The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1904-12-14
WORKING FOG 4
eoMpUL sorry EDUCATION Law
The Necessary Complement of the
Child. Labor Law is a Law to
Compel the Children Of aiIi
Operatives to Attend
School.
ey w. Il. McCaw.

msny OF the more influential pollGl-
clans have exressed themselves in favor
of such a law, and there can be no
doubt but that strong fight will be
made in the legislature which meets
next month for the enactment OF this
sentiment into Law. Those who have
carefully readthe recent correspondence
between Governor sHeyward and Dr..
Mckelways the assistant secretary cf
the national child labor association,
ON the adyisability Of raising the age
limit in the child labor law here from
u years to IA years, have detected
strong tendencies in favor of compul-
sorry education on the art OF both
gentlemen. :
In talk I had with DR.. Mckelway
today he gave me an interesting view
of the association's plans so far as
they relate to the Southern field,
which is DR.. McKelWay's special
province. He said:
ssAs is well known, Virginia, the
two Cafolinas and Alabama already
have legal age limit of y years for
children working in the mills. Geor-
gia has an agreement among the man
ufacturers merely, which is kept
doubtless by the best and broken by
the worst, as the same sort OF agree
ment was in North Carolina, so that
the better class of mills really need
the protection of the law against un-
fair competition in the labor market
By the worst class. It is desirable
that there should be uniform legisla-
tion in the Southern manufacturing
States on this question, so that de-
termined fight will be made in the
next Georgia legislature for a child Ia
Dor law, and fight which will prob
ably end in victory this time. Prom
ise- breaking is only immoral, while
w-breaking is criminal. +"
DR.. McKelway tells good story OF
New England manufacturer whom
he met, and who owns large cotton
mill in Georgia. The manufacturer
expatiated on the merits of the Mas
sachusetts Law which has an age limit
of IA, and told how we'll the law was
observed by his own mill, even to the
extent of forbidding child who had
the appearance Of being under Il from
entering the mill. ''I then presum-
eds said DR.. McKefway, 'that I
could have this manufacturers aid
in the coming campaign in Georgia,
when all at once the manufacturer be-
gan to argue that IN Georgia the
agreement of the mill owners was a
great deal better than any legislation
ON the subject could possibly be.''
DR.. tMcKelway complains that the
present child labor Laws in the South
are largely farces so far as their OBJ
servance is concerned. "The present
law he said, SIS by no means every
where observed, as there is no provis-
ion for its enforcement. But that we
have gotten so far recognized as to
have laws enacted is a long gtep in
the right direction and We are not at
all feeling discouraged over the mat
ter. There is no system Of factory in
spection and the parent who makes
affidavit that his child is IL years old
can get lO.year.old into almost any
of the mills. As there is as yet no
compulsory education in the Southern
States the plan proposed which will
be pushed before Southern legisla-
lures this winter is to keep the age
limit generally at 12, but to forbid
any child under Il from working in
the mill unless he can read and write.
Otherwise we shall eventually dis
franchise practically our whole mill
population and that population is
growing
es f.Sonud in miliyillage in Nortb
Carolina" DR.. McKelway continued
sonly eight per cent. of the children
between s and. Il attended school,
while 90 per cent. we're either work
ing in the mill or were waiting until
they get old enough.
''I have seen in one of the most fa-
nous mills in South Carolina a score
Of children going to and from their
work who did not seem to be 10 years
old. There is a growing demand for
labor in the mills, the newer machin-
cry requires less and less of the hu-
man touch, and the labor of children
is cheaper. If we do not take care
we shall build this great industry of
ours, the textile industry, on child
labor basis, and when the wrong is
righted there will be disaster instead
of only little Inconvenience now.
We must not grind the seed corn less
the harvest fail. Even Spain. which
has the worst laws on the subject of
child labor, of any European country,
will not allow any child under 10 to en-
ter she mill unless he can read and
write, or to work more than eight
hours when he does enter. The rule
ia the Southern States is II hours and
so minutes. five days in the week with
half holiday on Saturdy.
"The present movement is for the
betterment of legislation where such
Improvement is needed, and the en-
forcement of the laws that exist. He
does not think the present law worth
the cost of enforcing it. 1t needs to
be connected with our educational
system in some way. so that the teach
er or the school superintendent shall
have the right t" issue the certificate
of the child's age and literacy. / be.
lieve that the people are too kind
hearted to allow the abuse of the child
labor system, once the facts are fully