The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1900-02-07
CHILD LABOR.
The Spartanburg Herald In Discuss
ing the Subject Resorts to Person.
olftIQs


alities.
The Spartanburg Herald may be depended
upon TO say unjust or malicious things OF the
While we take 1t that the Herald
would notknowingly misrepresent US, yet his
evident lack OF acq uaintance with this news
paper, combined with his illwili, leads him
to forget to verify statements which are wide
The personality OF the Herald .and. the
and OF aus thng
from ohild-labor. The placing Of the most
dsmnable stigma upon the mothers Of chill
dren who must work for living is altogether
another thing from editorial discourtesies.
Now. as to child labor in cotton mills: We
say ithout any sort Of fear OF successful con-
tradiction that the children IN the cotton
mills are more comfortable, eat more. wear
more, have more educational facilities, and
are less exposed to the weather Than the chill.
dren OF renters on the farms. The work OF
keeping machine running is quite oinerent
| from performing the labor.
There are few persons In this country who
can afford TO live on the shady side OF Easy
Street, and support their children in luxury
and idleness. A majority OF us were born
| with iron spoons in our mouths.
| While cruelty is to be condemned on the
| IA rm In the cotton mill or elsewhere, yet 1t
was decreed long ago that man should earn
since then honest toll has been considered
honorable by very respectable portion OF
| the community. "
In the early years Of child habits Of In
dustry or idleness, vice or morality. are form.
Ell, and 1t has been said that idleness is the
devils workshop. We submit that this edl.
tor himself went 10 work at very tender
age, and he Is perhaps as able to speak OF
child labor from personal experience as ma
Iority of the editors who speak on this point,
and any suggestion or idea that the parents OF
best Interest because they taught him to
| work, is fallacious.
| We know that there are men, women and
children in cotton mills whom we believe TO
| be at least the equals Of those who think that
| the laws Of the State should come In between
q poor mother and her children. The Idea
that the employees OF the cotton mills should
be deprived Of the control Of their own chill
dren, Is simply monstrous, and must be In
sulting to the pride and spirit OF the people.
Class legislation is offensive. and will be so
considered by many people, until II can
rear and train their own children.
To correct the error which has gone
abroad about the ~ %Psie me hs sa.lo% co,tHn
mills, 1t would be only necessary for those
who have decent regard for justice, and a
love OF fair play, to enquire into the facts:
]; It has never 6ee9 proven toat biSr IaiGtoIy
| 2. 1t has never been proven that the men
and women who work In cotton mills are not
as healthy and as moral as other people
8. 1t has never been proven that they are
| not as honest, as conscientious, aud az worthy
to rear their own children as any other class
Of people. -.
4. II has never been proven that they are
so lost 10 decency and the higher instincts
that they are unworthy to be allowed the
care of their own children.
| S. When the Courts Of the States assume to
| deny the right Of q mother to rear her own
children serious charges must be made and
proven against her. VIII the Legislature at
the mere suggestion OF politician. enact q
OF disgrace upon every man and every wo-
| man who may be employed in cotton mill
| 6. AS rule the superintendents OF cotton
mills, the boss spinners, the boss carders, the
holders OF other high and important places In
cotton mills rose from the floors, after going
there as little tots. The pay'of such men In
the Abbeville mill, range from $1,000 to IS 600
q year-a sum considerably larger than the
average intermeddling politician earns. And
honest women, upon whom law-making
politicians would cast the most degrading
stigma, enacting law which would by i'm
plication make 1t appear that they we're un-
worthy 10 rear their own children In their
I. Let it not be forgotten that these cotton
mill officers earned and merlted their high
and honorable places They had no infiuen.
tial friends TO help them and push them on
| because OF kinship or other reasons for favor
itism. When cotton mill man rises, he does
80 because his merit com m ends him to the IA
vorable consideration Of the superior officer.
8. The success of the humblest mill boy In
reaching places which pay him from 81 900 to
5000 prove the utter falslty of insinuations
by politicians that their mothers were un.
| worthy to rear them.
8. AS TO the physlques of these men who
have risen; We presume that few informed.
ding politicians would TO tn cir face assume
to make reflections on their mothers.