Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-07-21
THE CH|LDLABOR EVIL
Power to Prohibit Rests In Fed
eral Congress.
A PLEA FOR LITTLE ONES

Senator Bcvoridge Says That Employ
mont of Infants Monaces Life of the
Republic-system Degrades Citizen
ship-A Growing Horror.
Senator Albert j. Beveridge OF In
diana was the principal speaker at the
national conference OF charities, re-
Gently held ut Minneapolis. Speaking
OF Legislation TO restrict child labor, he
said:
when In the senate introduced the
bill 10 prohibit child labor in the re-
pubic certain men In both parties de
MED the evil: others said Il was 'exag-
gerated.' When for two whole days /
read 10 the senate testimony given I'M
Ger onth by mon and women whose
truthfulncSs mono could question dc.
malls of tho evils censcd; we heard no
more about 'cxaggerntion.' For these
men and women under oath showed
how widespread the Outrage ~. and
they gave hundreds of examples. with
names and dates. They described the
atroeity In horrible detail. giving In
stances which they had personally seen
and Investigated.
"'rhe lowest possible estimate IS that
100000 stuntcd creatures are being
poured into the body OF American clti-
zenship every year. and this dccadcnt
class is rapidly increasing All our I'm
nginnry dangers To the republic COM
bincd do not eQunl tho real menace Of
this ooncrctc. living. growing terros.
| am II defender Of property and right
cous wealth. and so warn both TINT
we are creating class moro dancer
GUS To property ana even TO FREQ insti-
tutions than all the anarchists. with MI
their bombs.
when tho enemies of tho bill were
forced by an army OF witnesses testl-
flying under onth To cease denying the
existence OF the evil or asserting its
cxuggcrntion they raised the familiar
cry of 'unconstitutlonnlity.' In fnco of
whit the supreme court hns expressly
decided in face OF tho awful condi-
lions admitted To exist. II IL Just such
cries OF unconstltutionnlity' that arc
raised against this plainly constitution.
al measure that nre bringing our funda-
mental law Into contempt. Those who
nrc using the constitution 10 shield and
protect admitted evils. even to the
point Of declaring the supreme court
Itself Is wrong. are the renl enemies OF
the constitution and tho destroyers OF
the peoples faith In 1t.
For exactly thus far have the enc.
niles of this bill gone. When I read to
the senate the decision OF the supreme
court In the famous lottery case 1t
was stated In debate that the supreme
court was wrong
"ln every case where the question
has been raised tho supreme court has
decided TINT the power of congress to
regulate commerce includes the power
10 prohibit Ii IL said TINT IL we can
prohibit Interstate railroads from cur
rying child made goods we can pro-
hiblt anything else and that therefore
the power cannot exist. But tho gu
premc court answered that argument
hundred years ago by saying TINT
abuse or power Is no argument
against It's existence and that when
congress does abuse its power the
remedy is In the banda of tho people ut
the ballot box. For example, IL we
prohibit Interstate commerce In healthy
cattle every one of us would Do In
stantly thrust from public life forever.
We have prohibited infected cattle
from Interstate commerce
but more powerful even than
these decisions are the numerous dec
larations 10y the supreme court that the
power of congress- over Interstate COM
merce Is precisely the same as its pow
or over foreign commerce This has
been repeatedly held In express md
emphatic words. Yet. acting exclusive
ly under our power over foreign com
.mcrcc, we have prohibited convict
made goods. If We can prohibit con-
Wet madc goods from our foreign COM
merco and II our power over inter
state commerce Is the same rs our
power over foreign commerce. then OF
course we can prohibit convict mnde
goods from Interstate commerce. And
II wc can prohibit Interstate com
mcrre in convict made goods we can
prohibit Interstate commerce In child