The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-11-10

for five days treatment free and our lit- tie book on respiratory diseases. It may save your life.
 The R. T. Booth Co.,, Ithaca, N. Y. of this subject. and they desire the frank est and fullest showing of the facts. I note, however, with some amazement that the Treasurer of the Alabama City Mill begins his argument by conceding the | two fundamental principles for which we | are contending. namely, the social wrong and the economic error of child labor un- der twelve. He declares that from the starting of that mill he has repeatedly protested against the use of children un- der this age and that last June he wrote to his local agent that the employment of such help lis not only wrong from a humanitarian standpoint, but it entails an absolute loss to the mill" Now this is substantially. and in admirable form, the whole case of our committee.
 Yet, what must be our added amaze ment when. in the next paragraph but one, we read the further admission that in order to continue this economic and social wrong and in order to defeat a simple and effective remedy for this
 
 own mill: during the preceding February, had appeared in this city before our Leg islature, in aggressive and persistent an- tagonism to the protection of little chill dren under twelve! This, in the teeth of protests which MT. Nichols declares he has made since "the starting of his mill Who, then, is the responsible representa- tive of the actual policy of the Alabama City Mill-its Treasurer or its representa- tive before the Legislature? Or, is the policy of the mill policy which comedies the principle, only to deny the principle it's fruit?
 If this be the true interpretation of the conditions, what are we to say to the explanations which are suggested, ex | plantations offered Tn defense of our (Mr. Nichols's) officials"
 Mir. Nichols assures us that the off, cials have been put under grave pressure from the parents. Let us concede that this is true. Yet Mir. Nichols himself is not satisfied with this defense" and he | declares, wisely and bravely that his of | ficials must take their stand against the l pressure of interruptions and idle par | ents. His agents must resist the threat l of such parents to leave the Alabama | City Mill, for mills having lower stand | ard of employment Does not MT. Nich- | ols see that our legislation was precisely directed toward ending this pressure, to- ward breaking up this ignoble competi | ton, and toward the preservation of the standard of employment which he pro- fessesP There could be no such pressure | to withdraw the children and to enter them in other mills, if such labor were everywhere prohibited by statute. But we | are grateful to MT. Nichols for his decla- ration. And yet is he ignorant of the need of legislation in the State at large? | His very argument is a confession of knowledge. And does he not also know that there are mills in this State which explicitly refuse home to their help l less employees, until these employees agree to put their little ones to work? If the Alabama City Mill Is fairly represented by the profession of MT. Nichols, why should the paid and delegated agent of that mill labor here for weeks to thwart simple legislative remdy for this infa- | nous coercion?
 Is 1t sufficient for your correspondent to declare that this legislation met with To- cal opposition simply because such re- forms should come from within the State and not from outsider This Is a
 strange objection upon the part of one
 the East, but the remedies (sic) must be
 indigenous Nor is there the slightest
 ground for the suggestion that the initia
 tive for our movement of reform cam' from "a skillful female labor agitator imported from England" We yield sin l cere gratitude to the American Fedora , tion of Labor for their earnest, credit ! able and effective cooperation. Our in } debtedness to them is very great. Thei l interest in the situation is entirely legiti , mate. When the little child is thrust int , the labor market in competition with thu 2 adult. the adult-wase is affected through out the world. But the agent of the Fed , eration of Labor-earnest and devotet woman that she is-has worked under the
 absolute command of the local forces O this State. she is now in this State upor
 the explicit invitation of these forces, ant the demand for this legislative protection
 of our little children was made by tn
 Ministers Union of Montgomery and by
 the Woman's Christian Temperance Unioi
 of Alabama, before she was ever heard o
 in the South.
 Nothing could be more baseless than tht
 assumption that our earnest effort for re
 forms is due to outside forces. But if il
 were-what of it? There Is at stake here
 today the welfare of our little children
 the happiness and efficiency of our future
 operatives the moral standard of oul economic life; and this committee frank
 ly proposes, in every honorable way. tc
 secure all the aid. from every quarter oi
 our common country. which We can pos sibly command. The criticism of such ,
 policy is d little out of place from the rep
 resentative of a mill. here operated upor
 investments frcm Massa achusetts
 MT. Nichols then informs us that the re
 form legislation was defeated becaus the adjoining State of Georgia, having