Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-05-14
CHILD LABOR THE IMPORTANT
QUESTION:.
.(Continued from Page ~

ant question, both in my annual report
as president, and in a personal way
while conversing with delegates. So
ciety owes us trades unionists a debt
OF gratitude for taking up this pre-
lem and attempting to solve it as we
are. 1t is question that concerns ev-
eryone, all classes. The greatest men
ace to healthy patriotic love of coun.
try today is the commercial advantage
which is being taken of our helpless
children. They are the wards of the
nation and no adult, whether childless
or the parent OF many, can shift the re-
sponsibility.
What class Of society, if any, can
be expected to assume this RESPONSE
bility? Surely we cannot expect those
who are. extremely wealthy; they are
otherwise occupied in blind selfish pur.
suits. The responsibility therefore
rests upon the rapidly diminishing
middle class and the ever expanding
working class. Every effort must be
made to awaken their interest and to
arouse their consciousness for human
ity's sake, by saving the energies OF
the child and preventing any further
impositions on the youth of our land
by coming their juvenile sweat into
dollars in the factories.
How to Do the Work.
How shall this be done? First, ere.
ate healthy sentiment in favor OF
the movement. Next, make child labor
penal offense by legal enactment in
various states and provide ways and
means to enforce such laws. Prohibit
any employer from taking boy or CIR
into active continuous service who has
not passed eighth grade in a grammar
school with duly recorded certificate
from the county superintendent OF
schools. Let us abolish the age limit
1t is a pitfall. 1t is too easily eluded
INSCRIPTIONS parents will lie and reg.
istrations of birth are not properly re
corded in many states so substantial
proofs can be obtained.
Eleven states have neither age lin.
it or other restrictions. Sixteen states
have no school attendance laws
Twenty-seven states have no educa
tional test whatever. Thirteen states
require that a child shall be able tc
read and write. School attendance
| from prescribed period ranging from
| twelve weeks in sixteen states to g
full term in eight states is now reuuir
ed, but in none are the requisites made
/ that the minimum educational quail
fcations shall be grammar schoo
education. Lit this be our slogan ant
the interests of thousands will be en-
! listed to blot out the scrubs and scabs
of juvenile life, and healthy vigor
GUS start will be made for high brec
stock in men and women. 1t will pay
Law is Insufficient.
THE compulsory education law was
good enough as far as it went in the
start, and We were grateful for it but
| it is now somewhat outgrown. We dc
not think that the twelve weeks pro
vision is strong enough, and believe
that children should be required to at
tend school for the whole term. What
we want is to give the children educa
ton enough, and keep them in schoo
| long enough, for them to be able tt
judge for themselves regarding the
conditions when they are thrown upor
the world to make their onw living.
Want Factory Inspectors.
another matter which is not alons
| the child labor line, but which thu
state federation, or at least myself an6
several others of that body are WORKING
| for, is law to provide for the employ
ment OF big corps Of factory inspec
tors for the state. There should nov
| be at least three or four in Iowa ant
| we think that they are needed, no
only for the protection of the workins
people, but for the protection of the
general public as wellfrom the dangers
which daily surround u.s."
| w. H. Powell