The twice-a-week Twin Falls times. (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1916-1918, 1918-02-12
ALLRED'S TENTATIVE LABOR
PLAN SHOWS RIGHT SPIRIT
c. L. LONGLEY, General Manager

thize with the purpose of the plan for
solving the the labor problem out
lined tentatively by Harvey Alfred
head of the department of state farm
markets in his address at the dinner
given in honor of President f. Ii.
Lindley. at the Perrine hotel Thurs
day Moreover it is impossible to
escape the conclusion, that however
impracticable some of the details may
prove to be, the basis is laid for
discussion which will result in the
working out of practicable program
The idea OF census of all the mer
in the state is good one The idea
of complete statement of the needs
of the employers of the state is also
good. This will show everybody
where we are at" Under the Alfred
plan there would be no question OF
constitutionality such as would be
certainly involved, were it proposed
to commander labor and put the
workmen out under the control OF
private employers who in the man
agement of their employees we've
neither public officials nor under the
management of public officials; pro-
vided that care is taken to draft the
regulations in accordance with fun
gested in a recent TIMES editorial
will be largely obviated, while the in
crease of the minimum wage from
$3.50 a day to SO and board will pla-
cate much opposition. Under the pro-
posed plan, there would be no duress
on anyone to work for any particu-
lar employer, or in any particular
line; provided that some productive
employment should be followed. \
man would be at liberty to rent
ground and work for himself, to quit
the service of one and enter the ser
vice of another within a reasonable
time. The idea OF Mr.. Alfred is 20
get everyone busy producing, not for
the exploitation of any particular
class, but for the cause of country
and humanity and he rightly assume
that there is no difference between
the man with thirty cents and the
man with $4,000 so far as this prin-
ciple is concerned. If there are any
swell loafers in the state the call
ing out before a council of defense
will probably make them get busy,
and the law which will catch timer
ents without visible means Of su
port" should ensnare them, for right
now, present, not past production, is
what is needed Those who wout
not voluntarily work for themselves
or others could work for nothing on
the roads for the county.
The TIMES has always believed
not without some investigation, e..
the number of bona fide" loafers
has been exaggerated in curreu.
mors. and it believes that the pro-
posed census will show this to be
fact. But even few are too many
1t believes that some laborers VINO
were inclined to listen to agitators
last year and ask unreasonable wae
will take a sounder view of things
this year What it said last Thursday
regarding the sugar magnates, applies
to the wor1men it now has in min
During a period of unregulated tram
sition when everybody was reaching
for everything in sight, moved
some extent by the fear that the 9th
er fellow would reach first, some
workmen asked very unreasonable
things, just as some monopolists ask
ed unreasonable things, and both
succeeded in getting the thing reach
ed for in some instances. Just as
the wealthy'in many cases rose to the
occasion this year and helped the
government to arrive at sane adj
iustment: so the TIMES believes the
workmen will do, if approached
the proper spirit And this, we be-
lieve, will include many who were
misled. through skilful misrepresen-
tation, into joining the 1. W. w. last
year.
A U. S. Judge held last Saturday
that the same law governed in IL
case of packers that governed in the
case of the 1. W. w. The same prin-
ciples of human nature operate in
the case of the millionaire as in the
case of the workman.
1t is too early to pass judgment on
the tentative plan of Mr. Alfred
which was frankly put forth to call
for suggestions and not as final. Bat
the spirit is right and we are con-
fident will lead to sound conclusions.