The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1902-12-24
CHILD LABOR FANATICISM.

CHILD LABOR FANATICISM.
The News and Courier seems
to be showed into a hole, by the
Columbia State, on the child Ia
Dor question. We agree with
the Charleston paper in its re-
cent position on that much dis
cussed question, but must admit
that the "old lady" has been
playing circus since last August.
The present month has been an
unlucky one for ';the greatest
newspaper"-on Broad street;
the protest of Charleston's busi-
ness men relative to the position
taken with the Southern railroad
and the awkward exposure OF
self interest, together with the
show up made by The State on
the 18th inst, to say the least OF
it, brings back to mind the once
famous nickname ':Pufer and
crusher."
The child labor agitation, in
our opinion, should not get back
into the legislature, because it is
only the precursor of labor
troubles. question found
its~sy into politics through zeal
Gus and well-meaning people
who never stop to investigate the
practical side of anything and
who often in their good inten-
tions force a condition hard to
overcome. It was fanaticlsm
which brought on the war be.
tween the States; long haired
men, and whistling women went
all over the north and, from the
pulpit and the platform screech-
ed into the ears of those people,
every whipping that took place
on plantation, and pointed
pictures Of horror to the extent
that the churches took hold, and
politicians famed the question
of slavery into fame, which re-
suited in the freedom Of the
slave, and many riches to the
north, and years of misery and
want to the people of the south.
The cotton mill industry, ow-
ing to present conditions, fast
waning at the north and growing
in the south, climatic conditions:
and the labor, are largely instru-
mental for the rapid growth in
this section of the Union. When
we had no mills and the spindles
we're choking in Massachusetts,,
we heard no voice raised against
the employment Of children IN
the cotton mills, but as soon as
our mills become active competl-
tors, here come women writers
down, and the magazines are fill
ed with tales of monstrous in
humanity, infamlng articles,
teeming with the foulest SLAM
ders. The charitable organi-
cations are enlisted to stop the
employment of children and the
law-making power is appealed
to. These people say, do not
give children employment in the
mills" but they never say eve
will provide schooling and sup
port for those children who are
not permitted to be employed in
the mills" They want the child
labor driven out of the cotton
mills, but what are these chill
dren to do when out of employ
ment? There is no law in this
State to force their attendance
at school, nor is there any law
which would prevent them from
going into other employment; if
a child is taken out of a cotton
mill, it can go into a cigar fac
tory, cotton seed oil mill, a sweat
shop or at any other employment
in which the hands of children
can find something to do. The
seed, against child labor sown at
the north to cripple labor in the
southern mills, it was taken hold
of and agitated by well meaning
people in the south, who are SEN
timentalists-the humane senti-
ment appealed to them, and
caught them. The schemers at
the north would have made no
impression down here had they
come out boldly, and honestly:
and said, 'sunless we can get the
matter of labor handled to put US
on an equality with the mills Of
the south, we will have to go out
of the business, or remove our
plants down south, where they
will be in the midst Of the cotton
fields and labor Their money
is invested in the established
plants, and they ind it cheaper
to break into the labor down here
by employing a lot of sentiment.
writer's, than to tear down and
move. We hope our legislators
will not permit themselves car
ried off of their feet by senti
ment, but that, inasmuch as this
question is forced upon them
they will take hold of it in a
plain, practical, business way;
that they will consider seriously,
what is to become of the chill
dren, if they are deprived from
earning a support? Who is to
support them: Is it not better
for them to be at work than loaf
mo aho,lt in idleneSS? Are we