Pueblo chieftain., 1921-12-22
BY Frederic j. Hasklns.)


Washington, d. c.. Dec. 19.-whcth-
cr man was murdered or committed
suicide is one OF the interesting points
on which Mrs. Albert Brueggeman n
must express an official opinion in the
course Z, her work on the Employees
lCompen. --tion Commission IL the man
| in question. IA government employe.
was murdered his widow and children
who are left dependent would receive
II he committed suicide
thereby deliberately cutting off Their
means OF support. the government
cannot be responsible for his de-
lpcndents.
Comparatively few peopIcY outside
the government service realize that
Uncle Sam makes himself responsible
for injuries contracted by his cm-
ployes while In the line OF duty. And
still fewer know that the government
compensation sets high standard Tor
institutions OF this sort.
The government compensation act
is like the workmcns compensation
act OF tho states and yet in several
ways it is quite different. AS Mrs.
Brucggeman. one of the commission
crs points out:
"Thc government Is far more liberal
to its workers than employers In the
states are required to be. In the states.
II Is the private employer of labor who
has to pay when workman Is al
lowed compensation for an injury. 10
pay the compensation, and at the same
time hire u new man In tho injured
lworkman's place may he n serious
financial burden TO the employer. So
the state commission must read the
law very closely.
But the government can afford to
he more liberal to It's employees. 1t
tsf
ancc of it's employees when they arc
disab through their work.
For instance. II two men In n gov
crnment machine shop were scuffllnE
and one fell against machine and
was hurt. how should the case be de-
cidcd? Should the men have been
scufflinE? Was 1t tueir own lookout
that the accident occurred
In n case OF this sort. tho govern
ment Is apt to be broader In its dc-
cision than state commission could
he. workmcp are human beings. no,
machines. And the injury may leave
family destitute for months.
THE FEDERAL LAW
AT the Same time. tho government
compensation law states plainly that
no compensation can be awarded for
nn accident due to carelessncss on Nc
part OF the person injured. Nor viii
the government assume responsibility
for a person injured while intoxicated.
or for one who deliberately kills or
Injuries himself. So the commission
ers have to consider every detail of
the evidence and act as u hoard or
judges to decide"
Mrs. Brucggeman is the newest
commissioner-thc woman or the
board Her fellow commissioners.
John Kccvan and Charles Berrili. have
suggested her for chairman. and Prcsi-
dent Harding is now considering tho
matter.
From a conversation with Mrs. Brucg-
geman. You would cay that she is n
good choice for the business of judT-
ing. She has n strong sympathy for
the person who is injured and for the
family which is more often than not
an equal sufferer But she Is at the
same time conscientious. One Of hcr
duties is to see .hat the government Is
not taken advantage or
IL wish 1 didn't take IL quite 80
seriously she said with a rather visit
ful smile. II dream for nights after
ward of some OF the cases VIC can't
allow. You see there is no appeal
from the decision OF the commission
and that makes each case a great re-
spouSibility."
Mrs. Bruevgcn,sn Is one OF the wo-
mon who have been launched into
important offices by tho recent elcc-
tion. Before the war. she was a wo.
man of leisure with home in ST.
Louis--one of the women interested in
civics. politics and social problems. She
was an ardent worker. and when that
responsibility was over she became in
terested In the approaching presidential
campaign.
HER POLITICAL WORK.
She became n member of tho Re
publican National Committee from