Correspondence: 1913, Sept 1 - 1914, Jan 21., 1913-1914

The emergence of sickness insurance (health insurance) as a major concern of the AALL dominates this period. Joseph Chamberlain outlined a suggested survey of European sickness insurance (1/7/14) to be made prior to the AALL's investigation of the situation in the United States. Many meetings of the Association's sickness insurance committee were held. I. M. Rubinow wrote often in reference to drafting a standard bill (a prototype legislative bill on a specific issue) on sickness insurance. There was some controversy over whether or not it should be compulsory, and P. Tecumseh Shermam resigned because of the disagreement (1/9/14). An interesting letter (9/16/13) to Henry Seager and Henry W. Farnam describes Andrews' visit to the Cripple Creek Mine, the mine owner's blacklist, a meeting with "Mother" Jones, and the growing conservatism of the Western Federation of Miners. Irene Osgood Andrews wrote the report on minimum wage legislation in New York State. In December (12/24/13) Andrews wrote again to Gompers, asking for an apology. Andrews became interested in another problem of working conditions and wrote often to Thomas J. Parkinson of the Columbia University Legislative Drafting Department and others in regard to revision of the compressed air provisions of the New York State labor laws.