The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-08-27
Eetters to The Editor.
Child Labor Laws.

Editor Advertisers:
 1 want to give some personal observa- tions relating to child labor in mills and conclusions therefrum. In 1900 some Of tho progressive citizens of Taladega started a hoisery mill here. The manager was an expert from New England, but was directed to get his help from sur rounding country and train them up. In order to have cheap help he got boys and girls from II to 16 years of age. The result was that in one years time the mill faced insolvency and the majority stockholders practically gave me thelr stock to run the mill. I got Georgian as manager and practically all the help in the mill was fired and experienced help from Georgia was put Tn the mil With native help we broke many needles. sold our goods as seconds and a knitter made about twenty-five dozen per day. Our Gecrgians make forty-four dozen per day, break few needles and we cannot fill orders and have very few seconds. Reverend Edgar Murphy and his reform CTS doubtless say good, very gooo. 1his proves how foolish are reformers
 My action will bring dividends, put It was in a small way calamity to tne opportunity to learn the hosiery business is gone. A boy or girl to become expert in textile work must by time they reacn 16 be so expert that they attend 10 wants of their machine automatlcaiiy' Ai'sr S person reaches Is who has lived the hard grinding life of our tenant farmer class, inc fingers have become stiff and awk- ward so as to prevent the person rom ever being a first-class mechanic we have no textile schools in Alabama; SD, the mill owners do the next best thing and train up their help at enormous cost knowing if this help is left In log captns living on dirt salt pork ana capDaee TUT sixteen years, it is then past pelng re munerative. Life MT. Editor, IS not an analytical, metaphysical, logical, ao- stract theory; but 1t is a haro' pltiless, concrete condition. It is like unto man with A small boat having to row up stream against a swift running current full of dangerous pitfalls-Doth seen ana ana unseen. If such man attempts to [uw straight up stream insttFd or zlgzasglne here there and every where so as 10 es- cape the force of the current ana ms manifold dangers, his boat will De up set in a jiffy and this result tolioWs E re gardless as to the correctness or ms fheory regarding that stream. 80 MT :. Editor. in life poor folk must have poor folk ways, and until we in AiaoSfna nave nave textile schools and take the children rom their present sordid surroundings aha educate them in these schools 1ree oi cost we had better iight sny ol ieAoi '"- CTS of the Mrs. Jeleby type . ,.o
 If is wrong and a crying shame to nave a child in a mill before it is lI years oi age, but if you pass law 1orpiuui.S .-lr,t ena | child to work in the mill ana It's pIesGm' ii, condition is worse than being m .he mn, II, VOL have done the child wrong. IL wo,lld nav 1t we had a textile school Ill every county and had d compulsory sys- fem to compel children between certaln aees to attend same ana nave ~ t"tso schools supported by taXatlon-n you al ale < not going to do this, the next hest thlng is to let the mills alone as they are III a manner educating their heip dhu put tins 'neA'' ' H l.. McEldcrry.