The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1906-12-15
BABY. .WAGE-EARNERS
IN SOUTHERN MILLS
Mother" Jones Writes Stirring
Article on 1niquities Of Child
Labor in South.
Cotton Mills Produce a Type Of
Children Easily Recognized
AS Most Puny.
(By Mother" JOnes.)

(By Mother" Jones.)
After THIRTEEN years of absence I re-
turned to see what improvements had
been made in the industrial conditions
of the mill workers Of the sunny south.
| I found that there had been marvel
| GUS progress made as far as the mills
and machinery were concerned. Look
| ing at the advancement in that line,
! one would think that the day Of rest
! for the workers must be near. Instead
IF bringing rest and leisure to the
| workers, however, this perfected ma
chinery brings only more merciless
exploitation than was ever practiced
before. With the advancement in ma
! chinery has come a corresponding ad-
vance in the methods of exploitation.
That Is all the difference the improve
ments have made upon the worekrs.
I stood one morning in the early
dawn and watched the slaves as they
entered the pen of capitalism. I could
see the shadows of the slaves passing
along In the brush to the mill at
twenty minutes to six in the morning.
Children, reused from the heavy sleep
Of youth left their beds reluctantly
and entered the institution Of capit-
alism to create wealth. for others to
enjoy.
The mill at Graham, N. c.. has been
built but four years. In that time
they have doubled the size Of the mill
and its machinery, and in addition to
this they have paid forty per cent
dividends to the stockholders each
year.
| I watched the workers, young and
old, who had produced all this wealth,
when the machinery stopped at noon.
They returned to the shack which
they call home, scraped together what
was left from breakfast, ate 1t for
lunch in mad hurry, and then they
drifted back again to their posts. It
brought to my mind the tread-mill
punishment with which the tyran-
nical government Of England tortured
her victims only eighty years ago.
These mill children are allowed only
forty minutes for dinner. Then they
stand before that iron giant until
twenty minutes Of seven at night. I
asked myself what progress had there
been in the conditions of these work.
ers? saw only tragedies everywhere.
|
dren who produce the clothing. for
the people Of the land are living trag-
edies. Under the naill-skiesso sof :Massa-
chusetts hearts are breaking from
overwork and poor food, just as they
are under the mill l-skies of the sunny
South. So exhausting is the work
that something must be done to COM
bat the existing state Of affairs. The
workers are old long before they are
old In years. They are old before
they have had chance to get their
growth. The machine has become al
most human and the child has become
machine.
In Columbia, S. c., splendid illus
trat1on of benevolent feudalism may
be observed. On one side Of the
streets is great MILL occupying a
whole block. Up the street is the
school building. Opposite is the
church with its steeple pointing up
to the throne Of God to proclaim the
wonderful work being carried on in
His name. Nearby, too, Is the repair
shop, called the "accident ward" Here
baby fingers are amputated and man
gled arms and legs and broken heads
are repaired, with what care and skill
the company doctor sees fit to call to
his aid. The thought in the mind of
this mechanic, the doctor, is to adjust
the living bolts and to so repair the
throbbing, fevered parts that the ma
chine may go back again to the mill ia
create more wealth for the master. II
the case is too badly injured to give
promise Of service, little interest is
taken and it is simply case for the
junk-heap Of our industrial life.
If there happens to be something
the matter with the morals" of these
living machines, the services of the
sanctified machinist are called into
activity. With threats on one hand
of eternal hell and on the other hand
Of eternal blessings, to play the golden
harp In the world beyond, this moral
mechanic does what he can to render
this member useful in creating wealth
To those Of US who would better these
conditions these sky pilots say, your
thoughts and plans are of this earth
worldly. Mine are higher, they
point upward; they are other world
ly.' l point from this world as it is
to the heavenly world which is to
| ACpoy IAAC pOOI AOT Lnelr SOI1er1nR III
they bear it in patience now." And
for centuries the poor deluded work
ers have been kept from their birth
right here. but they are waking up.
The work OF making the clothing
for the worlds Inhabitants is now SO
highly specialized that childrwen do
most of the spinning while the weav-
ing is done by men and women.
A suck shuttle loom pays the weav-
er fifteen cents per cut for twelve
hours work. In order to make wages
the worker must watch several ma
chimes. when everything runs
smoothly" said woman who is IA,
above the average In intelligence and
skill. Il can make a dollar and fifty
cents a day. But you know things
don't always 60 smoothly. And 1t is
hard for a woman to stand on her
feet thirteen hours every day. We
can't stand 1t all the time, and SO
$3.50 is more than the average weaver
gets"
In the spinning rooms the children