The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-12-21
Frederick Haskin's | etc.
tsps4ai corrrspondess rAs Arr.1 NJ
A Woman Official.

Washington, D. c., Dec. 10
/ whether man was murdered OF
| committed suicide is one of the in
terest1ng points on which Mrs. AL
bert Brueggeman must express an
official opinion in the course of her
work on the employees compensa-
ton commission. II the man IN
question, a government employee,
was murdered, his widow and chill
dren who are left dependent would
receive compensation. II he COM
m1tted suicide, thereby deliberately
cutting off their means of support,
the government cannot be respon-
slble for his dependents.
Comparatively few people outside
OF the government service realize
that Uncle Sam makes himself re-
sponsible for injuries contracted
by his employees while in the line
of duty. And still fewer know thai
the government compensation COM
mission sets a high standard for
institutions of this sort.
The government compensation
act is like the workmen's compen-
sation act of the states and vet in
several ways it is quite different.
AS Mrs. Brueggeman, one of the
commissioners, points out:
THE government is far more
liberal to its workers than en-
pioyers in the states are required
to be.In the states, it is the prf-
vate employer of labor who has to
pay when workman is allowed
compensation for an injury. ToI
pay the compensation and at the
same time hire new man in the |
injured workman's place may be a |
serious financial burden to the en-
ployer. So the state commissions
must read the law very closely.
But the government can. afford
to be more liberal to it's employees.
1t really wants to come to the as
of its employees when they
are dlsaJled through their work.
For instance, if two men in a
government machine shop were
'cuffling and one fell against a ma
thine and was hurt, how should
he case be decided? Should the
men have been scuffling? Was it
heir own lookout that the accident
occurred?
I'm case of this sort, the gov
'rnment is apt to be broader in its
IecIsion than a STATE commission
,ould be. Workmen are human
'efngs, not machines. And the in
ury may leave family destitute
or months.
The Federal Law.
"At tn same time, the govern
1ent compensation law states
lalnly that no compensation can {
e awarded for an accident due to {
areleSsness on the part of the
erson injured. Nor will the gov
assume responsibility for s
person injured while intoxicated,
r for one who deliberately kills or S
r Injuries himself So the commits I
toner's have to consider every de- t
Ill of the evidence and act as a
GARD of judges to decide" o
Mrs. Brueggeman is the newest f
woman on the e
Oard. Her fellow commissioners. l;
ohm Keegan and Charles Berrill, v
ave suggested her for chairman, l;
nd President Harding is now con- c
dering the matter. t
From a conversation with Mrs. p
you would say that il
lie is a good choice for the bust
ess of Judging She has a strong b
mpathy for the person who is in S
red and for the family which is il
ore often than not an equal suf- v
rer. But she is at the same time n
One of her duties t.
to see that the government is not ii
ken advantage of. a
Il wish 1 didn't take it quite so C.
riously," she said with a rather a
lstful smile. 81 dream for nights a
terward Of some of the cases we d