St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-03-15
The WORLD OF WORK.
Legislators Are Humane to
Brutes, Then Why Not to
Children?
The Ramsey Delegation In
dorsed Warmly for the
Eight-Hour Move.
Railway Employees Club Men
Fail to Show at the
Trades Assembly.
Industrial Information Gath
cred From Every Source
Of Interest.

The Society for Prevention of Cruelty
to Animals is said to be responsible for
bill introduced in the euate by a
member from Hennepin. The bill pro-
vides various humane regulations for
the comfort and safety OF the brute
order. When it attempts to legislate
for the human animal it generously
provides that children under sixteen
years of age shall not work more than
ten hours day, and those hours shall
be from a. m. to 6 p. m, inclusive.
This may be as far as the society
has advanced in It's ideas of what
may or may not constitute cruelty
to children. 1t is doubtless sincere
in its efforts to do some good for hu-
manity as well as the lower orders of
creation. Yet it is safe to assume that
II that society saw young colt being
worked in the harness ten hours day,
that would be called case of atrOciouS
cruelty to q dumb brute. To work
growing child in the factory ten hours
day is q somewhat parallel case, eX-
cept that the child has mental and
moral nature to be affected by the treat
ment, where in the case of the colt only
the physical evil need be considered.
During discussion on the subject yes
terday a cynic remarked: Our mod
! ern Industrial conditions are such that
! it actually pays better to take care of
| the brute than the human crea-
| ton. If a horse is Overworked and
| dies the owner must buy a new
! one, and some pecuniary loss is involved.
! If child is OYerwOrked and drops out
! of the shop or factory, there are other
| children i'll abundance to take his place.
| That is why we legislata to preserve
| and protect other orders of creation and
leave the children to get along as best
! they may"
While the cynic's view is perhaps an
extreme one. yet the labor organizations
| OF all countries are unanimous in the
/ opinion that young and growing chill
/ dren should not be put into the factories
! at steady work. A bill will be intro
! duced in the senate this week providing
| that children shall not be employed in
! factories or shops under the age of
| sixteen, except in cases where some
! special necessity exists for such employ
ment. The bill is simple and direct in
its provisions, yet covers the ground
| thoroughly. If passed it would prove
valuable supplement to that introduced
| for the prevention of cruelty to various
orders of animals.
The Alliance central committee is
! getting ready for an active campaign in
| st. Paul. Tne results last campaign
| did not by any means do justice to the
! Independent sentiment of St. Paul.
! This was somewhat due to the fact that
organized labor was left QUIT of the queS-
| ton in the management of the city and
county campaign. The state central
| committee is now contemplating several
| changes in its membership and will
| probably add two Or more of the leading
| labor representatives of st. Paul to its
| list. If judicious selection IS made,
and the men are those thoroughly iden
tilted with industrial matters and of UNI
questionable Integrity, it will be posi-
bic to make the Independent political
element much more than the negative
factor it has hitherto been. The ap-
pOintments are likely to be made dur
ing the coming week. and will be
awaited with considerable interest.
The Ramsey county delegation is re-
ceiving many words of cOmmendatiOn
in labor circles for its action in incOr-
porating the eight-hour clause in the
still to be acted upon by the legislature
y
of the delegation will use their best
efforts to have the clause retained in
the new charter. To do otherwise
would be to neglect the strong senti-
ment among all classes of citizens in
favor Of the eight-hOur day on city
work.
There seems a good prospect of the
factory inspection bill becoming a law.
The bill as drawn is not wholly salts
factory in regard to the manner of APP
pointing inspectors. but on the whole is
a good measure and will tend to make
the bureau Of labor statistics of much
more practical benefit to the working
people than was possible III the last foul
years.
The State Federation of Labor is do
Ing good work in calling the attention
of organizations in other parts of the
state to the attitude of their representa-
tives in the legislature. st. Cloud sends
some emphatic resolutions, which will
leave its representatives in no doubt as
to what course they are desired to pur-
sue when labor measures come up.
Duluth has appointed an investigating
committee to keep tab on two of her
members who are not apparently anX-
ious to have the working people know
how many labor measures they helped
to kill.
The plumbers union has a committee
in constant attendance at the capitol tc
look after their measure to license
skilled plumbers. The bill has been
unaccountably delayed on several Oc
casionS when it seemed on the point OF
coming to a vote. The plumbing com
| miffaa doesn't nrODOSe that the hill
shall be buried in some committee, but
desire at least the satisfaction of seeing
the roll called on it.