The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1903-01-13
crimes committed by the iterate and the illit-
crate elements of~our population.

y
No recommendation contained in the message
will attract more attention than that in regard
to factory child labor. The Governor favors
"the passage of a law absolutely prohibiting the
employment in such factories of any child under
the age of twelve years. This law ought also to
provide that no child under the age of fourteen
shall work in any such factory at night, and
after 1905 no child who cannot read and write
should be permitted to work in any such factory
under the age of fourteen years. I do not think
that any exception should be made in the law
passed. I am aware that many people insist that
there are dependent widows and invalid fathers
who need the labor of children under the sug-
gested age limit, but the community owes some
thing to such widows and invalid fathers, and
it ought not to suffer any child under twelve
years of age to be required to support it's parents.
There is great necessity for the development of
our industries, X \ x but there is no such
imperative necessity for the creation and ac-
emulation of wealth as to justify us in the sac
rifce of child life to secure it."
As to the regulation of hours of labor, it is
asserted that the best information given goes to
show that ga reasonable l~essening of hours will
not decrease the output for the manufacturer,
and will not lessen the wages of the operative.
Certainly if equal results can be attained by
fewer hours of labor, every one ought to be in
favor of lessening the hours, for by doing so the
operatives have more time for outdoor exercise,
for study, for reflection and for social duty, all
of which are essential to the fullest development.
x x x I believe that without injustice to any
one the law may properly declare that not more
than eleven hours shall constitute a days work
in manufacturing establishments. Where night
work is performed the hours should be restricted
to ten"
The problem of caring for the insane receives
extended attention. "It is calculated that there
are two insane persons to every one thousand of
population. This gives us 2,4OO white insane in
the State. At Morganton and Raleigh we will
soon have provision for 1900 of the white in
sane. It seems that there is almost if not quite
sufficient hospital accommodations for all the
colored insane at present. There have been ap-
plications made to the two hospitals for whites
for 500 persons more than room can be provided
for. Of these, probably three hundred under our
laws should be admitted. We must face the fact
that there are s~ixty-fve more persons becoming
insane each year than there is available room
made by the removals from the hospitals"
AS to the use OF the pardOnlng power, the
Governor says he knows he has been much criti-
cised. But he has a manly disregard of that
criticism which stands between him and his duty
as he sees it. "I should be unworthy of their
respect and too cowardly to be the Governor of
so good and just a people if in fear of their
criticism I should let one man undergo further
punishment when my reason and conscience tell
me he has been sufficiently punished. Punish
DoaD+ iC for tho reform of the prisoner and nx-
ample to others disposed to offend against the
law. When these two purposes have been full
filed, suffering on the part of the prisoner be-