Show THE EMPLOYERS LIABILITY LAW the passage toy by congress of gheem the employers pl liability bill as amended to meet the objections of the supreme court puts back among the federal statutes a law which undoubtedly has the full approval of the american public the measure was one in which the president was greatly interested anahis and his signature is assured but this federal law is only a beginning says the oregonian oregonians Ore gonian its scope mope Is sharply limited to interstate commerce it affects acts of interstate commerce only it protects men only ohly while engaged in such acts it is far from covering the general activities of railroad employed emp loyes tho the duty of disposing of the archaic androw and now unjustifiable fellow servant doctrine is as it affects men engaged in interstate commerce is left to the states the injustice under modern conditions of this doctrine has been emphasized by the enactment of the federal law the states must do the rest resl A model act is provided including not only a provision abolishing the fellow servant doctrine but also one modifying the rule of contributory negligence this rule is different in different states but the federal law just passed is a reasonable one contributory tribu tory negligence under the new federal law will not be as at common law a complete bar to recovery but must be taken into consideration by the jury in assessing damages the rule now seems to be that the plaintiff must show that either he was entirely free from negligence or that his negligence was slight and that of th the e defendant gross in comparison the jury is not authorized to weigh the degrees of negligence and find for the party least in fault judicial conservatism wisely travels with caution but because of this it Is sometimes necessary for legislatures to crystallize in a statute the growth of policy and experience legislation which recognizes the great changes in industrial organization aej and method and the relations ons and conditions which have grown up during the last two or three generations Is sorely needed it will do much to bring about social and industrial peace |