Los Angeles herald., 1906-11-22

startling fact was disclosed that Amer
lea was maintaining a larger army
of wage earning children than any
other nation is now or ever has done.
1t was also found out that in the five
years preceding 1900 the army of boys
working had increased 100 per cent and
the girls $50 per cent. Several states
show increases in from one to six years
of % to 40 per cent, and this problem
cannot be solved by any one state
or even congress alone.
California leads, though, as hu-
name state, for in five years, while the
industries have increased 80 per cent,
the army of wage earning children has
decreased IA per cent
Even if a state has child labor law,
however. there are great difficulties. In
the first place childs age cannot usu-
ally be proved In most cases the
parent, the child and the employer are
all of them in a conspiracy to evade the
law and there seems to be no way to
really get the truth.
Why the Increase
There is reason for this increase
of child labor through the United
States and that is that the great ma
jority of people will not believe that
the children are employed in places
when the average senator is ap-
preached upon the subject he tells you
of how he had to work when he was a
boy on the farm and that 1t did him
good. That is. the general opinion but
there is a great deal of difference be-
tween Il farm ard a coal mine for in
stance where a little fellow works a
twelve-hour night, perhaps on a miser-
able pittance, rarely seeing the light of
a 4
terrible coal dust.
ut used to be that home labor was
the best kind but now that means only
one thing-sweat shop labor, the worst
brand. work that is ground out of the
poverty stricken multitude who have
no redress and have to work night and
day for the mere pittance which enables
them barely to exist.
Help Make stogies
"In Pittsburg where the Pittsburg
stogie cigars are made the little fell
lows there make from 400 to 500 of
these cigars a day and receive eight
cents hundred for them. The tobacco
used is generally the sweepings and
that awful penetrating tobacco dust is
inhaled by those poor boys ten and
twelve hours out of every twenty-four
1--WE are all responsible for this con-
dition and the danger to their moral
and physical condition is a danger To
you all. This is not a problem in phil
anthropy, 1t Is a problem of the race
preservation, the appeal to all for the
protection of our citizenship. Those
children unconsciously become a men.
ace to the republic.
Let me warn you now Californians
| that Just because the child labor ques-
tion mas not thrust its worst phases
| upon you yet, do not rest, but save
yourselves from all the cost and all the
unfruitful discouraging efforts you will
make i'm the future when it has once
burst upon you and prevent it now."
| The Occidental College Glee club
gave a musical program during the
evening.
Many well known club women spoke
during the days session of the fedora
tion and interesting questions were
! brought up.
Mrs. Robert Potter Hill spoke es-
pecially upon the power the club wo-
not to use 1t unwisely and not to in,
dorse men and their methods until they
were sure of their squareness.
| Rev. Warren r. Day gave the invoca-
tion at the morning session and Mrs
Oliver c. Bryant was i'm the chair
Mrs. p, G. Hubert gave the address
of welcome TO the Ebell club house and
Mrs. oliver c. Bryant responded on the
| part OF the federation. Mrs. Il. Baruch
and Mrs. Edgar German reported the
credential and program committees ano
the reports of the district officers fol.
lowed. The state officers were ther
presented.
! Mrs. Hill gave an address on Fedora