New-York tribune., 1902-08-06
SEEKING CHILD LABOR.

The determination of the great corporation
which controls the manufacture of cotton duck
to close the mills at New Hartford Conn. and
move the plant TO some Southern State should
awake the phiianthropists of the South to re-
newed efforts 10 secure restriction Of child labor
in their States. The New-Hartford mills are
among the best known in the cotton duck busi-
ness and employ about seven hundred persons.
These have been told that the mills will close
on September l. and Il is said that though the
business has been prosperous the great outside
corporation now conducting 1t objects to the
Connecticut law forbidding the employment or
children under fourteen years OF age. and ex-
poets 10 increase its profits by operating where
no such restrictive laws in force and where
an abundance of cheap child labor can be Sc
cured.
Such a step as this on the part of the manu-
facturers is a complete refutation of all the
arguments made by the NewEngland owners
of Southern cotton mills against legislation to
protect children. They have almost uniformly
admitted that child labor was an evil. and
promised to do their best of their own accord to
abolish it. They did not want hard and fast
laws however, for it was sometimes neces-
sary to employ children. There were families
so Door that It was sometimes a matter OF
charity to let the children do light work. Some
of the best adult employees were set upon Sc
curing places for their children and unless the
mills hired them they would move to another
mill where the standard was lower and so
the would-be phanthropist would merely lose
his adult help without saving the children from
labor. No enlightened mill owner wanted to
employ children-they were source of loss
rather than proft-but so long as Georgia, for
instance. allowed child labor. it would not
do for Alabama to pass restrictive laws which
would drive the workers across the border for
the mill population migratory, and the
demand for workers so great that mills habitu-
ally paid the moving expenses of employees
hired from distance All these arguments
have been made with the utmost seriousness
and to them is added what is by many consid-
cred the real objection on the part of the man.
ufacturers to legal safeguards for children.
That is the fear that measures restricting the
labor of children in factories may prove the en-
tering wedge for general oppressive labor legs-
laton. Especially is the opening of the door TO
labor agitators dreaded and the charge is freely
made that the present campaign against child
labor in the South Is secretly inspired by the
agents of the labor unions.
Now comes this report that one of the great
cotton manufacturing concerns is preparing TO
go South to utilize the cheap labor of children
If that report is we'll founded it is as The
Hartford Courant" which first published the
story, says, "a most discouraging and dscredit-
| liable sign of the times and of the greed of the
hungry dollar" 1t shows that all the fine talk
of the philanthropic manufacturers who en-
poy few children for their own good and fur
nish schools for them, so that they are really
better off than If they were left free amounts
to nothing. Doubtless some of these manufact-
urers perfectly sincere, and if left to them
selves would reduce the evils of child labor TO
q minimum or even employ a few children
under conditions distinctly beneficial But it is
clear that laws must be made for those who
would abuse their liberty, not those who would
use it properly; and IL Northern mills are to be
moved for the sake of child labor, clearly the
abuse of liberty has reached dangerous stage
Possibly this southwark tendency may for
time make the work of reformers more difficult
because local greed will be awakened and legis-
latures will be Influenced by objections TO laws
which might prevent the establishment of mills
If child abor is the attraction to capital it will be
argued. no prohibition should be enforced until
the capital has been secured and prosperity
established on a firm foundation. 1t Is not to
be believed, however. that the humanity Of the