The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-02-01

| L
coming of lives and hopes either into
| factory dividends or weekly wages. 4
| man who would work colts would be
| generally condemned Statistics
| showed that child labor shortened life
| by half and stunted the growth OF
! the child.
He said that he was bolstered uT
by letters from mill men to the Labor
Commissioner, and read from letters
| of a number of mill men favoring child
labor laws and several of them com
pulsOry education. He referred 10 the
fact that out of IS furniture factories
reporting to the Commissioner on q
question as to whether child labor laws
were advisable So had answered yes
and 50 out of the So had favored com
pulSory education. II compulsory edu-
cation be impracticable why not in its
place put this provision which will
give a premium on education and eX-
ert some pressure to get parents 70
send their children to school? He
thought that if the law We're passed
the. mill men would go TO the parents
and advise them to send their children
to the schools He referred to the
fact that 8 other States had laws pre-
venting the working of children UNI
der ID and under Is unless they could
read and write. BY such provisions
and parent the employee and the one
who hires to procure education for the
child One-fifth of the population of
South Carolina said he was grouped
about the cotton mills. There are in
North Carolina 12S,0t0 people depend
ant on the mills for support. Let us
say to the ten year olds of the - per
,ent of spinnerS go to the schoolS;> If
hey are kept there till they are thfr-
MN .I, 1n ~ .pf. ed
the fact that spinning frames We're
made low so that they could be oper-
tied by children and that ii had re-
NAMED for heather India taking up
cotton manufacturing, to have tn first
pinning frames suitable for grown
people. In North Carolina four years
Lgo there were 5000 children in the
mills, today there are $4,000, four
years hence there will be 10000. Sew
nty-five per cent of these children
re growing up to be DISTINGUISHED. The
lneducated boy has 500 chances to
gainst him. He doesn't even have the
nance of promotion in the mills UNI
ess you train his mind as we'll as his
land.
DIR. McKelway referred to the fact
hat the association of city school SUI
lerintendents asked the passage of
lis bill the first time they had ever
With the recital of q powerful poem
IS to the pity of crushing child life
n the budding OF its flower with the
grind Of labor.
StoneWli Durham Replies.
Mr.. S. J. Durham replied TO DR. Nc
<elway in short speech of much
power and almost passionate in its de-
livery
The method used to enact the pres
mt legislation, he said, was the discus
ion of the several child labor bills in
joint meeting of the committees OF
he House and Senate, he being st the
ime a Senator. It was agreed among
he manufacturers and the friends of
he pending bills that the present law
hould be placed on the books as q
ubStitute measure the understanding
eng that such compromise would set
lie for at least a time the constant and
lurtful agitation of the subject. He
lad himself made the report Of the
ommittee submitting the substitute
md he had then stated that it would
lot be opposed. 1t, was not except as
o any amendment by Senator Gillian
which was defeated Although the
manufacturers knew that the agree
nent was not binding they felt and be-
ieyed that coming from the represen-
atiVeS of the dominant political party
t would at least have the effect OF
having q moral force to prevent the
agitation so much disliked by the mills.
lie knew that there was no binding
'orce in that agreement but he did
lain for it in the minds of reason
lble, just fair men some consideration.
Senator White had authorized him to
say that his understanding was the
the present law would remain in force
for some wears at leaStN
Turning on Mr.. Mckelway, Mr.. Dur
nam spoke With much feeling. He de-
,lared tina, he would say to McKelway
that he was an American citizen and q
,itizen of the Kingdom of Man. He
vas as much concerned and as much
Interested in the we'll fare of children
IS any man. He represented a natural
humane impulse. He represented the
interests of the humble people of the
hamlet of Bessemer City. Those peo-
Die were his friends. He went into
heir homes, he knew every little tot.
de stood before the committee as
heir representative
Whence came these people? They
nave known what 1t is to suffer and to
Ta1l. When they came to BesSen1er
they had nothing to do xcept go in the
otton mills. The majority had failed
N the farms. When you say q child
u L = VI years ceill WOGh, y III tA6
away It's right TO provide the neccSSi-
les OF life Give them the right to
work, and such Of them as have 1t in
them to do SO will be educated, re-
ined, strong men and women. There
is nothing peculiar about people who
work in factories; they are same blood
With you, they have the same impulses
md the same needs Ehes #ant q
chance to work. TAey csn make their
own destinies for themselves az. 9TH
er people Let the atgts Is, them
alone.
Mr.. Durham spoAE at SOME little
length with great aoBrT. declaring
hat the mill ma We tUC frieUds of
heir operatives anG stt 1teir Inter-
ests were identical a.auS wa With
he interests of tn nniE q was
necessary for these 'crit CT %apk,
but every opportuI o.. yvcEs!IH in
(Cnotinued OF ftS1