The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1904-12-14
Roosevelt on Child Labor

President Roosevelt cares little for precedent. And So
when he writes message he puts high above
tariffs and revenues the vital questan of child labor.
That is the sort of procedure that parayzes the aver
age politician.
The paragraph in the message devoted to the call for
laws concerning child labor is this:
''There should be chld-labor and factory in
spection laws. 1t is very desirable that married women
should work in the factories The prime duty of the
is to work. to be the breadwnner the prime duty of
the is to be the mother the housewife All ques
tOns of tariff and finance sink into utter insignihcance
when compared with the tremendous the vital Importance
of trying to shape conditions that these two duties of
the be fulfilled under reasonably favorable
circumstances
If does not have plenty Of children, if the
children do not grow up if when they they are
unhealthy in body and sunted vicious in mind, then
that is decaden and no heapng up of wealth, no
spendor of momentaly material prosperity can avail in
any degree as Offsets
The president is right.
Questions of economics small in Importance beside
this greater that affects the physical and moral health
of the people, Taxes incidental to the great matter of
life and health.
So long the government pays less attention to the
protection of children than to the protection of the
president may well conclude that the problem of child Ia
Dor is of tremendous and vital Importance"
In the anthracite coal regions and in other industries
controlled by large corporations young boys sunted in
body and mind cheated out of their natural growth by
ceaseess drudgery growing up to become husbands
and pigmy fathers of future generations.
and hollow chested physically ruined by stress and strain
upon their ptfu bodies, already broken down in spirit
are coming on to be the mothers of decadent
Oh the pity of it. Not merely thousands of thes cases
but hundreds of thousands! Statistics say nearly two mil
lion
And while politicians pirate of political policies this
president gives congress real problems to
solve.
Roosevelt is right.
We must have, first of all, vre manhood and woman
hood. With large part of the going down the scale
to decadence and social degredaton emo heapng up Of
wealth. splendid monetary material prosperity can
avail n any degree as Offsets
And the horrifyng thought in connection with this
abuse of infants who labor tasks unsued to ten
der years. is the thought that this nhumanty is done for
the sake dollars! Children being murdered for gain
Roosevelt is right
There must be federal laws prevent trusts and copo
raons from sucking the life blood of the children of the
DOOR, Stop the Juggernaut that is crushing and manglng
and reforming tender Childhood And give rigid fac
tory inspection laws and enforce them 1t is high time we
were far enough along in decency to quit killing
men and women before their prime.
Brave men and women in every state and city have
hunted out hauns of cruelty to children where kids
broken down by labor and thrown upon these places
by the lime light of publicity But these brave reformers
need behind them the protection Of the federal laws Some
of the states have strong legislation against child labor
Others like the intelligent state of Iowa. have worthy
Of the name.
The president is right.
He has touched foul sore spot in the body polite.