The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1903-07-14
CURRENT COMMENT.

"a I" ~
labor in the abstract, and in favor Of
il in the concrete. Collectively, in their
unions. they denounce il as n OF the
greatest outrages of the time: indlvid~
ually. as the fathers of healthy children
especially boys, who are capable o. con-
tributing to the family income. and
are not too easy to manage. they are
heartily n favor of child labor. In
Although Mr.. Cannon has denied the
sentiments recently attributed to him
on the subject of currency legislation
the publication has led to a wide dis
cussion. the public is already the
gamer by it. Newspapers n politi-
clans. east and west. have taken the
matter up and If no agreement mas yet
been reached as to the terms of the
measure, it has been made very plain
that a. more elastic currency, we'll safe
guarded, should be provided by the FIT
ty-eighth congress-. Nor is anything
more likely than that the new ongreSS
will address itself to the question and
solve 1t to the country's Advantage
Washington Star.
There seems to be no question that
Congressman Littauer is a laWbreaker
if he had an interest in the sale of
gloves to the United States army dur
ing the Spanish war, as is charged.
But Attorney General Knox fnds that
the laws permit the, government to give
a contract to a firm of which a gov
employee IS a member, as IN
the case of Machen Brothers. who got
| a coal contract from the United States
| while one of them was superintendent
| of the rural free delivery service IN the
| postofice department.. If the law is
| against Littauer and not against Ma
| chen in these cases, is the law not maxi
| ing a distinction where there is no diff
| ference? Graft is graft and that's all
| about it.-Norfolk Landmark.
Are the times accursed? One car
| scarcely pick up a ~neWspape without
| seeing an account of some terrible
tragedy. and it has been so since the
beginning of the year. 1t was estimat-
ed some two weeks ago that up to that
time more than 1000 persons had met
violent deaths in the United States
since January l, and hundreds have
peer added to the list since then. Rail
road wrecks. floods. c~lOudburstS, forest
fires. mine explosions, elevate acct
dents. murders n ~lynchings V fol-
lowed each other in rapid and terrible
procession. until it would seem tina
some evil influences were at work 4
make 1903 memorable for its bloody
record.-SaVannah News.
short. they wish their own children
employed. but not the children of othe
people. Child labor is as
gross outrage when it can be made t.
tappear that the parents have to pu
their children to work in order to elk
out their own scauty incomes, but som
parents whose incomes are not scant,
are Just as anxious as other parents. t
get whatever additional income ma.
be obtained through the children. Tn
Legislation of Last winter prohitHtlnj
the employment of boys under Is, i
coal mines was inspired by the pltlfu
tales told by the miners when the
were trying to get their wages raised
and now the miners are in a state c
high Indignation because their boy
are compelled 20 be idle. The bitumir
Gus miners say ingenuously that the
did not object to the bill when It wa
pending cau they thought it woul
| apply only to the anthracite miners;
was no concern of theirs how Idle othe
peoples boys were.-Phlladelphia Re-
l ord.