The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1916-10-13
JUSTICE SCANT
TO CLAIMANTS
Former Executive Regrets
Law Has Been Placed
In Politics


Frank B. Willis with making import
ant personal appointments in the in
dustrial commission at the behest of
interests identified with the liability
insurance companies for the purpose
Of administering the compensation
law to cripple it, James M. Cox Tues
day night made the most savage crit
icism he has yet aimed at the Willis
administration.
The attack was made here at the
closing meeting in Defiance county
after he had swung through the coun.
ty with other candidates and spoken
at dozen points.
The criticisms of the Willis admin
istration were received with loud ap..
plause.
There are many laboring men in
the factories in Defiance who are ia.
miliar with the worl1men's compensa-
tion law.
Gov. Willis also was charged with
practically wrecking the department
of factory inspection by the appoint
ment Of a fiute-player and, later, by
the appointment of an actor as chief
inspector.
Gov. Cox hooted at the action of
| Gov. Willis in seeking to quote an
increase in compensation awards paid
as proof of his friendship for the law.
The accidents, he said, were caused
by inefficient inspectors who had
been named for political reasons and
who did not know their work He
directly charged that DR.. A. w. Binck-
| ley, chief medical officer of the com
pensation department, was forced out
Of place by Gov. Willis and man put
in whose hackers were identified with
| the fight of the liability companies
| in the state to defeat the compensa-
| tion law.
He charged that Dan r. Hanna and
his friends named DR.. VIII White of
Cleveland, now chief medical officer,
and he held the plan was to wreck
the law by an unsatisfactory admins
tration Of it and scant justice to In
| jured claimants.
He cited two cases. He said Han
mas personal attorney was chief
counsel for the Equity league, formed
for the purpose of wrecking the COM
pensation law, and still Hanna and
his friends named the man on whose
medical certificates the awards were
or were not made.
1 He laid the entire blame directly at
the door of Gov. Willis. The criticism
came after Cox had severely handled
the state administration for, as he
charged, deluding the working people
of the state on other issues.
"He has made other promises and
they are coming home to roost," Cox
declared. He then took up the work
mems compensation question and
said:
"And there is very plain reason
why he is seeking to do this. The
thing is coming home to roost. There
are two reasons that impel him tC
that course.
"One is that working men of the
state are quite able to notice anC
understand the opposition of the liza
btlity insurance companies to me
and they are also noting the deeI
and persistent interest these sam,
companies are manifesting in Gov
Willis.
"He is quoting figures to show h.
has paid more compensation, NOR
death claims, than were paid when
was in Office. To that can only sa
that, while | was there, all legitimat
claims proved were paid.
"If he has paid more he has ha
more accidents among the workmer
more men crippled, more lives los
more human woe, And he probabl
has more because the state depar
+ ment of inspection of workshops an
. factories was never before, in tn
= history of the state, so inefficient.
= "The reason for that is that spoil
have interfered with the inspectio
the workmen of the state have bee
I receiving.
"That there has been an increas