The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1903-01-21
Child Labor North and South.

For some time there has been an
agitation against child labor in the
cotton mills of the South, an agita,
tion led by labor leaders Of other States.
One of the noticeable things aDou'
this agitation is that 1t comes prln'
cipally from a section or the country
which is feeling the effect OF the
competition of Southern mills, the
success of which is attributed largely
to the cheaper labor and consequent
| less cost of production. In this the
child labor was counted as a consider
able factor. New England manufac-
| turers have tried in several ways &c
deprive the South OF the advantage Of
cheaper labor, conceallng their 1noen-
| tity behind the labor organizations.
For some years attempts have oeen
made to organize the mill operatives
in the South into Unions and to loen-
tify the Unions with the labor Unions
of the North, by which they would De
controlled as a part OF the natlonal
organization, which being stronger IN
the North than in the South would
have controlling voice and in case OF
disputes between employers and en-
ploves in the North resulting IN
strikes. strikes might be ordered IN
the South, although there might be
no occasion for strikes. It can be
easily seen from this how the North
err. cotton mill operators would De
benefited by getting the Southern mill
OPERATIVES into the Northern Labor
Union. for in the event Of strike and
the closing of their mills the Southern
mills might be also closed, whereas
without this organization the Sousn-
ern mills are not affected by LABOR ols-
turbances in the North, but keep rum
ming right along and rather profit by
such disturbances. But so far they
have not succeeded very we'll in this;
The next move was to work for the
passage of a bill by Congress prescrl b.
inc the number of hours in a days
labor. in other words to reduce the
hours in the South to the same num-
Der that now constitute days LABOR
in the new England mills. This would
cut off about two hours from the days
work in the Southern mills, and
would deprive them of that advantage;
The bill for that purpose introduced
in the House of Representatives, Jew
years ago, by Mr.. Lowering, OF Massa,
chusetts. was fash in the pan, and
we haven't heard anything about tnat
since.
The next movement was on child Ia
Dor. which has more merit in it than
either of the Others, for it has appa--
rontIv AFT least. sympathy for the child
as its inspiration, although this is not
the sole inspiration, for there is selfish!
ness in that as there was in both OF
the other movements. II child labor
were confined to the South, or even II
there were more of it In the South
than in other sections, the merit IN
this movement might not be dis
puted, but the fact is there is less
child labor in the South than there is
in other sections, it is decreasing and
public sentiment does not regard 1t
with favor, although the children SO
EMPLOYED fare better and are better
situated than are the children employed
in Northern mills, for the reason that
in the South the mill operatives are
not looked upon as the mere machines
they are in the North, the relations
between them and their employers
being closer and the employers taking
a more kindly interest in them.
There is a graet deal of difference in
the condition of the operatives in mills
in rural districts, where there is plenty
of room for all, comfortable homes,
comparatively cheap living, with
churches and schools, and in the con-
ditions of operatives in crowded manu-
featuring towns, where there are few
comforts and the employer takes no
interest whatever in the man, woman
or child worker after the days work
is done and they leave the factory.
Whatever, the objection may be to
child labor, land there is muchl the
condition Of the children employed IN
the average Southern mill is far bet
ter than is the condition of children
employed in the average Northern
mill, some Of the reasons for which
we have noted above.
AS proof that the Northern oppo-
nents of child labor in the South have
enough to engage their attention at
home before they start out on crusades
in the South, the Baltimore Manufac-
turers' Record of last week publishes
tables showing from the census Of 1900
the number of women and children
employed in the North and South.
The six New England States had en-
ployed in their mills 260, 293 women
and %, ,19TAchildren.
Three of the Middle States-New
Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania-
had 4o7, ,935 women and 1896 chill
dren.
had l71,3S13 women and 26, 754 chill
dren.
The fourteen Southern States bad
Ill, S56 women and 45, S6S children.
Out of total of 1,031, 760 women
these fourteen States, with one third
of the total population, had only IL,
$50, and out OF total of l6S, G23 chill
dren they had only ass, IS, not as many
by about 5000 as the three Middle
States named above.
We don't believe in working either
women or children when there is any
IL