Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1902-09-17
BABY MILL SLAVES.
GREEDY MANUFACTURER WHO
HUNT FOR CHILD LABOR
Northern Plants Moved TO Southern
Points. Where the Law Does Not
Prohibit the working OF Little
Cbildrcn-An IatoIernble Stturtfon

Prohibit the working OF Little
Cbi1drcn--An IatoIerrble situation
The determination OF the great cor
poration which controls the manufac-
ture OF cotton duck TO close the mills
at New Hartford. Conn. and move the
plant TO some southern state should
awake the philanthropists of the south
10 renewed Efforts 10 secure restriction
of child labor Ia their states. The New
Hartford mills are among the best
known i'm the cotton duck business and
employ about 400 persons. These we're
recently told that the mills would 80 N
close. and il is said that though the
business has been prosperous the great
outside corporation row conductiD.. il
objects To the Connecticut law forbid.
ding the employment Of children under
fourteen years OF age and expects TO
increase its profits 10y opera ting where
no such restrictive laws are i'm force
and where an abundance of ,.hcap
child labor can he secured
Such Il step as this ON the part OF
the manufacturers is complete rcfu.
tation of all the arguments made hv
the New England owners of southern
cotton mills against legislation 60 ire.
tect children. They have almost uni
formly admitted that child labor was
an evil and promised TO do their best
of their own accord TO abolish il. They
did not want hard and fast laws. how
ever, for il was sometimes necessary
10 employ children. There were fam
lilies 50 poor that il was sometimes Il
matter of charity to let the children do
light work. Some Of the best adult
employees were set upon securing
places for their children. and unless
the mills hired them they would move
10 another mill where the standard
was lower. and ~ the would be phi
lanthrOpiSt would merely lose his adult
help without saving the children from
labor. No enlightened mill owner
wanted Ia employ childrcn-they were
source of loss rather than profit
but 81 long as Georgia. for instance.
allowed child labor il would not do for
Alabama L. pass restrictive laws
which would drive the workers across
the border. FOR the mill population WAS
migratory and the demand for workers
81 great hat mills habitually paid the
moving expenses OF employees hired
from a distance. All these arguments
have been made with the utmost Scri-
BUSINESS. and to them is added what Is
10y many considered the real objection
on the part Of the manufacturers to
legal safeguards for children. That is
the fear that measures restricting the
labor OF children i'm factories may
prove the entering wedge for general
oppressive labor legislation. Especial
~ 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 So
cretly inspired 10y the agents of the
labor unions.
Now comes This report that one of
the great cotton manufacturing con
Germs * preparing 10 go south TO utilize
the cheap labor of children. II that
report il we'll founded. il is, as the
Hartford COurant. which first pub
liShed the story. says. n most discour-
agin" AMI diScrcdtable sign OF the
times and Of the greed of the hungry
dollar" 1t shows that all the fine talk
OF the philanthropic manufacturers
who employ few children for their
own good and furnish schools for them
so that they are really better of than
If they were left free, amounts 10 moth
ing. Doubtless some of these manu-
facturer> are perfectly sincere and if
left To themselves would reduce the
evils Of child labor to minimum or
even employ Il few children under con.
| ditionS distinctly beneficial But il is
/ clear that laws must be made for those
/ who would abuse their liberty. not
/ those whp would use il properly, and If
northern mills are to be moved for the
sake of child labor clearly the abuse
/ Of liberty has reached a dangerous
stage
Possibly this southwark tendency
may for time make. the work of re-
formers more difficult because local
greed will bc awakened md legisla-
lures will Toe influenced 10y objections
To laws which might prevent the es-
adjustment of mills. II child labor is
/ the attraction to capital. it will be ar
gued, no prohibition should be enforced
until the capital has been secured and
prosperity established on firm foun-
datiOn. Ii is not TO be believed. how
ever, that the humanity of the south
can be siienccd by that plea or that the
lawmakers Of the south are ready TO
sell their own flesh and blood, for the
cotton mill operatives are almost ex-
clusively native whites. The cotton
manufacturing industry there is bound
10 grow without any such concession
TO the greed of outside mill owners.
Even If the temptation should be tenn
pOrarily formidable, the result must be
strengthened efforts to touch the con
sciences OF the now Indifferent and
save the children from the fate which
threatens them. Child labor. which
might perhaps have been comparative
~ harmless here and there under ex-
ceptional conditions, becomes absolute
ly intolerable when it is made n matter
OF systematic exploitation and n source
OF calculated gain to rapacious EN-
| ployers.-New York Tribune
| Startling Stntistfcs