The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1907-01-31
ToILING INNNocENTs.
Nearly 100000 Children Are Industrial
Slaves.

This Is q question 10 which tue dtIeu-
ton of congress Is to be directed this
winter by Senator Albert J. Beyerldge
Of Indiana.
Can the strong arm Of the federal
government be interposed to save the
chlldreng The senator from Indiana
says that 1t can. His announcement
and the plan which he suggests are the
most radical propositions which have
been brought before the country for
many years.
That the children have not been pro-
tected appears from the cold dgures
which repose between the unsensation-
al bindings Of the deeennial census re-
ports. II is admitted by census OIL
ciais that the returns are very made
quate and that iii many localities they
have been falsiiied by the influence Of
the mill owners and mine workers. but
In spite Of such Justification the story
tells itself.
The worst OF the story and the clear
est evidence that the states are not do
ing their duty Is found Id the fact that
the number of children who are indus
trial slaves has been growing steadily
for the past twenty years In 1880
when the total number of children in
the United States between ten and
fourteen years OF age was 6.649, 4S3.
the number who were working for
wages was I.I9S,356. or 10 per cent Of
all such children ID 1900, when the
total Juvenile population was 0,61S.252.
the number working for wages was
/ t.T5o,lTS, or is per cent Of the total.
Some OF the chlldrea are shown TO be
put to work when very young In
Pennsylvania. for example. where the
boys are needed In tile hard coal mines,
the census enumerators found 2,06T
boys ten years Of age at work. In adj
ditIon to these there were 30l4 boys
eleven years OF age. T,3aS boys twelve
years Of age. 1926 boys thirteen years
OF age. 23,I7o boys fourteen years Of
age and 33,l01 logs fifteen years Of
age.
How protect these boys? pennsyl-
yania Is supposed to have stHtates
against child labor and law 81 to
enforce them, But Pennsylr Is
Mr. Baer Of the Delaware anu d.
wanna railway leading spirit u The
coal trust and commissioned by the Al
mighty, as Mr.. Baer thinks. to make
the business pay. The consequence Is
Pennsylvania does mot protect these
children.
The remedy which Is suggested by
Senator Beveridge Is very simple. He
would make 1t Illegal for anthracite
coal which these boys helped to pick
over III the breaker houses to be ship
ped from one state to another. Thus
I Pennsylvania would have to either dis
pose Of all it's hard coal within Its own
boundaries or the little breaker boys
under fourteen years Of age must be
taken out Of the breakers and sent TO
school.
The same principle applies to the
children employed. for example. In the
cotton mills Of Alabama and the knit
ting mills of Massachusetts. Both these
states are fragrant offenders against
childhood and womanhood
The census enumeration Ia 1900
/ showed that ID Alabama there were
Io-9i3 boys and $3.50 girls ten years OF
age engaged in gainful occupations to
the exclusion of schooling and youth.
full diversion. In addition 10 these
there were l1.0sl boys and 5,011 girls
eleven years OF age; also 1928 boys
I and 1900 girls twelve years OF age.
4 1892 boys and 720S girls thirteen
years Of age. 1903 boys and 7.o47
/ girls fourteen years OF age and 1891
boys and 7.799 girls fifteen years Of
age engaged in gainful occupations.
Another state which is a hagrant Of.
fender is Georgia. The census returns
show that in that state there are 60,S7O
boys under fourteen years Of age and
2s,74S girls under fourteen years Of
/ age working mostly IN the cotton mills,
1 North Carolina also INDUCES In child
slavery. employing more than half its
children between ten and fourteen
years OF age. There were in that state
In 1900 02,445 boys and 25.54l girls
employed In gaInful occupations.
In Indiana there were l6,101 boys so
employed and $500 girls.
/ AS one moves west conditions Inn
prove in the matter Of child labor. In
the section OF the United States en-
! bracing the states from washington
on the north to Carolina on the south
and coming east as far as Colorado
and Utah the proportion Of boys be-
tween ten and fourteen engaged in
gainfui occupations Is but Z per cent.
The census figures show that the
largest number Of young children and
! women employed is IA the cotton mills,
Second to these come the silk mill op.
eratiyes. The hosiery aud knitting
mills employ great many women and
children, as do the shirt factories. the
paper mills the leather working factO-
ries and the cigar aud toboeco works.
When Senator Beverage will ne able
to force bis legislative remedy IN the
teeth Of the powerful moneyed in.
terest which VIII be aTayed against
him remains to be seen Certain It Is
that his fight will be harder one than
that put up by the beef trust.
In bis fight for The children be will
encounter the opposition OF score Of
trusts including the glass trust the
cotton mill combination, the coal trust,
the tobacco trust. the paper trust and
a dozen others. ellison Gardner In
Plttsburg Press,