New-York tribune., 1906-04-11
A LETTER CAMPAIGN.
Women's Clubs to Bombard Sena-
tors in Interest of Child Labor Bill.

general bombardment of the national legis-
lature in the interests Of child labor legislation is
being planned by the club women Of the country.
sorosis started the campaign last week with let
ter to every member of the Senate and House Of
Representatives asking him his vote and
influence I'm favor of the child labor bin for the
District Of Columbia and the Childrea's Bureau
bill. The Women's Health Protective Association
will FOLLOW this week. and after il viii come. at
appropriate intervals. the Society for Political
Study the Eclectic. the Post t-Parament and the
woman's Republican Club. Others will, no doubt
take similar action as their attention is
drawn TO the subject. and it is expected that the
movement will become general throughout the
country.
Mrs Ralph Trautmann chairman Of the Sorosis
child labor committee. and DR.. Samuel McC
Lindsay, Of the National Child Labor Committee
presented the claims OF the two million child slaves
Of thee country to the Woman's Republican Club
at Deimonico's yesterday morning and at the con-
clusion of their addresses the women voted to join
in the letter writing campaign.
Legislators may scoH and say this. that and
the other" said Mrs. Trautmann. but the ipf1u-
ence Of women does count in the long run. If they
are sufficiently in earnest TO keep up the fight
And the President has assured us that when the
bills come 10 hearing he Will bring all his influ-
ence 10 bear aud present his own personal argu-
ment in their favor"
Mrs. Trautmann tried to conclude her plea with
& comparison of the lot of the child slaves with
how snuff was administered to them and cold
water dashed in their faces to keep them awake
her voice broke and she sat down. saying:
II can't talk about IT, ladies' II breaks all
20 pieces"
DR.. Lindsay said that the bill to regulate child
tabor in the District OF Columbia would undoubted-
ly pass the House, but being held up in the
Senate by a Southern legislator. because the age
limit IS beyond that Of his state. Virginia. He
expressed some hopes, however. for this Senator
and for the passage of the bill by Congress during
the present session. The bill was amended during
small stores the essential point in the District of
Columbia, but this amendment has been
stricken out Although the bill, If passed will af-
feet q comparatively small number of children, II
IS considered OF great importance example to
the of the country
Dr. Lindsay exhibited a series Of stereoptcon
views collected by the National Child Labor Com
nittee and startled the audience by the literacy
he ascribed 10 the various groups of children One
group of three included couple of young just
approaching their majority, and a boy about twelve
looked rather attractive. that the audience
entirely unprepared for the assertion that Of
them could read or write. group of nine boys
was picked UP random in a New England mill
town, and after they had been photographed it was
found that all OF them illiterates.
- You can't teach them anything, mill own
told me-" commented Dr. Lindsay. Some peo-
ple.' he said. were designed to work with their
brains and with their hands, and these chill
dren, he evidently believes, belong to the latter
class
As a couple Of jolly looking negro boys were
thrown the screen the speaker said:
''Coored labor has been tried in the cotton mills.
but for various reasons IT has not been found
isfactory So the white child is working while the
have the relations CT the two in the future
remains TO be SEEN