The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1902-05-21
SENATOR T1LLMAN ON CHILD LABOR.

In last Sundays News appears
a letter from Senator Tillman,
in which he makes declarations
with reference to the Lowering
resolution looking to allowing
Congress to fix hours of labor.
The House committee rejected
the resolution and the Senator is
glad of it. We agree with him
that the States alone should con-
troll such matters. If Congress
was to pass a law regulating the
hours of labor it would operate
seriously against thes very peo-
ple such a law is intended to
help; and further, it would take
away the rights of States to reg
ulate their internal affairs. He
goes on in his letter to discuss
the child labor problem, and in
doing so he uses very strong Ian
guage. and makes declarations
which, in our opinion. is calcu-
lated to create unrest among the
mill operatives.
The question of child labor IN
the mills throughout this State,
like. all other questions, has two
sides, and we do not believe the
agitation is calculated to do
good. The class of people who
work their children in the mills
do not do so from choice, but be-
cause they find it a better means
of support than depending upon
tilling the soil. If the mill own
ers did not give employment to
the children what would become
of the thousands Of children
thrown out of employment? The
parents of these children not
being able to send them to
school would be forced to sub
nit to their children growing up
in idleness, and consequently in
vagabondage.
The Senator says:
agree heartily with the idea Of the
South Carolina Legislature being com
PEELED to protect child labor in our. fac
tories, as well as prevent the excessive
hours of labor among adults, and shall
lend my support, with all the earnest
ness possess to force the next Legis-
lature to relieve the State OF the odium
now attaching to it. The cotton mill
presidents may clamor for the privilege
of blighting the lives OF the children
who work in the mills, when they
should be at play Or at school, and they
NAV demand the right to declare divl-
dends by this cannibalistic process. but
unless mistake the people of our State
the issue has only to be presented fully
and bravely to cause the Legislature to
do its duty by an overwhelming major
ity.
It is unfortunate, conditions
are such that children have
to work, but we do not think the
cotton mill presidents desire
':blig lighting the lives of the chill
dren who work in the mills: when
they should be at play or at
school," and the fact that at
most of the mills provision has
been made for schools and
churches and the best of teachers
employed, shows that these pres
idents have an eye to the welfare
of their young operatives. But
when parents are SO poor that it
takes all a family can make
to live, what are these poor peo-
pie to do? We have given much
Consideration to this perplexing
question and it would be very
gratifying indeed if some wise
solution of the problem could be
brought about. The Senator's
letter does not offer any remedy
whatsoever, but on the other hand
it issimplya condemnation of the
employment of children. If he
will point out a means whereby
the laboring children can find a
way to subsist while they are
::at play or at school" " he will be
doing the State a valuable ser
vice. A widow with two or three
children with absolutely no one
to reach out a helping hand, not
even the helping hand of politi-
clan, what would she doif her chill
dren were forbidden by the law
to help her provide a livelihood?
To regulate the hours of labor
would not remedy the trouble,
for the reason, that shorten
ing of the hours would lessen
the pay, and while it might work
an injury to the mills, in our
opinion, the laborers would also
be injured. Then to fix an eight
hour law as a standard, it strikes
US would go beyond the cotton
mills and reach every industry
in the State. The labor ques-
ton is a grave one. and it ought
not be dragged into politics, for
once it gets there all classes of
labor, the factories, shops and
and farms will all come in for
their share and there is no tel
ling where it will stop. The
legislature should give labor
protection, at the same time, in
attempting to protect labor un-
less the greatest wisdom is
brought into use, the pendulum Of
agitation may swing too far, and
instead of protecting labor. it