is hereby provided regard
less of questions of fault, and to the
exclusion of every other remedy, pro-
ceeding or compensation, except as
otherwise provided in this act.
Sec. 2. There is hazard in all en-
ployment, but certain employments
have come to be, and to be recog-
nized as being inherently constantly
dangerous. This act is intended to
apply to all such inherently hazard
Gus works and occupations, and it is
the purpose to embrace all Of them
which are within the legislative juris-
dictions Of the state y"
Another Argument by the Legislature
Another instance of an argument
found in law enacted by the legis-
lature is that contained in the mini
mum wage law for women, enacted
by the 1913 session Of the state leg
islature, parts of sections / and
reading as follows:
Section I. The welfare of the
State of Washington demands that
women and minors be protected from
conditions of labor which have a per-
nicious effect on their health and
morals. The State of Washington,
therefore, exercising herein its police
and sovereign power, declares that
inadequate wages and unsanitary
conditions of labor exert such PERM
ciOus effect. Sec. 8. There
is hereby created commission to be
known as the Industrial Welfare
Commission for the State of Wash
ington, to establish such standards of
wages and conditions of labor for
women and minors employed within
the State of Washington, as shall be
held hereunder to be reasonable and
not detrimental to health and morals,
and which shall be sufficient for the
decent maintenance of women"
Initiative Laws Stand the Test.
Then there are two laws enacted
by the people at the election in 1914
which contain arguments" yet
these two initiative laws have stood
every test Of the courts. and it is
Their by fair to presume that they
were properly drawn in all respects,
and that even the arguments" there
in contained were neither fraudulent
nor defective as to the legality of
the acts.
The first of these is Initiative
Measure No. 8, the employment
agency bill of 1914, and it contains
this argument" in section 1:
Section /. The welfare of the
State of Washington depends upon
the welfare of it's workers and de-
mands that they be protected from
conditions that result in their being
liable to imposition and extortion.
The State of Washington, therefore,
exercising herein it's police and SOW
ereign power, declares that the sys-
tenn of collecting fees from the work
ers for furnishing them with en-
ployment, or with information lead
ing thereto, results frequently in
their becoming the victims of impo-
sition and extortion. and is therefore
detrimental to the welfare of the
state
The other is initiative measure
No. 8, the prohibition law, which ran
the gauntlet of the courts in a way
to cause it to be quite as much talked
of all through the year 1915 as when
1t was before the people in 1914;
and it, too. stood the test of the
| courts, in spite of the fact that Sec