The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-10-19
TEE cHI1p LABOR QUESTION.

In another column of our issue Tor To-
day we print a second letter from one
of our readers at New Decatur. in OPP
position to a chill labor law. The ar
ticle is really but q re-statement OF the
writer's first communication Its points
have been fully answered py other cor
respondents, in The Advertiser for octo-
Der LIST and 4th. We deal, therefore, win
only two Of its contentious.
In the first place, we note that in order
to maintain his argument the writer OF
this letter finds it necessary to insist Sc
riousiy upon the proposition that 1t Is not
an evil for children Inder II to be SUD-
jected to the labor of the factory FOR
twelve hours a day! That the opponent
Of a child labor law should feel compeil9d
to support his argument by insisting upon
such a statement is sufficient evidence
Of the weakness of his case.
1t is a statement which the represent
atives OF the mills, even when averse 70
legislation, have not hesitated to reject.
Both tbs treasurer of the Alabama City
Mill and the treasurer of the West Point
Mill have publicly admitted, over their
own signatures that the employment IN
factories of children under II is wrong
both from a humanitarian and an eco
nomic standpoint" A memorial to the
Legislature of South Carolina, signed by
such distingh shed mill-men as Col. Jas.
l.. Orr, Capt. E. A. Smyth OF the
Pelzer Mills, and L. W. Parker, Presi-
dent of the Victor Manufacturing Co..
makes the confession that mo one can
deny the unfortunate result of the en-
ployment of children of tender years IN
labor of any kind" and President Par
ker, speaking for his associates before
the Congressional Committee, says: THE
mill men of the South are not here ar
guing for the advantage of child labor.
We recognize the evils of such labor
most thoroughly"
Such testimony comes not from the
friends of a child labor law, but from
the expert representatives of the mills.
We are inclined to give more weight to
their admissions than to the emphatic
declarations of our correspondent from
New Decatur.
But we must proceed. The letter Is
vigorous in it's assertions of the rights
of the parent. 1t has little to say of
the rights of the child. That many par
ents, among the operative class, are kind
to their children, is of course true That
some, on the other hand. are prone to
shirk the duties of hard work and to
throv ha hnr NJ bread
upon the children. Is also VIGOROUSLY
true,-so true that one Of the organs of
the mills has referl ed to these parents
as the vampire class The fact that
there are some considerable parents should
not prevent a law restraining the incon-
siderate: just as the fact that there are
some honest men in the world cannot
prevent the enactment of laws against
the dishonest. Laws are framed not in
criticism of the good, but as a restric.
ton upon the evil.
But" says our CORES pondent, such
laws are class legislation. They are,
he says, 'antagonistic to the great prin-
ciples of the moral philosophy and the
political economy maintained by civilized
and Christian nations" Now let US see
IL this is true.
II this Is true we SHOULD have to class
almost every country of the modern world
as 'unchristian and uncivilzed" Child
labor laws similar to the law proposed in
Alabama are firmly established in Eng
land, Germany. France. Holland, Bel
GUM, Austria, Norway. Sweden, Den
mark, Switzerland, Italy and even Russia.
In the United States such legislation has
been enacted in thirty-four States and all
the territories, the list including all those
States outside the South that are espe-
cially Interested in manufacturing.
Within the South such legislation has
already been adopted in Kentucky. Ten
nessee and Louisiana. 1t has been
pledged, by overwhelming majorities, in
the State Democratic conventions of
South Carolina and Texas In North
Carolina its speedy enactment has been
predicted by the leading organ of the
mills. In Georgia, The Atlanta Constitu-
ton has said: 1T is idle to suppose that
factory legislation against child labor can
be much longer excluded from the South
ern mill problem"
The Advertiser does not believe that q
measure which has been accepted as wise
and necessary by practically the whole
Civilized and Christian" world should be
| permitted to fail in Alabama.
AS 1t 10 evident that such a law Is in
evitable. we are of the opinion that the
sooner 1t is passed the better. We can
not expect agitation to cease until a
reasonable measure Of relief has been af-
forded.
1t will not do to refer to a law de-
manded by the deepest and best instincts
of human nature as class legislation"
That is an ugly eplthet 1t is not an
argument,
As said Bishop Gambler of Georgia, I'VE
| protect the birds of the State against
sportsmen who would extermnate them
for a monetary qualification. Are not
the children much better than they2"
Color and Musical Deficiency.