The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1902-02-12
THE HOUSE KILLED
CHILD LABOR BILL
The Majority Against the Measure
Was Exceedingly Narrow.


in the House when the bill to prohib
child labor in the cotton mills was dc
feated:
The child labor bill did not come u,
until quarter TO twelve. The ques
tion was "Sha.l the bill pass secont
reading, and be ordered to thild?'
Mr. Ashley made the first speech OF
the question. Is it right, he asked, t,
say that men arc not competent O.
should not control heir 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 to work IL
the factories and make living and pa,
their debts. Is it right TO say to then
that their children shall not work liz
the mills? There are in the mills in
Anderson people who are as good as
any member of this House. The prin.
ciple Of this bill is wrong.
There are people from Massachu-
setts who are urging this bill. The
labor unions are urging it. There are
no labor unions in his section and they
have no strikes up there. Here, in
OOhohApis1 thOJ llaNC Z,
they have strikes and strife. There g,
not a man in the cotton mills who
would not send his children to school
if he could afford it.
Bad crops bad run people into the
mills. Families had gone TO the mills
barefootei. The mill president had
actually put shoes on their feet aud
given them work to do.
He has hundred cousins IN the
mills in this State. He has eight cous.
ins on the Rchland mill hill. He had
questioned them and he had seen but
one mau there who favored this bill,
and he had been in the strike and had
moved over to the distillery and is at
work there now.
He told of one of his tenants who
had moved from the farm, where he
couldn't make ends meet, and with the
aid of the work of his children i'll the
factory lie had been able to buy HIM
HON, in town and little farm; and
all OF this mans children can read and
write.
Mr.. Ashley said he had started life
as hir, ling, draining bitches in the
swamp. What would have become of
him if he had not been able to have
worked his children? And there is as
much right to apply this principle to
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. He hoped this bill would be
killed so dead it would never be resur-
rected.
The opposition to this bill has come,
principally, from Greerville and An
dersOn. But now Spartanburg had
representative to oppose the measure.
This was Capt. Dean, who said ne
wanted to discuss the bill in practical
way. Asa census taker he had visited
the homes of mill people-the Tucapau
mill on Tiger river. He found some
had mce homes while others were
slovenly. The officer of that mill are
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 are for
eigners who have no respect for law
and order. In the South some of the
hest blood of the State has worked In
mills. Some of his own grandchildren
had worked IN mills, and he had always
considered himself thoroughbred.
(Laughter.)
The people who can't make ends
meet on the farms are frequently fore
ed to go to the mills. Some of them
are shiftless while others save and lay
up money. The danger of this legis-
lation is that it 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 He had visited the Tucapau
mill in company with the superinten-
dent. They had seen q little boy
sweeping around in one of the depart
inents. The superintendent told the
little boy he had better GO home as he
was not OH The pay roll, but the 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
hone at work. That instance didn't
indicate cruelty or harshness.
He would not assume the garb of a
preacher, but he declared that Sabbath
desecration in the rural districts is even
more noticeable than in factory VII
lagos. There are churches and Sun
day schools In mill communities. The
influences and restraints are for their
betterment.
Hc was followed by Mr.. Wingo who
stated that he represents in part one
of the largest manufacturing sections
OF the country. For Six years as q
member Of the General Assembly he
had examined this question. He he'd
been told by factory people that they
think the Legislature could find some
thing better 10 do than to be interfer.
ing with the factory people. These
people have gone to the factories To
better their conditions. There is tai
ent there which would do credit on the
floor of the House. The factory people
resent the intim uion that they hayen't
sense enough to manage their own
children. They know whether the,