Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-01-30

gets tired and is more liable TO acci-
dent We all say that all cnllureh
should be educated. We have free schools
for the purpose. At u the child mas hot
even the foundation of an eGucation. no
has lust begun to read. has got into
numbers and knows q little geography.
$50 Lsay to you gentlemen that. first
he is too weak to go 70 work and again
he is not intelligent enough to leave
school and become a bread winner. The
average age at which child leaves
grammar school is 15 and at that age he
is fairly Well equipped. has received the
fundamental principles of an education.
At that age an ambitious boy can go 10
work ard later prepare himself TO be-
come business man and an iNeineent
citizen. If he is to be an intelligent cltl-
zen he must so to school until he is 10
"As far as the girls are concerned. if
the future welfare of the State is TO be
thought of they must be seriously con-
sidered. Ii is impossible for girl of l.
to stand on her feet all day and perform
the functions that nature intends her to
perform in later life. Is the welfare OF
tie State going to be better if We sacri-
fee the childhood of the State? You are
considering bills to protect your trees.
fish and shrubs. Are not our children as
of great value? We come to you as
wives and mothers and plead with You
that these children shall be protected"
Mrs. f. l.. Marsh, president of the
Maine Federation of Women's Clubs.
took up the health phase of the case.
dwelling particularly on the necessity of
preserving the health of the growing
children of the State if we are to pre-
serve the State itself She stated that
there were nearly 100000 children Of
school age at work. 1--WE must spend out
hundreds and hundreds of dollars" said
Mrs. Marsh. 'sending a census man
| round looking up these very birth cer-
tificates. Now what on earth is all that
stuff for? Somewhere in the archives Of
the State we have all those things. If
| we have birth certificates. let us use
| them. If we have baptismal certificates.
| let us use them. I speak for Maine. I
speak for America, speak for the cap
itaist and I speak for the home.''
Roscoe A. Eddy of Bar. Tarbor said
| that he believed that the responsibility
| should rest upon the mill owners. He
submitted an extract from the laws of
| the state of Ohio forbiddinE evening
| work and fixing the hours at which chill
dren may go to work and the hour at
| which they must stop.
Wallace II. White Of Lewiston conduct
| ed the case for the opposition to the bill.
He said that some things in connection
| with this bill are not quite fair to the
| employer or to the home. 'I doubt"
| said he. very much the wisdom or poll
| cy of any legislation that takes from the
parent the power in the home that this
bill does. I feel as though, with some
| of the advocates of the bill at least. their
| enthusiasm had carried them a bit too
| far. Mrs. Marsh stated that there are
100000 children employed in the mills
] and factories of the country. Now
! have that facts. that 1.154,OCO are engaged
| in agricultural pursuits
Mrs. Mason interrupted by producing
| the figures. saying: This DIS taken from
Senator Beveridge's bill before the Ma
tiondl legislative body. The census show;
that nearly 100000 child bread winners
under l. years of age are now at work
OF these about 10000 are engaged in
work other than agriculture. Child labor
| on the farm is good The bill does not
strike at that 1t strikes only at child
slavery in factories. mines and swea.
shops
Mr.. White in closing called uDon Rob
ert Macarthur, agent Of the Teppcrcll
mills at Biddeford. He said: Il am
rather sorry that I have been called
urcn. I don't come here in the inter
est of the manufacturers. For myself,
and in my acquaintance with other mill
agents. l may say they all agree that
they don't want these small children in
the mills. all want older and larger chill
dren. What have to say is in the inter-
ests of the very poor. which I know
something about. Mill men. agents and
overseers and others in the mill who
occupy high positions, have commenced
way down low, with very few excep-
TONS" Here Mr.. Macarthur cited sever
al specific cases.
cit does not follow that because chil-
dren are compelled to work in a mill
that they become emaciated. They don't
have to work more than half of the time.
This law is too arbitrary, is TOO strin
gent Now during the summer months
| there are many of these boys wandering
up and down the streets smoking Gig
arettes instead OF working in the shops
| and idling their time away. l believe
| that these children ought to he allowed
: TO 50 to work and to relieve those older