The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1903-02-13
CHILD q A B DIR BILL
/ Fully Discussed inst:.e House Of Re.
representatives. and Passed.
SEVERAL GOOD SPEECHES MADE

Tho Bill Goes to It's Thirt
Reading BY n Vote of
Forty-thrco TO
II Fifty-ninc.
The child labor bill were the
special order in the House for Wcdncs
day. The bill that had passed the
Senate was taken up.
Mr.. Bomar moved to strike out tho
enac ting words, and then addressed
the house on this motion. South
Carolina leads the south in cotton
manufacturing and Spartanburg leads
the State. In that county alone this
bill is of Importance TO $4,000 people.
The issue was a vital one in tue cam
paign last summer and the former
representatives who favored IL were
left at home. FOur-tifths Of those in
favor of this bill arc from counties
which are not deeply interested in
manufacture. Sentiment has been
stirred up by honorable but misguided
people and also by outsiders for real
sons not quite so honorable. He went
on to say the bill was not wanted by
the operatives or the mills. Mr.. Bo-
mar made a long speech, holding the
floor over one hour.
A MANLY SPEECH
Mr.. Towill, of Lexington, spoke ii,
favor OF the bill. lie was not whipped
into line by labor unions, but favored
the bill from Il sense OF duty. The
children in the cotton mills should
have an opportunity to tit themselves
for citizenship. These children need
something in their behalf. There are
numbers Of men who force their chill
dren to work from carly morn until
after dark; while they themselves
spend their time in dcbauchcry. 1t
is not q siclly sentiment which makes
people favor this bill, it is Il noble SEN
timcnt. The phlanthropic gentlemen
mentioned by Mr.. Bomar gave to
colleges and the beneiiciarics were not
cotton mill children. Fathers and
lilOutlClo NlS lEIpOtlolU III tilCil Sllll-
dren, but it is a duty incumbent upon
the State to look after the moral wei
fare CT the children. Mr. Towill did
not speak long, but presented Il very
manly plea for the bill He is proud of
the progress of South Carolina and
would do nothing to interfere with
material advancement, but he felt
called upon TO speak for the uplifting
Uf the citizenship Of South Carolina.
ANOTHER GOOD SPEECH.
Col. D. o. Herbert, of Orangcburg
favored the bill and spoke in reply u
Mr.. Bomar. The bill is not drastic
it is not oppressive. 1T is mild il
tone and yet will fill Il long-nccdc'
want. South Carolina has not Away
been such manufacturing State, am
her progress is mattr Of pride.
In reply to Mr.. Domar he said tha
perhaps some OF the people who ar
interested don't want this lcgislatio
any more than some OF the pcopl
.: don't want the bill to stop treating o
election days. In the language OF MI
Story, 'thc people Of the Unite
States must be protected from til
people Of the United Statcs.' Thi
question not only affects The mil
owners and the mill operatives, bll
it affects society and society mus
protect itself. lie WAS glad to hca
that Spartanburg county was doing 5
well. Spartanburg might not nee
this legislation, but would not be in
jurcd by it. So far us he knows thcr
had been no objection made to thi
bill in the committee room, wheaca
in years past mill men had conc her
and the journals had been filled Will
petitions against the bill. On no nc
count would he injure the mills, bu
if these mill men thought this wOul,
hurt them they would be here tight
ing it. This bill has two worthy oh
jcctS-to force the children from th,
mills and to get them into the schools
The children will govern the affairs o
this State when we are gone. Col
Herbert declared that the very fact
that some of the mill presidents make
this rule excluding children under -
shows that the rule is satisfactory. II
the other mills will not make thi,
rule, why should not the State make
it for them. The most progressive
nations Of the world have enacted
laws on this subject, then why should
not South Carolina? There is a gcncr-
al demand all over South Carolina fol
Just such law as this. lie then
quoted from the messages OF Cover
nors McSwceney and Hayward.
Col. Herbert went on to say that
State Democratic convention haG
passed resolutions recording its appro
val Of this bill The people of Tho
entire State are interested. The agri
cultural people are as much SO as the
factory people. The legislature mus,
look to the good of the people and its
in duty bound to cgislatc for them.
II IS NOT AN EXPERIMENT..
The next speaker to defend the bill
was Mr.. Lewis w. Haskell OF Colum-
bia. IIc declared that the pending
question had been thoroughly thrcSh-
cd over, yet it is Of paramount impor-
tancc and he wanted TO call attention
to some reasons why it should pass.
In the first place, this matter Of en-
acting child labor legislation is not
empirical or tentative we are not cx-
perimcnting: we are acting in the
light Of the best experience OF most
Of the manufacturing State and in
line with the most enlightened foreign
countries. II therefore submit" he
SoiI btInt ,,o ,ln rnt ~,