The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927, 1916-10-08

/ indeed had little ambition to be-
come q candidate Tor governor IN
1912, but after the people had hon
ored me by eleoting me, and by SO
doing placed certain responsibilities
upon me through tho platform OF my
party, accepted tie obligation In
all seriousness and set out to f1lfill
in good faith every one OF the prom.
! iseH thus made. feel peculiar
1 sense of pride in being able to say
that this has been accomplished.
What incentive might I have to
build up political machine7 It was
argued by my enemies that II was be-
cause l desired further political pref
erment, but time has rendered false
this political buncombe which was
used for no other purpose than to mis-
lead, II possible. unsuspecting per-
sons. The time came when II was
shown that there was no foundation
for these malicious accusations for
announced my intention OF returning
to my chosen profession and made
1t quite clear that had no ambition
to continue in public office.
Challenges Critics.
l can with feeling OF utter Sc
curity challenge my critics to point
to one official act OF mine which has
been hostile to the people and not to
their best interest. l have stood by
the masses OF people and protected
their welfare, and by so doing have
incurred the enmity Of some who are
more interested in the wealth that
can be amassed from the natural re-
sources of the state than in any con-
sideration they might have for the
! future OF the state or Its people.
shall continue this course that
have run SO far. until the end of my
term, feeling sure when the hour for
retrospection comes that my record
as public servant will soften the
hearts Of even the strongest antag-
onists end cause them to admit-that
leaving out all personal considera-
tions or prejudice, as should be the
case with all fair-minded persons
my record has been such as to prove
conclusively that l have stood for a
liberal humanitarianism, broader ed
Vocational facilities, and the develop
ment of the state with view at all
times to the protection and conser-
walton of our natural resources. in a
way that would have the approval and
support Of every good citizen OF our
commonwealth.
Ny administration, unfortunately
for me, has been during q period of
great transition, for progress and de-
velopment we're demanded by the peo-
pie in the way of constructive legis-
lation. 1 would say that the first
of these acts is the workmen's COM
pensation law, which is unsurpassed
in merit by tho compensation law of
any state in the union. 1t is law
that rightfully puts a penalty upon
carelessness, both to the employer
and the employe, and by so doing
has materially reduced the deaths and
disabilities over preceding records by
holding to strict accountability each
and every one coming under its pro-
visions. Through the vigorous eff
forts of the mining department we
have been able to decrease the num-
Der of fatalities for the year 1915
under that of the year 1914 eighty
six. III the year 1916 the increase
in tonnage was 15,135,934, but the
fatalities have been decreased by tif-
\.
compensation department from Octo-
Der /, 1914, to August /, 1916, shows
that at the present time 643 widows,
LAP children, 202 parents and 522
permanent disability cases are en-
rolled as pensioners of this fund.
What would have been the fate Of
these unfortunate ones If provision
had not been made by the state for
thier benefit?
How Law Works.
There have been 53,524 accidents
during the operation Of the compen-
sation law, and OF this number 1857
have been fatal cases. 57,4S2 claims
have been handled by the department
and an average of 1886 accidents
have been reported each month. An
average of 1,642 payments have been
made per month exclusive OF pension
cases (due to more than one award
being made in some cases). Includ-
ing pension cases over three thous-
and checks are sent out by the de-
partment each month. Is not this
great legislative achievement in be-
half of humanity something Of which
the people of this state may well feel
proud2
with the record that we have
made in this state, the compensation
law is being administered more eco
nomically than any similar law in
any of the states, and on this asser-
ton challenge refutation. This de
partment costs the taxpayers nothing
to administer except the salary Of
the compensation commissioner. 1t
is being conducted at an expenditure
Of AT per cent OF the total premiums
collected, a cost that will compare
surprisingly well with that OF any
accident insurance company or any
other compensation bureau to be
found in the land, But notwithstand-
ing this, we hear men talking about
the compensation department fla
GRAVITY wasting the peoples money.
But they fail, as you will note, TO put
their hand upon the place whore the
money is being wasted, and the rec
ords will not confirm their bold and
barefaced assertions.
Another effort Of which the Repub-
lican administration is proud is the
passage Of the public service commits
sion law, which department is sup
ported entirely by the public service
corporations, and which has charged
~ TIC raunnnsihiiitv fha nrntection of