Denver labor bulletin., 1917-08-04

permission twas charged by the work
ers as another effort by the more veal
thy and powerful masters to work
their men to their fullest capacity"
A scrap of history, by an anony-
nous writer, published in the London
| (England) Times in 1858, records the
fact that "thruout the old Roman EN-
piree every workman in the fields, the
highways, and in the shops was pro-
hibited from demanding higher pay
for his days work above what his
master usually paid or agreed to pay
for a full days work" and that who
ever made such demand was required
by his master or the authorities of the
dominion, to work five full days with
out pay as a penalty of violating the
systems prescription, a refusal to con-
tinue work meeting the same inf1ic-
tion. This seems to have been taken
Customs and Antiquities" Richard
sons "Travels Through Ancient Coun-
tries" and the analysis of Ancient
Chronology" Richardson narrating
that according to a law which pre-
vailed in Sicily in 1927, whoever did
"more work for whoever employed
him and had had no order or direc-
ton" was "allowed no extra money"
Nowhere in old or new history of
ancient times is there mention of Gin
dustrial" injury. Altho the British
glyphic which has been deciphered as
"The docket of suit" against the
then king of Egypt. In erecting a
temple in honor of Minerva, it was
shown that the kings architect had
misplaced lever, which, working i'm
perfectly, caused the death of the
laborer operating it and the king COM
PEELED the architect to support the
workingman's widow as long as she
remained such. Herodotus also speaks
of similar case, but there is no evil
dence that a shystering lawyer ever
suggested that the architect who was
young unmarried man, would have
been wise to have wed the woman, un-
less she was too old or had too many
Ichildren.
Hardly will it be disputed that hui
manity DEGREES every working man,
woman and child should not work or
be required to work beyond natures
power and endurance, nor for an en-
ployer who grinds his employees by
requiring only hard labor or pays
them pittance that is scarcely enough
to buy an almost marrowless bone.
If this is humanity then it ought to
be the edict of justice that civil law
should compel such an employer to
partake of the same medicine.
However, we are told that Nero, bru-
tai and tyrannical as he was, decreed
that per cent of fees and salaries
of his chief officers should be paid the
wife, mother or youngest child of any
yeoman killed or stricken down while
in public service. But don't rush into
panegyrics over the noble Nero. If
the yeoman lived and was again able
to work he made the poor fellow labor
along at half pay until the per cent
was paid back. We find this in Rus
sells mechanical Labors of the Rom
ans and Egyptians" Browns "Com-
merce of Ancient Nations" and the
British metropolitan Encyclopedia" /"
which latter also informs us chat
there existed among the Greeks con-
tract which required, under sufficient
surety, four causes for annulling the
document by either the hirer or hired"
these being % "Discontinuance of the
business named, (2) Failure of the
workman to skillfully perform and
complete his work, (3) Failure of the
hirer to regularly pay the hired, (G
Failure of either to complain within
sixty days to the councillors of any
violation of the agreement" Sir Will
liam Drummond stating the Council
lors" had arbitral powers, and were
] the bash-aga, or master of police; the