The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1904-03-15
CHILD LABOR QUESTION.
A New England View in Contrass
With a Southern View.
(Atlanta CONSTITUTION

ATLANTA Constitution
Recently Miss Jane Adams delivered
la lecture ON Child Labor in Chicago,
lin which she severely criticised the prac
itice OF some corporations which she al
lleges employ mere children.
The Chicago Tribune of January 25
contains the following report Of Miss
adams addess:
Hundreds Of children who should be
lat school are working at the stock
yards. The employers fail to look be-
ln1nd n certificates the little boys
bring. Although the papers indicate
lthat the child is Of legal age TO be en-
lployed n person in a visit to the big
establishments can see the law in real
lfty, violated. The employers are to be
blamed"
This declaration last evening was
lmade by Miss Jane Adams, of Hull
House. in an address on Child Labor
lat the Garfield Boulevard Presbyterian
lchurch. Garfield boulevard and Hal
stead street She asserted that the
employers as a class care only for COM
lpliance with the outward form of the
law.
CONDITIONS WORST IN THE
SOUTH.
Until the introduction of steam and
modern machinery child labor was un-
KNOWN" says Miss Adams. The first
laws on the subject were made in 1902.
when, in England. the employment Of
lchildren under 8 years old in mill work
lat night was prohibited. In a recent
"trip through the southern states I
Hound them the worst in the union in re-
lgard to the employment Of children.
Il saw little girls, some of them o
more than five years old. and so small
Ithey stood on soap boxes, at the looms
in the cotton mills Naarlv
80 per cent. of the inmates of the south
fern poor houses are persons who began
work when they 5 to II years old
land broke dow before reaching matu-
Irity.
KINDER TO COLT THAN CHILD.
"a man owning a colt viii not per-
INIT the animal to work until it has
Preached it's development. A mother will
Isend her children to the factories and
1.-THE stores when the little bodies and
minds are all u~nprepared for the battle.
with the world. One bad feature of this
lis that the child when working, becomes
lin a measure independent in the home
Hts wages are taken by the parents,
land frequently badly needed correction
lis foregOne BECAUSE the father and
lmother fear the son or daughter would
deprive them Of the addition to the fam
lily fund.
THE city is full Of husband who
won't work. and compel their wives and
lchildren to toll for their support. Per
maps if these cases were investigated
lit would be found that the man became
Tired because of his early labors."
Propos Miss Adams reported
remarks Garnett Andrews, Jr.,
General Manager of the Richmond Ho-
lsiery Mills. at Rossville, Ga, writes to
The Constitution vigorously denying
many of her statements, Mr.. Andrews
letter OF the subject follows:
MIR. ANDREWS LETTER.
81 am sending you herewith a clipping
taken from the Chicago Daily Tribune
of Monday. January 20, which 1 think
lshould be answered.
LAS a manufacturer employing quite
a number of minors in our mill here
lat Rossville. Ga, 1 feel that Miss
adams statements should not pass with
out being replied to.
Some of Miss Adams historical
statements as to when child labor law
first received attention may be correct,
but her statement that children OF five
years of 6 are employed at looms in
southern cotton mills is absolutely with
any foundation of fact whatsoever.
I n imagine why a woman of Miss
Adams seeming standing could make
a statement that is SO as to
lay her hole argument open to doubt.
Again Miss Adams makes the state
ment that 80 per cent. Of the inmates
lof southern poor houses are persons
who began working when they were five
to twelve years old and broke down be-
fore reaching maturity. I will absolute
ly deny Miss Adams statement in this
fact, and venture to say that she was
never in an a1mshouse in he entire
southern experience. If she had been
she would have Dun a majority of the
; my r., he nnornoC ot least 0 nQr
|cent Of them. She evidently f~6's to
that cotton manufacturing,
which is about the only occupation in
which minors are employed only began
to flourish about a decade ago, or you
might say 2 decades. for in 1897 the
south had only 3,456 537 spindles, six
years later, in 1902 it is almost double
this amount, 6,400, 900 spindles.
MAKES CHILDREN THRIFTY.
Her argument that children being at
work make the parents INDECENT is prob
lably the only statement in her entire
account of her address that seemingly
has a grain Of truth in it But instead
lof making the child become tired be-
fore it becomes OF age. on account OF
livery early labor. it, on the contrary. in
|culcates habits of industry and thrift
that are never lost, n continue as the
lchild advances in age.
Personally I know of no child under
liz years of age being employed in any
mills in the south. There may be some
THAT are employed under this age. and
which fact l will not deny, but If there
Iare any at all, they constitute only an
Iinfnitesimal percentage, and l have
never heard anyone contend before that
lchildren were employed in any mills
under 10 years of age and personally l
have never seen one Of that age en-
we'd. and / venture to say that | have
been in 10 mills to Miss Adams i.
Il think that Miss Adams state
l,nent should be denied and the facts
lcontroverted by some Of the older man
in the state Of Georgia. who
lare far more able to answer her state
iments than myself"
| SOMETHING OF CHILD LABOR.
In the same mail which brought the
letter of protest Mr.. An