The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-03-09
UNIVERSAL CRY FOR LAW
 PASSED BY UNHEEDINGLY
Compromise Substitute Looked Good
 But Hole Was Found.
Proposed Enactment, After Mach Agi- tation Is Permitted To Expire of hamilton When Amend
 ments Are Prepared.

What became of the child labor bill? Why was there 10 child labor legisia- tion by the Legislature when every body was for 1t. including the cotton mill dynasty" which was said to have more influence In Alabama political aTairs than all the rest of the corpo- rations put together.
 There was a child labor bin, but ft died on the calendar. It died or neglect. Those who were responsible for the poor things coming in the world allowed it to die of hamilton.
 The primary reason for its being per- mitted to perish was the fear that the bill contained all sorts of pos abilities for trouble. There was some neat legislative sparring on the piii that died, all removed from the gaze of publicity. The story of the child Ia bor b.li, whih went unhonored ana unsung. is another of the great unwrit- ten stories of the Legislature.
 The whole Legislature when 1t met was for a child labor law. The Democratic platform, which contained as many dif- ferent ingredients as boarding house hash, demanded a hild labor law And the Governor recommended one In ms message. The cotton mill owners of the State were clamoring Tor cniid labor bill. Tho Alabama Child Labor
  for an efficient lew that would meet the evil conditions which prevail in Alabama, law which could not be lodged, and which would meet the con- ditions that exist in the State.
 Of course, there was some little dif- ference of opinion between the friends of the cotton mill owners where chill dren are employed, and the friends or the Child Labor Committee, which ,4A1 Ioxxr ryh n could drive "a coach and four" The friends of stringent, effective law had been handed lemon" at the Legisla- ture four years ago. A so-called child labor law was put upon the books, but it had no machinery for its enforce ment, no possible way of enforcement. Even the cotton mill men say 1t was farce.
 Substitute is Reported.
 The committee this time drew up stringent powerful law, and 1t was in- troduced by Representative Pitts of Perry. It was good bill No one de- nied that. It went to the committee,
 Tn the committee, where there were two or three other child labor bills, the friends of the Tcotton mill dynas- ty" went over the whole ground with the friends of the Child Labor Commit tee. They proposed compromise bill The friends of the committee looked at the bill. strolSed their chins and said:
 That seems fair.'
 So a substitute for the Pitts bill was reported, and 1t looked to be an armor plated affair, that would do the work. Everybody seemed united in support of the bill. Three hundred copies of the measure were printed. and 1t looked to all the lawmakers who were inter- ested in child labor legislation as though the bill would do the work.
 But there were some members sus- picious of the measure. It seemed too fair. One member, thinking something must necessarily be wrong with the bill. handed a copy of it to we'll known labor leader who was familiar with other child labor laws. This man who knew, was asked by the doubling legislator to take the bill down to his room and see what was wrong with 1t.
 Looks like a good bill, but there's a big hole in it,, said the labor leader confidently, and when he came to make his report. 'Srhe fellow who didn't know wouldn't suspect the bill had