Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1912-10-06


Those born today will have the quail
tiles which make for success finan-
cially and In public life. They will be
attractive and. though unsteady in
youth. will see their folly and turn
their minds to more important things.
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essarily more or less tentative. and the
mark of ll-disciplined mind ia
moderation. We cannot wisely make
extravagant claims and dogmatic as
sertions. Intelligent men, therefore,
whatever their opinion as to the merits
Of the proposed minimum wage for
working women" will admire the dis
erection manifested in the Chicago
Tribune's discussion In favor of the
proposition, when /. admits that 1.-The
minimum wage is somewhat exberi-
mental" and confesses that I'VE do
not know whether such a law will
work"
This is incomparably more tolerant
| and. we think. incomparably more
sane, than Woodrow Wilson's dogmatic
| assertion that such a law would not
| work in favor of the working women
at all, but would only be taken advan-
tage Of by employers to push the COM
pensation Of their women employees
down to minimum living wage.
l do not know that any formulator
or supporter Of the Progressive party s
plank on minimum wage for working
women" ever anticipated or intended
that 1t should be construed as favoring
law that would permit the depressing
of compensation to the level Of a mini
| mum living wage. Rather, / think.
| there was and Is contemplated by Pro-
gressive leaders the passing OF law
providing for compensation to- work
ing women, for a full days work, of
decidedly more than Just enough to
| live on"
Why. a minimum living wage. so far
as food Is concerned, IL one lives Gas
one can live) on cracked wheat or
cornmeal and herbs. need not be over
10 cents a day. Most assuredly that is
not what the advocates Of the mini
! mum wage law anticipate. Yet that Is
| just what a rigorous and unrestrained
| application. maugre A. F. Of L. and l.
w. W., of Woodrow Wilson's hypo-
thesis would lead to.
1t is interesting to observe, in this
connection. that the objection of dog
matist Wilson to the minimum wage
| idea Is identical with the objection of
the impossibilistic group Of Socialists
to this and to other humanitarian pro-
gressive measures. Say they. the mas
tiers of industry. either by legal or by
extra legal means, will merely readjust
| wages, hours. and prices SO as to shift
to 10 th-
| work ers and to the consumers.
This objection, whether voiced by
Woodrow Wilson or by the impossi-
blistic group of Socialists arises from
| the same source. namely: morbid
distrust of legal means of accomplish
ing desirable results.
A law providing for a minimum
wage for working women" would,
| most certainly, interfere" with those
who do not choose to 20 as society
thinks they should do and demands
that they shall, do. Most laws, in
Guiding the criminal laws. are open to
the same doctrinaire objection. But
the successfuness OF any other law de-
Ponds on the unanimity with which 1t
| is supported Cor at least tolerated) by
the dominant power in the state.
In democracy or a republic. where
the dominant power is an alert and en- :
| lightened public opinion. such law
will undoubtedly work beneficially from
| the day 1t is enacted. For an alert and
enlightened public opinion is a force
that none but the most "puddin- head
ed" of the masters Of industry will
long oppose. ROLLA MYER.
Horseshoe Bend. Oct. 3. 1912.