St. Paul daily globe., 1896-04-07
SAID NASH,S CHILD LABOR STATIs-
TICS WERE FALSE AND PAR
TISAN ALSO.
CHARITY EXPERTS EXCITED.
STIRRING EPISODE AT THE PAR
LOR CONFERENCE AT e. w.
PEET,S HOME.
L. C. POWERS AND JUDGE WILLIS
Spoke ON the Topic of Child Labor
and the Laws Aimed at It's
Abolition.

The Associated Charities held it's nineteenth
parlor conference at the home of Emerson
| w. Peet last evening and discussed Child
Labor" Addresses were given by different
members, and several lively discussions en-
gagged il not down on the evenings pro-
gramme. Becoming somewhat interested in
the question of the evening Louis Nash
propounded some serious views upon the sub
| ject, and gave number of statistics show
ing the per cent of wages received by pa
rents
He was interrupted by e. w. Peet, who
requested the president to call the man to
order, saying that the meeting was called
to discuss Child Labor" not to go into any
political discussion to give false statis-
tics. Mr.. Nash replied that he simply wished
to prove that the state should look after it's
paupers. S. G. Smith, the president of the
society, poured oil upon the troubled waters.
and introduced another speaker.
The subject of Rev. L. G. Powers address
was 'The Reason for the Minnesota Child
Labor Law and Suggested Amendments" He
said that the reasons for the Minnesota child
labor law were the same as those which had
led to similar laws the world over during the
past 100 years. The so-called labor laws all
dated from the rise of the modern factory
system. Prior to this, little over 100 years
ago, all manufactures were small and en-
ployed but few operatives. In the earliest
days of this century the greed of EMPLOYERS
led to a vast amount of child labor. Much
OF 1t was then, as it is today, done in the
name of charity. Children were taken from
almshouses, the authorities being glad to free
themselves from the financial burden, and
their labor and support contracted for, one
fool often being taken with so many capa-
bic children. Miss Brownings poem,
Cry of the Children" touched the people.
and philanthropists awoke to a realization. of
the evil. The first reason of the Minnesota
law lies in the fact that society should pro-
tect every child in the right to life and a
healthy manhood or wamanhood.
The first laws only considered the child's
physical well being. Later ones take into ac-
count mental and moral well being. Compul-
sorry education acts are called into existence
to emphasize this phase of the subject The
child should not under any plea be allowed
to labor under conditions that rob it of a
chance to secure needed education.
The objects of the child labor laws in So
called compulsory education acts seek to
protect the child from such labor as will
tend to injure its body or prevent it's full
and healthy development for after life. 1t is
sought to guarantee all children such an
education as will fully fit them for the more
useful and noble life.
The necessities are urged as the reason for
child labor and for keeping the child from
school.
Half OF these cases are those of children
with drunken parents. Mr.. Powers recon-
mended that the present laws relating to
children be so amended as to forbid child
labor under sixteen at occupations dangerous
to life and limb. He also recommended that
all labor outside the family to which a child
belongs be prohibited under fourteen years.
He said that more vital compulsory laws
were needed. That child labor is Injurious
but that truancy and idleness are more so.
He recommended a consideration of the
subject among the churches and charity
workers, that JAM 1 might see all child labor
in the city the labor of children who have
been at least twelve weeks in school,
Louis Nash spoke upon the Relation of
Child Labor to Adult Labor" previous to
which he introduced the subject of the news
woman who has come before the public re-
Gently and who was present last evening.
Mr.. Nash said the woman had been grossly
SPOKEN to by new boys. That she was a de-
serving woman and needed her work. That
the boys should be driven from the streets
before she was. He also paid tribute to the
working man. Without labor everything
would cease. Judge ]. w. Willis expressed
pleasure at the gathering before him, and said
that not only charity workers but manufac-
turers business men, ETC., should be interest
ed in doing away with child labor. That it
was not enough that few should be power
full and great, but that the nation should
strive for the welfare of men. He said he
had refused to put children in positions as
servants when of school age. He spoke of the
present school system good. And said that
in Europe the child labor is even more de-
graded than here and that in case measures
are not taken to stop it in this country the
children will soon be engaged in performing
manual labor of lighter sort. He advocated
an expansion of the school system and the
placing of schools in the business district.
And said that when any one had child In
his factory or store he shirking the re-
sronsibility for the burden of caring for pau
peIism. Prof. Bryant, of the Humboldt school,
gave few instances of children in his school
who were obliged to work and could not at
tend school. He thought it cheaper for the
country to enable the parents to support the
family than for the children to do so. DR..
e. P. Savage, Of the childrens society, told
of the good the country air would do to all
the boys and girls in the stores, and recalled
incidents of last year when it was attempted
to enforce the child labor law. E. w. Peet
thought there were two sides to the question.
That there were poor men who could not
take care of their families and it was all right
for the children to. be able to help. That
there were times when child labor was
blessing. That children should labor when
they can under certain we'll regulated direc-
tions, but the work should be we'll regulated.
He thought it the proper thing for boys to
sell papers, for boys to black boots and that
it didn't necessarily follow that the father was
a drunkard. He very sorry the talk had
drifted the first of the evening. The laborer
was not the only element in the community.
That there would no labor without capital.
@ Smith said q cnrar1l la