The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1888-12-06
CHILD LABOR
Opposed by Prof, Demis in His
Eighth ecture
on "Lahor Legislation" Friday Even
inG,

VI Nlp lNNNNlof
my lecture this evening will DO On
labor legislation, and before I begin II
viii bn necessary for me 20 give you
some labor statistics, In 1880, the.
number Of males over 10 years Of age,
employed la this country, was 1900
600 the number OF females over 10 was
g6l7,0J0, ahl the number OF children
VAS over 100000, Since 1870 tho male
employees have increased about 10 per
cent? tho female employees, "A per cent,
and the children employees 81 per cent
II may be that tho labor OF children has
more evil In ID than good, am dis
posed 10 think that It has, " iniureh
tho physical condition OF the child,
Then again q ohild'a confinement by
such employment prevents education,
Hut the greatest objection 20 o elild'a
employment 10 the injury TO its morals,
A ohild'a moral dbFea cannot help but
DO affected by the aurroundlngao shops
and factories,
But you may ask why mol leave this
matter 10 the parents aud lot them say
whether their children shall work or
not. This Ia u pretty theory but II does
not work In practice, Az a matter OF
fact there are hundreds and thousands
OF parents who arc poor and who SEQ
more IN three or four dollars o week
that theif children earn than they do
OF their education. Many parents arc
compelled by necessity 20 lot their
children work. Then the question
arises, why not educate the parents 10
the point that they will zee tho necea'
aity OF educating their chlldrohY II wo
we're 10 undertake this we would have
u tremendous job on our hands, Then
tbs question Ii asked, why not leave u
10 the humane institutions 10 look
after these matterai The answer IN
that this IL not q function OF state,
The State may DO used aa u moral
agent tho same aa u church, but " eau
not do all things,
Labor legislation began la England
In 1909. There are many States Ia this
country which have no labor leglala'
ton, especially those which have few
manufactures, In ONO there Is q law
passed that f0rbida the labor OF Those
under ~ years 10 more than w hours 4
week In manufacturing induatrle1
but says nothing about mercantile pur'
suits. In Massachusetts there IN q law
which provides that nc child under II
years OF age shall work In any manu-
featuring industry or mercantile eotab.
liahment, aud no child under ID can
work In any establishment unless h.
can show that he has attended school Of
least twenty woeke OF the previous
year. The law also provides that nc
child under 10 shall be- employed unless
no can read and write. They are alaC
provided with inspectors who ~
around these establishments and II q
child In found az work that IL under the
legal age, no IL taken away and sent u
school. Out OF $4,000 employees In thu
textile factories Ia Massachueotta, IL
1887, only 1900 were under II years oI
age, and 7,Slb were nj the age Of n anC
i6. A law similar 10 the one In Mas
sachusetts IN what Nv needed IN Thu
State,
Now as 10 the question Of Sanitation
We lind u need OF regulating tho 0ondi
ton Of employment as well IA the con
dition OF the employees, In Chicago
they have the best law OF this kind
which provides that no building can b,
erected unless II 10 submitted 4
an inspection. 10 must NJ
the requirements of the law. 0neIoi
tho good results that have come from
this law Ia that II has been found tina
mortality has fallen of while tho pop
ulation hW increased. Not only this
but the health OF the remaining one
have been improved. The law ais,
provides against tho use Of dangerous
machinery. There has been enacted II
several States what is known ~ thl
Employers Liability Act, which pro
yldes that II an employe Ia hurt by thl
negligence of another employo, the en-
plOyer N liable. This has loaI
many employers 10 require Of thel
employees before giving then
employment TO sign n contract remit
ting their privileges. The State o
Massachusetts, has passed a law making
IL illegal Tor u workman TO sign such
contract. The contract In void and o
no avail. In Massachusetts the law pro
vides that nll corporations, whethe
mercantile or manufacturing, must pa!
their employees every week. This ha
helped 10 bring about n cash trade,
Some mines are In the hlbit OF on
ta~blishing company stores, and the
compel their men 10 buy at their stores
Ore Of the evils Of this Is high charges
The employees are obliged 10 pay from
% 10 30 per cent. more for their good
than they would DO charged elsewhere
Now, US 10 the question Of convlc
labor. II IL claimed that their labo
does not compete with free labor, 10
the number OF %c0nvicts in the United
States is about M.U00, which IL onl.
/ per cent. Of the free laborerB OF hi
country. This Is an unfair way Of ~
guing the question. We must tint
how many convict laborers there are I,
the free laborers in the same trade
in New York In the saddlery trad
there was one convict laboIer 10 iivI
free laborers. In Kentucky IN TN
wagon trade there was one conylc
laborer 10 two free laborers. In Obi,
In some trades there are said to be
convict laborer for overy free labOreT
In New York IL was estimated that thl
work Of u convict laborer was equal h
IS per cent OF Il free lnborer while thI
pay was only about one-third OF tn
free lab0rer."
At the conclusion of his lecture q few
minutes were given TO o discussion
which was participated In by Mesgrf
a. McGregor, Joshua Hunt, JudgI