The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1902-02-13
THE HOUSE KILLED
CHILD LABOR BILL.
The Majority Against the Measure
Was Exceedingly Narrow.


Was Exceedingly Narrow.
The following gives the proceeding
in the House when the bill to prohib
child labor in the cotton mills was dc
fcated:
The child labor bill did not come u
until q quarter to twelve. The qucs
ton was "Sha.l the bill pass sccvn,
reading, and be ordered TO thi,d?"
Mr.. Ashley made the first speech OF
the question. Is it right, he asked, t.
say that men are not competent O
should not control their own families
There is another question. The rent
ers in the country, lot OF them
couldn't making living on the farm
and they moved to town 10 work II
the factories and make living and pay
their debts. Is it right to say to them
that their children shall not work in
the mills? There are in the mills in
Anderson people who arc as good as
any member of this House. The prin.
ciple Of this bill is wrong.
There arc people from Massachu-
sctts who are urging this bill. The
labor unions are urging it, There arc
no labor unions in his section and they
have no strikes up there. Here, in
Columbia, where they have unions,
they have strikes and strife. There j,
not man in the cotton mills who
would not send his children TO school
if he could afford it..
Bad crops had run people into the
mills. Families had gone to the mills
barefootci. Tho mill president had
actually put shoes on their feet and
given them work to do.
lie has a hundred cousins IN the
mills in this State. lie has eight cous-
ins OH the Richland mill hill. He had
questioned them and he had seen but
one man there who favored this bill :,
and he had been in the strike and had
moved over TO the dstillcry and is at
work there now.
lie told Of one Of his tenants who
had moved from tho farm, where he
couldn't make ends meet, and with Tue
aid of the work of his children in the
factory he had been able to buy hun
a HON, in town and little farm; and
all of this mans children can read and
write.
Mr.. Ashley said he had started life
rs q hreling, draining bitches in the
swamp. What would have become of
him if he had not been able 10 have
worked his children? And there is as
much right to apply this principle to a
farmer as to factory operative. He
loves the poor people Of his country
and would so down, if go down he
must pleading for them and for their
liberty. "Equal rights to ALL" he con-
tended. lie hoped this bill would be
killed so dead it would never be resur-
rctted.
The opposition to this bill has come,
principally, from Grccnvilc and An
dcrson. But now Spartanburg had
representative to oppose the measure.
This was Capt. Dean, who said he
wanted to discuss the bill in Il practical
way. AS a census takcr he had visited
the homes of mill pcoplc-the Tucapau
mill on Tiger river. He found some
had nee homes while others were
slovenly. The officers OF that mill arc
humane and kind. The operatives of
the mills of South Carolina cannot be
compared with the operatives Of the
North and the managers of mills in the
South cannot be compared with the
mill officials North.
The operatives of the North arc for
ciSncrs who have no respect for law
and order. In the South some of the
best blood Of the State has worked III
mills. Some Of his own grandchildren
had worked IN mills, and he had always
considered himself thoroughbred.
Uaughtcr.)
The people who can't make ends
meet on the farms are frequently fore
ed to 90 to the mills. Some of them
arc shiftlcss while others save and lay
Il, money. The danger Of this legis-
lation is that il cannot be enforced -,
not even by the strong arm of the mill
tary law. Is this country drifting to
imperialism? That is what this bill
means.
He stated IN reply to suggestion
from Mr.. McGowan that the children
working in the mills are far from being
oppressed. lie had visited the Tucapau
mill in company with the supcrinten-
dent. They had seen a little boy
sweeping around in one of the depart
ments. The superintendent told the
little boy he had better go home as he
was not on the pay roll, but tho child
said that the mother had sent the little
one there to play and stay with his
brother as she had TO be away from
home at work. That instance didn't
indicate cruelty or harshncss.
He would not assume the garb of {
preacher, but he declared that Sabbath
desccration in the rural districts is cvcl
more noticeable than in factory VII
lagos. There are churches and Sun
day schools in mill communities. Th,
Influences and restraints arc for thci
bcttcrment.
lie was followed by Mr.. Wingo VIII,
stated that he represents in part ont
of the largest manufacturing section
of the country. For SIX years as
member of the General Assembly h
had examined this question: lie ha
been told by factory people that the
think the Legislature could find some
thing better to DO than to be rintcrfcl
ing with the factory people. Thcs
people have gone to the factories t
better their conditions. There is ia