The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1906-11-07
THE INFANT TOILERS
SOUTHERN MOVEMENT AGAINST
CHILD LABOR SPREADING.

The New Law In Georgia Il Long step
In Right Observation-Disclosures In
other Sections CrystaIIixing-~A Pro-
rest From Texas.
Through the united efforts Of organ
lied labor and the many good men and
women who saw the inhumanity Of
grinding the flesh and bones Of limo.
cent little children into dividends I'M
der a cruel industrial system laws
have been enacted In many states
which when enforced tend to greatly
lessen the deplorabie effects OF the
crime of child labor The child labor
societies, national and state, have done
and are doing great good work In
this direction.
But it has seemed impossible until
within the past few months to arouse
public sentiment upon the subject
In the south. Although In most of the
southern states there were child labor
laws, they were Inadequate. and, more
over, they were not enforced.
Several attempts have been made to
secure the passage OF child labor law
by the state Of Georgia, but not until
the recent session OF the legislature
was success achieved Georgia has a
good law, and II it is enforced a long
step Ia the direction of abolishing child
labor iii southern factories Will have
been taken, for Georgia is the leading
state ia the new Industrial south.
That most potent influences III the
south have been aroused upon this
question the following extract from an
editorial In the Houston Crex) Chron-
icle will show
The subject Of child labor Is one the
Importance Of which cannot be overes-
timated.
1T IL a fact that cannot be disputed
and d most Iamentable fact, that tens,
perhaps hundreds, Of thousands Of chill
dren in the south are being worked in
factories at such age and In such hours
as to have the effect Of arresting their
growth, prevent moral training and ed
ucation and leave them at maturity
lacking In intellectual, moral and phys
ical yigor necessary 10 make them use
full citizens ~,
The most careful, unselhsh and ipl
partial investigation has been made of
scores OF the largest factories ia the
south, and the proof is overwhelming
that children eight and nine years OF
age work twelve to fourteen hours 4
day, that children 81 fourteen years
and even less work 40 night and that
they are pale, sallow, stoop shouldered
and hollow chested and manifestly
physically md permanently injured
1T has been snid that those child
toilers are the children OF poor parents
and that II Is absolutely necessary that
they work IL order 10 aid in support
OF the family, and, besides, they form
small part OF the whole number OF
southern children.
THE first Of these propositions is not
true The cotton mills OF the south, or
at least most Of them, have made enor-
nous profits. and they can afford TO
pay fathers and mothers wages enough
TO support their families and yet make
fair returns on their capital. IitIga-
ton between stockholders in Virginia
cotton mill recently revealed 10 per
cent semiannual dividends. and many
have made twice as much
"The second proposition Is manifest
~ unsound because no section or ma
ton can afford to have needlessly
ground up the bodies and souls Of tens
Of thousands Of children annually IN
order that manufacturing industries
may pay large dividends
"From that laboring class which fur
nlshes human grist for the remorseless
mills OF sordid cominerciaIism come
the very bone and snew and civic
worth and virtue OF the nation, and
the seed corn Of the future is being
daily used up.
Texas. first IN the procession OF the
states in area, IN resources end pl
prospect for great future. should he
FIRST to raise the standard Of value Of
lives and characters Of children and
should enact such laws as will not per
init the sacrifice OF her children Of ten.
der years for the sake OF gain, hut
make II impossible for avarice to add
to its horde OF Ill gotten gains moro
wealth bought with ruined bodies and
bllghted lives of the children Of the
poor"