The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-02-01
House Committee Decides
UnfavorabIe Report.
MANY GOOD SPEECHES
A Prolonged Session Of the Committee
Taken Up by Speeches by Dr.. Nc
Kelway and Number Of Mill Men
Who Werepresent..-A Potent
Old Understanding.

was yesterday unfavorably reported D!
the House Committee on Manufac-
turtles. after a hearing which occupied
over three hours OF time.
Proba bly, the convincing argument
which caused the committee to settle
on the unfovarble report was that adj
yanced by a number of mill men who
appeared beofre the committee, thai
the present law which was q compro
mise measure of the session of 1903
had been agreed to by the manufacture
erS upon an assurance or understands
ing that there would be no further agl-
tation of child labor laws for several
years.
While this agreement could not OF
course be binding upon the present
Legislature there was q sentiment that
il should have great moral weight with
the committee.
DR.. McKelway made an able preSen-
tation of his views, az did a number of
the mill men who We're present. NO
attorneys figured in the case.
There were intimations i'll the argu-
ments that the aNtional Child Labor
Committee was backed by New Eng
land mill men, this being denied
strongly in DR.. McKelway's rejoinder.
Four members OF the committee
voted for favorable repor.
The Netting in Detail.
The meeting was contest of one
man against fifty or sixty. DR.. Nc
keiway did what he could under the
circumstances. His presentation of
the cause of the factory children in
Guided about everything which might
have been said on the subject. He is
evidently one terribly in earnst and III
love with the work in which his be-
lief is SO clearly indicated in his work,
his voice and his manner While speak
ing He did not use up but three
quarters of the hour that he had for
the exposition of his argument. The
time of the mill men was twice eX-
tended and a similar courtesy extend
ed to DR.. McKelway, of which, how
ever he did not avail himself.
The committee. on account of the
protracted meeting OF The house dur
ing the morning was very slow in as
sembling and il was four o'clock be-
fore it was called TO order by the
chairman. Just before this time the
gallery had been comfortably filled,
the occupants being a few men and q
number of women largely young Ia
dies.
The hall of the house was almost
filled with mill men and spectators
During the progress of the meeting
there was considerable applause for
the oratorical efforts of the mill rep
resenta tives but il was evident from
the start that DIR. McKelway had few
frinds among the people in the cham
Der. His opening speech, although a
strong and at times an eloquently inn
FASHIONED effort, failed To gain even
n ripple OF applause. Considering the
single-handedness of his fight this
fact was even the more to be regret
ted.
The Three Bills.
After the adoption of motion that
the discussion would be limited on
one hour to side. the clerk of the
committee read first the "McKelWay'
bill. introduced by Col Jno. $. Cum
ingjlan, by request, and then the War
burton bill. Afterwards Mr.. Gale read
his own bill to the committee. 1t was
decided that the discussion should be
aimed at all three of these proposed
measures and that the committee
would take each of them into consid-
Grafton.
The main provisions of the three
measures We're as follows:
The Mckelway bill to prevent the
employment in any factory or manu-
featuring establishment of any boy UNI
der twelve or any female under four
teen years of age. nor any child un-
der sixteen years of age in any mine
within the Stat; that no child should
less he or she could read or write and
unless the employer kept on file an
age and schooling certificate as pro-
Nided in the act: that not exceeding
sixty-sx hours should constitute a
weeks work on the part of operatives
in any factory and no person under
four teen years of age be allowed to
work in any factory between the hours
OF seven p. M and five a. M; and also
providing penalties on parents or mill
owners violating the provisions of the
act. The time it was proposed for
the act to take effect was September
1st. 1906.
The Warburton and the Gale bills
provided for the reduction of the
hours work per week from &C to 63
and from Sc to 60 in cases of boys
under Is and females under 81.
DIR. McKelway's Speech.
At the conclusion of the reading of
the bills DR.. McKeiway was recognized
by the committee.
The question, said he, was not only
whether North Carolina cared more
for dollars and cents than it did for
flesh and blood, but also whether a
Southern man could join and take
.)art in q National Association. He
frankly avowed the fact that he was
employed by the National Child Labor
Association, but stated that long be-
fore his connection with the organiZa-
ton he had had the advance which he
was now championing deep at heart
his interest having been aroused to the
injustice of child labor at the time
when himself boy from the farm he
rad seen children working in the glass
factories in New Jersey. And the same
old hoary story was being told Their
that is used now whenever the pro
olem is mentioned that children must
he worked in order 20 learn the trade
There was an old proverb educate
a niger and spoil farm hand; the
nc~ i,yoverb seemed to be educate q
white child and you spile o mil
hand"
The Doctor referred to the grea,
scrowth in tie two decades from 1885,
10 1900 in the COTTON milling industry
during which the number OF spindle'
had increased In the south 1foni some
thing like $4,000 in 1880 to over .,
100000 in 1909 and to the fact ina
there We're now three times as many