Twin city review. [volume] (Champaign, Ill.) 19??-1929, 1923-08-31
COMMENT AND CRITI-
CISM ABOUT THINGS
DOING IN THE WORLD

| DUNN IN The NORLD
Sound common sense Is rare, es-
pecially in the decisions of govern
mental bodies. SO it is refreshing
to be able to chronicle the common
sense decision of the Massachusetts,
Industrial Accident Board in a re-
cent workmen's compensation case.
A salesman, while ON business for
his employer, slipped and fell in the
street, breaking an ankle. lie sought
compensation for the injury. The
board held that in an employment
such as a salesman the street is the
employees workshop and that the
salesman was therefore injured as a
result of a risk to which his EMPLOYS
ment subjected him.
The board accordingly found that
| the salesman was injured in an ac-
cident arising out of and in the course
| of his employment and awarded him
compensation.
If the case had been brought be-
fore court of law, it Is likely no
such fair and eminently sensible de
| cision would have been given. But
the industrial accident board, not
being bound by legal quibblng and
legal precedent. gave a decision that
was the very quintessense of common
sense.
Gasoline is so plentiful that il was
recently proposed by the refiners to
shut down refinerief to reduce the
surplus stocks. Yet gasoline shows
no tendency to decrease in price.
Why?
This is the question that Gov.
McMasters of South Dakota set out to
answer. He was the first to investi-
gate the matter and do something
about it. Finding that gasoline cost
Ia cents wholesale and 26 cents re.
tail, he ordered the State oil station
at Mitchell to sell gasoline to the
public at 10 cents gallon. The in
dependent companies at once lowered
their price to % cents.
All of which suggests that perhaps
the retail dealers of South Dakota are
more responsible for keeping up the
price of gasoline than the producers.
The same suspicion attaches To retail
dealers in other sections of the coun-
try. Until a price war began, insti.
| gated by Governor MeMasters' &C.
ton, the wholesale price of gasoline
was about the same everywhere, vet
the retail prices remained at about
| the level prevailing in South Dakota
| before Governor MeMaster decided
to see what he could do about the sit
uation.
Little intelligence has been shown
in all the billions of words that have
been poured out ON the anthracite
coal question.
Words, words, words-but almost
no ideas or thought behind them. \
typical instance is the advice of the
Joint Special Coal Investigation Com
mittee of Massachusetts that New
England. boycott anthracite coal i'm
the event of strike.
Knowing that anthracite coal is viz
tually a necessity and that to abandon
It's use would be a step backward. the
only advice the Massachusetts com
mttee can give is to refuse To use
hard coal, Suppose New England fol
lowed this advice, using bituninous
coal exclusively, and there should be
strike of soft coal miners. Where
would New England be then? An
parently the coal committee never
gave this phase Of the situation a
thought.
If all the committees and organi-
cations Investigating and talking
about the coal situation were to de-
mand and obtain justice for the
miners, there would be no need of
urging a futile boycott or handing
out fool advice. Continuous coal pro
duetion would then be assured, with
satisfaction TO the miners and the
consuming public, if not to the mine
owners.
Is the United States Constitution
"unconstitutional?n
Apparently the United States Cir
cult Court of Appeals, sitting in Chi
eago, holds that the foregoing ques-
ton should be answered by an en-
phatic "Yes."
One is led to draw this conclusion
from the action of1he court in de.
Gliding that Wisconsin railroad strik-
ers, accused of violating the Daueh.
efty injunction, are not entitled Il
trial by jury. This despite the fact
mat the sixth amendment To the
United States Constitution provides
mat IN all criminal prosecutions the
accused shall enjoy the right to !
tial jury" IN 20 :
No wonder the people are LOSING
respect for the courts!