The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-07-12
DIR. KINGSBURY ON CHILD LABOR
QUESTION AND OTHER LIVE TOPICS
Subsistence of Waves of Scepticism A Reform
Movement in No County Ever Succeeds Until
Public Opinion Favors 1t.

acted as to the working of children in
factories. They are North Carolina, South
Carolina, Alabama and Arkansas. and the
age limit in all is the same, | think
twelve years. 1t ought to have been four
teen. People grow in sense as well as in
age. Newspapers often change opinions.
The New York Evening Post is one of the
ablest. neatest newspapers in this country.
A few years back it derided the attempt
to limit the age for children as to labor.
1t scoffed at the very idea. Edward At
kinson is regarded as a very able and
wise man by some Southern newspapers.
He Is of Boston. and knows it all. He
holds that 1T Is an outrage to put the
breaks on the greedy manufacturers, and
says legal restriction of labor as to
children or time for work is wrong and
destroys the freedom of contract of wo-
men and children Bah, But the Post
is even wiser if Edward still sticks in the
mud of blunder and ignorance. 1t lately
said: Insufficient as these laws are,
they are better than none at all. 1t is
worth noting that in only one State has
an advance in child labor legislation been
actually voted down this year This was
In California, where the Senate refused
to adopt bill similar to that of Oregon,
fixing the limit of employment at four
teen years"
other Northern newspapers of influence
and ability have written against child
labor abuses. Some of them go beyond
what is sought thus far. and are for still
higher advance on the line of decency,
Justice and mercy Several Western leg
islatures within year have leant towards
more stringent legislation, and no wonder
1t is a crime against humanity to put 20
600 children in one section to hard labor
for from ten to thirteen hours per day of
their growing life, and all under twelve
The st. Paul (Minnestota) Pioneer brave
ly says that it will be a blessing when
child labor SIS entirely abolished and
adults do all the work of
the world Remove all chill
dren under sixteen years of age still
ALPHABETICALLY and illegally-in the in
dustres of the nation, aside from those of
the home and farm, and send them tc
school and the ultimate effect on the wage
scale through the Immediate increase IN
the efficiency of operatives and greater eff
f1ciency, when adults, of the children now
being stunted physically and intellectual
w. would be marked"
There has been a great awakening on
In all sections for better. NOR humane
chiId-labor laws The churches. the
newspapers, the monthlies, the organs OF
labor have all taken active work in this
great and gracious movement. One North
ern organ-The Railroad Conductor
pronounces it 1.-The greatest curse and dis
grace that today rests on the fair name OF
America 1t is like the brood of foul
vultures lowering over their not quite
dead prey The New York Tribune
stated "that more child-labor exists in
New York than in all the States of the
South combined"
Hon William ]. Bryan is very able
and badly abused man. He is known to
be a man of very remarkable purity and
Righteousness In decadent times when
corruption and oppression abound. He IS
one of the most correct, honest and hon.
orable public men who have figured since
the great war ended. Fair-minded. intel
ligent men must concede that. He has
views. wise or otherwise, and having the
courage of conviction he gives utterance
to them with utmost plainness and diree--
ness. OF the Cleveland movement he late
w said. and when it is recalled what
cleveland did and how he voted for g
Republican for President twice, 1t looks
as If Mr. Bryan was shooting very near
the mark: 81 have a right to speak OF
Grover Cleveland's democracy-for l have
borne his sins in two national campaigns.
He has made the Democratic party the
scrapegoat for his political crimes and his
j. record still hangs as a milestone about
the neck of the Democratic party. Grover
Cleveland cannot come back to the party
rnrepentent without driving out ten votes
for every vote that he can bring back" .
Julian Ralph, the well known Northern
traveller and contributor to magazines,
now dead, in posthumous article on
"Our Appalachian America" states that
Andrew Jackson, Andrew Johnson, Henry
Clay and others were from mountain
stock. as were many other well known
Observation-Disclosures from "the unedu-
Gated and feudatory mountain folks of
West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee,
Georgia. Alabama Maryland and the
Carolinas.;' Henry Clay was born in
Virginia and not of the mountaineer
stock / think. Andrew Jackson was born
in Union county. n. c., not far from the
present flourishing manufacturing town
Of Charlotte He was not of noun
4sineer stock" Andrew Johnson was born
at Raleigh, NJ c., far away from the
mountains. and not "of the feudatory
mountain folks 1t is well enough to
correct errors for they abound every
where and in all things.
Mr. Burgess Shank writes in Gunters
Magazine for May of big things done IN
the philippines by the United States n
the way of education" A thousand
schools are RUNNING and have been for
two years-English being the language
taught. He reports that thousands OF the
natives have been taught to read, speak
end write English to a considerable extent
Many are teaching the language Many
can talk in English. Hear this enthus
last
Glasses efsiittle children learned to reac
and write as much and as well as an
American first grade class. Young mer
and women learned enough English IN
year to be able to write better letter
than most American adults. Very bright
and phenomenal Filipinos or very dull, IL
lterate Americans Which? After per
DptratInQ Gu MANY o,,fpaoes against the