The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1899-09-22
COMMISSIONER
MONTAGUE TALKS
He Favor the Age Limit in the
Employment Of Children.
WANTS THEILLIN0IS LAW PASSED
No Children Under Fourteen Years OF
Age Can Work in IIIinois-Dis-
regard of the Tcn-Hour
Law for Women.

Tabor Commits si0ner Montague was
sses Yesterday in reference TO the ques-
ton OF child labor lie was quite en-
phauc in his approval Of any measure
that might bc advocated looking toward
doing away with such labor
fn ms forthcoming report he calls AT
tention To the facl tnat there Is ia" l'
existence restricting the work TO oe -l
formed by women and children uhuei iou''
teen years I'm factories and manul@ce'l'ra
TO ten hours n day. lie also cars 1',,n-
ton to the nagrant disregard ID winch '''9
law is held i'm certain sections ana ~
certain factories I'm various parts OF the
State.
lie also recommends the passage OF
rau fan reference ID the age at which chill
dren shall be- employed. and cites the laws
prevailing i'm other States. notably LhAt
In Illinois. which prohibits the employment
of any child under fourteen years OF age
"'rhls department" said Mr.. Montague.
sis doing a great deal along this line ana
we expeet much assistance from The Legs
lature. We favor the adoption OF me
Illinois law.
.ln some instances lt is necessary TO
their existence almost. that children Sc
cure employment They may be orphans
and much may depend upon the little they
can earn. Something must be done TO
remedy this.
"Thls de1lrtmelt win 90 what h can
to change the condition OF things DO REFER
ence TO this matter of employing children
under fourteen years in the factories ana
manufactures
CONFIDENT OF SUCCESS.
Those who are I'm the van in the crusade
against the employment OF chhd-iaoot.
are confident Of success. 10 EFFORT VIII
he SHARED 10 crush out the evil, ana give
n child something more than a marketa-
Bile value. The fact that the attendance
OF the Richmond public schools Is not
what 10 should be Is pointed out by the
crusaders as only one OF the eVlls Wnleh
must necessarily result from the employ
ment of children in various manuiactur-
ing plants.
sad one OF those prominent in The
movement: This neglect in tine educ1-
ton Of children is criminal ON the part
of those who allow it. and such should
Doe made amcnabie 90 tho law. There is
but one way tO exterm'nate the cyl,
and that is by str.b lg at its root We
are not taking bread out of the poor man 81
mouth. as is argued by some, but rather
bv educating bis children. we are increas-
ing the size OF the loaf The great rou-
bic with many s that they can see only
the immediate need and take DO thought
Of the future.
Requiring labor OF a child. such as i5
beyond his years. can have no other Zee
suit than TO weaken him physically and
leave him. on reaching manhood g estate.
practically a wreck. Take him away
from the Influences of scho0lroom and
you blight him mentally with his ply
steal and mental growth dwarfed. what
viii be his moral status? Why. 1 am not
afraid of contradiction when / say that
90 viii. I'm future years. unless these chill
dren. for whose rights we are now COM
tending. are properly taken care of, Il will
cost those men who are now taking ado
vantage of the chc1pness of chi.d-iabor.
more 20 take care OF criminals than their
temporary gain now amounts Co.
I'VE viii fight Sc out go the bitter end.
and our efforts must have n successful
issue. OF this I am confident"