The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-05-14

"Hooray!" All that will have to be
done is for the men who have been
put out Of the mining industry in this
state and in the United States, will be
to be examined by M. D., and all the
time he will be required to lose, will
be Az days out of each year instead
of hundreds of days each year.
Won't that be grand? The hundreds
of mines in Illinois that now are closed
down will be able to run almost full
time; the 20 mines down in this vicin-
ity, with thousands of miners now
looking for work, will Gust as soon as
this law is passed) be employed all
but Az days in each year. Hooray
again, leave it to the doctors of Med
ical Science to cure the economic evils
of the capitalist system. They deserve
ton of ton of bituminous coal for
their discovery. We take it for granted
that if in the event this law is passed,
that the medicalists will, of course for
the good of the workers and industry,
charge no fee for their services Cor
will that be true?) You know it is
hardly fair to presume that M. D.
would charge anything for services
rendered to the workers, and besides
this is for the benefit of all concerned;
therefore, they of course could not
think of charging for such services.
You know they don't charge much
now; what is it, $500 a call, $500 for
confinement cases, etc. But be that as
it may, just look at the benefit that the
worker will derive, work guaranteed
for every day in the year with the ex-
ception of Az days. Now, again we
state that Of course the M. DIS will
not charge for such medical examina-
tions as contemplated by the law that
they are requesting; but supposing the
Legislators who pass the bill, will pro-
vide for $500 fee for the examina-
ton of eacn industrial worker twice
a year, and there are approximately
30,000,000 wage workers in these Unit
ed States. At $500 head, it would
make nice little melon for the M.
DIS of about $4,000, 900; that would
be taken out of whose pocket, Mr..
] octor? Why, out of the wage earners'
of course, because if the law would
provide that the owner should pay
for such services rendered, the owner
derives his profits out of the produc-
ton of the worker, and instead of it
icing benefit as you declare, it would
to the contrary be taking $12O,0OO,O
out of the wages of the workers, ac-
cording to your own argument.
We wonder why some of the great
labor leaders did not get in touch with
the M. DIS before they sent work out
to their constituents that industry
was over-developed, that there were
too many farms and too many farm
ers, that there were too many shoe
factories and too many shoe makers;
that there were too many mines and
too many miners, etc., etc., ETC., and
the solutions for these grave problems
was for the farmers to leave their
farms (some hundreds of thousands
have via the mortgage route) and go
into the mines and factories; that the
miners leave the mines and go to the
farms (some have, but it has been to
the POOR FARMS). Why, oh why was
not the medical profession consulted
first, and this valuable information
secured that all that was required to
cure the economic ills was to have
COMPULSORY PHYSICAL JiBXAMI-
NATION OF THE WORKERS passed
by law?
Now will these benefactors of the
working class also have inserted in
this law that they are contemplating
that in every case where they examine
a worker and find him physically fit to
perform labor. that in case then he
cannot be employed that he will be
compensated? That should be, because
you say that the workers are loosing
millions by the lack of such IegisIa-
ton. Therefore, someone must be
gaining what the worker loses; this
someone can be no other than the
"OWNER" of the industry, and it
would be illegal" gain, and should be
paid to the worker from whom it must
have been taken. as the worker" is
the creator Of such.
Then coal miners children in this
state would not have to go hungry to
school, barefooted and ragged, while
the M. DIS are enjoying the hospital
ity provided by the Elks Club; then
the wife might have a new dress and
hat once in while. Life, liberty and
the pursuit Of happiness will become
again reality. / move that the M.
DIS be given the addition of two more
letters for their last more for the bene-
fit OF the working class, and that these
two letters be B. s.
Yours,
JOHN J. WATT. Sec'y.-Treas.,