The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-10-08
PRESIDENT OF ALABAMA
 FEDERATION APPROVES

EEDEHATION APPROVES
 CHILD LABOR LEGISLATION
 Much has been said concerning the supposed fact that one of Alabama's s most brilliant and influential womeR, Mrs. c. P. Orr of Birmingham, opposes child labor legislation.
 The whole mistake seems to have arisen from the general careless reading of her letter to the club women of Alabama. the whole of which was published in The Birmingham News and a part of which was copied in these columns.
 Mrs. Orr is a thoughtful, fair-minded woman who never looks at vital ques- tions with a narrow vision or from a preiudiced standpoint. She therefore is apt to be misunderstood by those who allow their enthusiasm to blind them to the points of the ''the other side of the question"
 She sees the points of weakness even in a cause she espouses. and is therefore surer to find her influence of weight.
 I have just received letter from Mrs. Orr in reply to one I wrote her on the subject. As all she says will be of inter- est to Alabama women I quote the fol- lowing:
 q don't see how anybody can think from my letter that I am in favor of child labor.
 'I am afraid of a law. not as Mrs. Goodwin read into my letter, because I thought 1t would make people mad, but because it dawned on me at some time during the summer that the law is that part of the law which is enforced
 Tn common with great many other people. at the beginning of my research getting a law passed was the summum bonum the panacea. All l wanted to know was what laws the other States had. In an evil moment, which will De understood by woman who likes to go to the bottom of things as you do, de- cided would look up the enforcement of these laws. The National Consumers League naturally occurred to me. and l got their secretary's paper on 'Chiio Labor Legislation" Her statements as to the enforcement of the child labor laws are such an indictment of the conditions in all but two of the Northern States, that if the law is that part of the law which is enforced then some of those states have no child labor laws. 'I see no provision for the detection oi the law-breaker. There is provision TOT his punishment when caught. but you must catch your rabbit before you COOK him. q have asked Mir. Murfee this question Granted that the worst mills VIII pc sur rounded only by villages Of tneir own making. the very justice of the peace aho employe probably. Who is to report that children under age are working In this | mill? The parents are particeps eriminus The only report would be from some uis' l eruntled or discharged employe ana tne | renort might be from malice only. AZ l far as we are concerned what IS every bodv's business is nobody's business' Ah' best mills want the law ''I said in my letter that II we Iai e. or this issue as 1t had been carrieu VI in inc past, we would antagonize ialst ls and valuable class of our citzens. u, moi say that legislation would antas9ne' them. But the means used to optaih Ine | ,ar;siation. have had since that tlin . good many letters from cotton mn | r,an All but one are opposed 10 chil' iahor several say that 1t will mahe h differenco in their mills. Some go iur'he
 and sav they would join with us Io se
 low Rut they will not join wi.n LII ncople they think have sAnaereo @ sn r.,,
 "Wv statement that I believe .he ,a.' on,ners statement that child laoor uoes no n.v has had unlocked for comm 1ia,Io,. ,o rrgy,e more mills have excluded cnnIo ,auo1 | ona of the mills in Anniston' tateSse | aS three of the mills of whicn MT 0eA' .Tbe only mill men who believe In c.n.' Gna,
 ,nexperienced mill men, ueh oraIIv native Alabamians' my goes"