Albuquerque evening citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1905-1907, 1906-12-01

make the business pay. The conse
quence is Pennsylvania does not pro
tect these children.
The remedy which is suggested by
Senator Beveridge is very simple. He
would make it illegal for anthracite
coal which these boys helped to pick
over in the breaker houses, to be
shipped from one state to another
Thus Pennsylvania would have To
either dispose of all its hard coal
within its own boundaries. or the lit
tie breaker boys under IA years OF
age must be taken out Of the break,
ers and sent to school.
The same principle applies " the
children employed, for example. in
the cotton mills of Alabamd or the
knitting mills of Massachusetts. Both
these states are flagpsnt Offenders
against childhood and womanhood.
The census enumeration in 1900
showed that in Alabama there were
1913 boys and $3.50 girls 10 years of
age engaged in gainful occupations to
the exclusion of schooling and youth.
ful diversion. In auuIuon to thess
there were 1lOS1 boys, 5,61t girls. II
years of age: also 14,214 boys and
$500 girls. II years of age; 1892
boys and 1908 girls 13 years OF age
15,05S boys and 7,947 girls IA years OF
sge, ad 1891 boys and 1893 girls. Is
years of age engaged in gainful occu
pations.
Another state which is a fragrant
offender IS Georgia. The census re.
turns show that in that state ihere
are 60,S70 boys under IA years of age
and 2S,74S girls under IA years of age
working. mostly in the cotton mills
North Carolina also INDUCES in
child slavery, employing more than
half its children between 10 and Ii
years of age. There were in that
state in 1900, 62,445 boys and 25,o41
girls employed in gainful occupations
In Indiana ther were 16,101 boys SC
employed and 2,S09 girls.
AS one moves west, conditions i'm
prove in the matter of child labor
In the section of the United States
embracing the states from Washing
ton on {he north - California on the
south, and coming east as far as Col
orado and Utah, the proportion oi
boys between 10 and IA engaged in
gainful occupations is but per cent
The census figures show that the
largest number of young children and
women employed is in the cottor
mills. Second to these come the sill
mill operatives. The hosiery anC
| knitting mills employ a great man,
women and children, as do the shir
| factories, the woolen mills, the glas.
factories, the paper mills. the leather
working factories and the cigar an(
tobacco works.
When Senator Beyeridge will bC
| able TO force his legislative remedy
in the teeth of the powerful moneyeC
| interest which will be arrayed agains
/ him, remains to be seen. Certain i
is that his fight will be a harder one
than that put up by the beef trust.
| In his fight for the children he viii
encounter the opposition of score
of trusts, including the glass trust
the cotton mill combination, the Goa
/ trust. the tobacco trust, the papei
trust and a dozen others.
In addition to which he will un
| doubtedly find the solid south arrayet
| in compact political antagonism raj
! lying TO the call of the vested inter
ests under the familiar cry of states
! rights.
One thing which will help Bever
idge in his fight will be the supper
Afforded him by President Roosevelt
who is in hearty accord with the In
diana senator's new campaign. How
strongly he favors laws on this sub
ject will appear in the Forthcoming
message to congress.