Then we passed a law providing that in factories there should be
safeguards over all the dangerous machinery, and a girl working in
a factory had her arm taken off above the elbow by an unprotected
flywheel. She sued and recovered damages, and the court of appeals of
the State of New York threw out her case, and there was another gem in
their opinion. They said that they would not permit the legislature
to interfere with the liberty of that girl to work amidst dangerous
machinery. [Laughter.]
Now you can see yourselves――you can look up. I will refer anyone who
wants to look it up to the exact decisions where this language occurred.
The liberty of that girl was protected by the court――the liberty; she
had the liberty to starve or to work under the conditions offered her,
and she had no other liberty. [Applause.]