The Gem worker and the Idaho labor herald. (Boise, Idaho) 1914-1917, 1916-10-19


Republican candidates condemn Gov
ernor Alexander for his veto Of the
Workmen's Compensation Bill which
was passed at the last legislature
thereby the Republican party and Re-
publican candidates stand committed
against the interests of the Workmen
of the State of Idaho for it was at the
almost unanimous request of the re-
presentatives of labor in this State
that Governor Alexander vetoed that
measure. Pretending by its name
friendliness to the cause of labor and
the workmen, the bill was actually
a deadly enemy to the cause which
it pretended to serve. The friendli-
ness of Governor Alexander to the
cause of labor and the principle of
a Worlcmen's adequate compensation
cannot be questioned He made this
clear time upon and especially in his
message to the legislature which en-
acted measure which met the united
opposition of the representatives OF
labor everywhere.
In his biennial message to the 18th
legislature, Governor Alexander in
the strongest terms possible recon-
Ihended the enactment OF Work
mems Compensation law and took
special effort in advising the legisla-
ture in enactment of the law to con-
suit the representatives of organized
labor so that measure to accom-
plishing that it intended to accom-
plish might be enacted into law. At
that time the Governor said to the
legislature:
with our new methods of pro-
duction by the combination of great
capital and the great aggregations OF
machinery, the condition of the in
dividuai worker has changed. 1t is
not as it was in the early days that
most of us remember, when the en-
ployer and the employe knew each.
other, where they were part and par
eel of one organization, sympathizing
with one another by reason of close
community of interest. All of this
has been done away with by the mod
ern methods. The workman now is
only part of great organization of
modern electrical and steam forces
thats5arive the huge wheels of complex
machinery; he is the human agent
that supervises these tremendous
forces, he is only one of the atoms
that make up the modern manufactur-
ing plant.
"Thc conditions have created the
necessity for what is commonly
known as a Workmen's Compensation
law. Discussion OF the need of such
measure is hardly worth while. 1t
has been adopted by almost all states
and countries. Idaho should hasten
to enact this law for the protection
of the workmen employed in our
state. The bill should be drafted up
on broad lines. The liberality of the
measure should go in favor of the
workman who may be injured in the
occupation in which he is compelled
to work.
"While the corporation, who are the
employers, have rights that should be
fairly treated and considered, tht
workman who is injured-who lose:
an arm, a leg or an eye, or become!
manned, crippled and disabled for life
or for a lesser period OF time-is th'
one that is to be remembered ant
looked after in the workmen's com
pensation law. 1t is his family, il
case of his death, that loses the bread
winner when man by being crippled
becomes unable to earn his bread b!
the sweat of his brow, il is not alon
he but the family that depends upoi
him that you should bear in min,
above all others
"The state owes it to its citizen
to see to it that if through accident
the breadwinner of the family is de
prived Of the ability to earn living
the wife and family should be protect
ed and the home be maintained i
such a matter that the children ma
be educated and brought up as
credit to the State. The State is er
gagged, if it is engaged in anything, j
the making of citizens who are car
able to take up the burdens and res
possibilities Of eitizsnship and to PEI