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Show WHEN INJURY AND DEATH CAME TO WORK I N CM EN. W ithin the last few das more than a score of personal damage suits have j been filed in courts in Philadelphia in caot-B which, under a workman's compensation act, would adjust themselves them-selves without the tedious and costly cost-ly process of the courts. The commencement com-mencement of such a number of damage dam-age cases in one city gives special point and emphasis to one of the Important Im-portant declarations of the Progressive Progres-sive party's contract with the peo-pie peo-pie adopted at the national conven- tion in Chicago last August. That dec- j laration is: "We pledge ourselves to work unceasingly un-ceasingly In state and nation for standards of compensation for death by industrial accident and Injury and trade diseases which w ill transfer the ' burden of lost earnings from the families fam-ilies of working people to the industry, indus-try, and thus to Nie community." This is a broad declaration In favor fa-vor of the adoption by the state and nation of workman's compensation acts under which compensation Bhall be made automatically to the injured person or to his family in case of death. A few cases taken at random ran-dom from among the many recently commenced in Philadelphia will show at a glance the argument for this declaration in the Progressive platform plat-form Joseph Schmidstetter was a special policeman in a moving picture theater thea-ter In the performance of hie duty he attempted to regulate the electric lights, touched ; button on a switch -! board and was killed His wife, in ill health with an eleven vear old child to maintain, is left with no means of J support To secure what, under any consideration of Justice must right -' fully come to her because of this accidental ac-cidental killing uf her husband in the line of his duty, the widow Is now I forced to undertake a long litigation which under the present system 1b of I questionable outcome, and, even in the j event of success, is certain to involve in expenses a large share of what she hshould rightfully receive George Pickup drove a wagon for a I Philadelphia paper box manufacturer. manufactur-er. He started to climb on the wagon wag-on by the hand grip fastened to its side. The grip pulled out, Pickup j was thrown beneath the wagon and I killed. If there wai fault anwherc it was on the part of those responsible respon-sible for maintaining the equipment of the establishment in proper condition con-dition Pickup leaves a widow and baby girl whose only redress is like that of the other widow, a long, te-I te-I dious and uncertain law suit. The Progressive platform declares I lor the principle of considering the I human beings involved In such cases I as these, instead of fixing the sole regard upon a technical point of law What Is going to become of Mrs. Schmidstetter and Mrs. Pickup and their Children? The contention of the Progressives is that. Immedlatels :ind automatically, such cases should become lo a reasonable extent, charges char-ges upon the industry In which the maimed or killed bread winner was employed rather than thai those whoso bread winners have been killed should I become charges upon the community I at large. John Maroney was a stevedore who I earned from $15 to $2n a week He was helping to discharge cargo from a ship. A cable snapped, a cask fell and broke his leg. The company repaired re-paired the cable; Maroney wa6 tH-ken tH-ken home to repair blmsell, while his wife and several children gel along ns best they can awaiting the uncertain un-certain outcome of an indefinitely prolonged pro-longed law suit John Burns worked for a steel company com-pany A coupling in a smug of cars broke Ruins was thrown under the wheels and a leg was cut off He earned on thn average 111 to 1( a week Now he had nothing but the uncertain prospects of a law suit and his wife and children have only their share in such prospect? These arc- but samples of many I BSi B In Philadelphia, Hundreds of Blmila' 1 I rowd Hie court rec ords throughout the cournn The pledge of the Progressive platform plat-form for a workman's compensation act was given because the Progressive Progres-sive pariy does not mean at any time to lose sight of the element of justice jus-tice in ihese cases. The Progressives Progres-sives think in these matters in terms oi ihe Bumses, the Meroneys and the Schmidstcttcrs rather than In those of abstract legal technicalities |