The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1902-08-14
Shall the Crime of Child Labor
be Continued!
BY SOL. $. PEARLSTINE.


lima, this being a typical State for two
reasons. viz: IL South Carolina is second
to Massachusetts alone in cotton manu-
facture and employs larger proportion
of children than any other cotton state;
l2) A bill to prohibit child labor was de-
feated by very small majority IN the
last legislature.
The whole world looks on in amaze
ment at the mighty strides this little
State has achieved within the past ten
years. twenty-five years ago South
Carolina had eighteen cotton mills and
95 $50 spindles; in 1901 she had one hun,
dred and thirty-six mills and 2,249,7 7O9
spindles with capital of over $35, 900,
GOO. With admirable pride we boast OF
these astonishing figures, but the heart
of every true CarOlinian must blush with
shame when he recalls the fact that
twenty-five per cent or about twelve
thousand of the operatives are children
under fourteen years of age, who toll for
sixty-six hours week. A farmer would
not dare work beast that many hours a
week.
The thousands who derive their sus-
tsnance from the cotton factories are
children of the soil. They are sturdy
agricultural people who are being rapidly
converted into manufacturing one.
Most of the laborers in these mills come
from the fields of the middle country
and the foot hills of the Blue Ridge.
We quote the following from the Indus
trial Art Edition of the Columbia Is. CO.
State: "The operatives in South Carolina
cotton mills are the common people, the
bone and sinew who have left the fields
to the negroes They are industrious,
intelligent, frugal, and have the native
instincts of honesty, integrity, and fidelity
which are essential to good citizenship.
There. are tens of thousands more await
ing the golden opportunity. Labor
organizations have cut no figure here.
The people are satisfied with a good
thing and want no disturbance of the
amicable relations between capital and
themselves"
This il truly remarkable statement
but we question seriously the expediency
of commencing these facts when they
are taken into consideration. These
thousands of industrious, intelligent
frugal people who have the native in
stincts of honesty, integrity, and fidelity
are taken yearly from the farms to be
suddenly converted into manufacturing
operatives and possibly most of them tc
be reduced to the conditions of industrial
sertdom, unless the State intervenes tc
prevent selfish mill owners from squeez
ing the very life from these children Of
tender age.
Let US examine closely the bill as il
was presented in the last legislature Of
South Carolina 1t provides that for one
year after its enactment no child under
ten years of age shall work in cotton
factory; after the first year of the act, the
age limit shall be eleven years, and aftel
the second year the age limit shall be
twelve years. Does this seem to be ar
unjust request? England began hel
fight against this giant evil hundred
years ago, and after graphing with it fol
a half century, finally won a complete
victory. France, Germany, Austria anC
Russia met the same painful problem ano
after conflicts which lasted for shorter OF
longer periods, solved the question sue
cessfully as England had done, by entire
ly removing children of tender age from
the factories. New England went through
the same industrial development anC
the result is that the hours and condition:
of labor for all children under fourteen
years are restricted. Therefore by pass
ing this law we would not be establishing
a precedent, for thirty-one States of the
Union already have child-iabor laws
Nor would it be an unjust measure, fol
after the second year of the act the age
limit will be only twelve years, wherea:
most of the other States have a fourteen
year limit.
No manufacturer will dare deny that
it is detrimental to the health as well as
the education of children under fourteen
years of age to labor in these confined
factories at untimely hours, yet they per
sist in opposing all legislation restricting
child labor. They say they are not op
posed to the bill itself but are opposed tc
the legislature entering into such legisla
ton. They declare that they do moi
want child labor, yet many of them EN-
ploy children from six to eight years OF
age.
During the secent discussion of this
measure in the State legislature, the few
operatives who were able to champion
their own cause were accused by the mil
presidents of belonging to labor organiza
tions and of being urged by New Eng
land owners of mills to have this faW
passed. This is rather vague charge
and on the whole 1imsy argument
We can see nothing in it except that il
was done to prejudice legislators agains
voting for the bill. If it can be proved
that they were members of labor organiza
tions, we cannot deny them the right tt
combine, as capital has combined, and tt
demand Justice in legal way.
As to the influence of New England
millionaires in favoring this measure, le
US not overlook much more importan
fact, namely, that New England capital
lists are the direct and aggressive oppo
nents of all bills proposed by the severa
legislatures in the South for the restric
ton of child labor in the cotton mills
This is clearly evident from the fact tha
a committee of the leading citizens o.
Alabama, headed by Ex-Governor Thoma:
Goode Jones (who has been appointed
United States District Judge by PreSidnt
RoosevelN and the Rev. Edgar Gardnel
Murphy, of St. Johns Episcopal Church
Montgomery, issued touching appeal tt
the sympathy and conscience of New
Englarders, who are mainly instrumental
in opposing all laws for freeing the help
less and hopeless children from this close
and unwholesome confinement in th'
factories.
This committee thus appealed to North
ern owners of Alabama mills: That on'
or two of these Northern-owned mills
should be provided with library, natatori
um, gymnasium and other incidents of 1
spectacular philanthropy, may not ob
scure the fact that they are supporting 1
system under which hundreds of our little
children are denied the most elementary
opportunities for health and happiness; {
system representing the conditions O
compulsory ignorance; a system which
destroys the efficiency of our future
operatives by sapping the vitalities o
youth. We believe that Massachusetts
having defended her own children from
cruel and unnecessary industrial system
will question the heartless policy will