Mohave County miner and our mineral wealth., 1918-10-12

ARGUMENTS FOR AND AGAINST
 W0RKINGMENS' COMPENSATION
 Opposing argument to proposed am. endment to the constitution of the Constitution of the State of Arizona to be known as the Workmen's Con- pensation law, by the Bisbee Central Labor Union and Notes thereon by the Information Bureau of The Arizona Workmen's Compensation Law.
 i Argument-Undcr the present law, an injured workman has recourse to three remedies-the common law, the employers liability law, or the work mems compensation law and he may elect his remedies after injury. The present workmens' compensation law and the employers liability law, while not perfect, are substantial bulwarks of the protection of workmen injured in industries and have a salutary ef- feet in making the employer (particul- arly in the mines) careful in the saf- ety of his employees.
 Note by the Bureau-Such right of &C., tion exists in not more than one case out of six and this startling limitation evidences the fact that any compensa. tion law is better than the best condi- tions obtaining under the liability sys- tenn.
 Argument-This proposed law being proposed to abrogate the present em- ployer's liability and workmens' com- fpensation law and seeks to set up in their place vicious provisions born and bred in the minds of the profiteering copper magnates of Arizona. Am ong these vicious provisions are: ! It establishes the doctrine that the employers are capable of exercising their own judgment but the workers arc, presumed not to be capable of proper judgment, and are herded like sheep under the provisions of this pro- posed measure. ."' :..
 Note by the Bureau-The proposed law will. if it passes, abrogate the present employers liability law and the present imperative workmen's compensation law. The present employers liability law was not written and never intended l to be for the good of an injured work man. It is the ambulance chaser's bread and butter.
 ] Thd proposed law is elective to both employer and employe and will give to excess of any state in the Union without aid of a lawyer. The ambulance chaser who would demand third or half or any part of that which an injured per- son would receive under the pretext of securing a larger verdict under a lia- bility law. written expressly for the human parasite. is put out of business and perforce would starve.
 Argument-Any employer who el- ects to pay compensation as provid- ed in this measure is entitled to all of the old common law defenses, fel- low servant doctrine, assumed risks, etc.. if the injured employe refuses to accept compensation fixed by this law. Note by the Bureau-The law clearly states that any employer WHO DOES NOT elect to come under the law shall not. in any suit brought by any employe to recover damages for personal injury or death by accident BE PERMITTED TO DEFEND ANY SUIT AT LAW upon the grounds that the employe was negli- gent or; that the injury was caused by the negligence of fellow employe, or that the employe had assumed the risk. If then, the employer DOES ELECT to pay compensation "as provided in the measure" the injured person receives his compensation without further ado in the matter.
 Argument-It is not necessary for the employer to pay the required pre- mium into the state fund; he may stand outside and receive the benefits.
 Note by the Bureau-The above para graph may not have been intended to read as it does. As 1t stands a most ignorant misinterpretation is apparent.
 
 CT or employe have advantages of the proposed law without coming under it. The law was drawn for both.
 Argument-Dependency must be shown to entitle a beneficiary to com- pensation.
 Note by the Bureau-Beneficiarie and dependents who have a right to receive compensation are defined in the lan- guageI of the proposed law as follows: Beneficiary means and shall include surviving wife or husband until remar- riage and a surviving child or children under the age of 21 years, and any in- valid child or children over the age of 21 years." Major dependents means if there be no beneficiaries as defined | above then the father or mother"