The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1907-12-28
CHILD LABOR MAKING
= =. RACE OF: OEGEhERk|IE|s'
National Association Of Manufac-
turers Being Enriched by the
Drudgery Of Children.
Future of the Republic Endanger.
ed by the Methods of the
Arch Enemy.

The inhuman octopus, whose greedy
members are demoralizing "American
industry, in every city, of our land
where they can obtain a foothold. as
guilty of still greater wrong than
striving to reduce adult workers 10
starvation wages. ..u..y,>
Injustice to Youth. e.:
The children, the little children, who
should be happy in their swiftly fleeing
childhood, going day in and day out: to
mills and sweat shops to crafty the
avarious NAV of low-wage manufac-
turers, is a more serious menace to
American society than the most malici-
Gus and infernal act the association
can perpetrate against trades un1ontsm
either in Duluth or elsewhere. Here is
a story giving the observations of a
lady as to conditions in the south, that
speaks louder than any words, as to
where the lockout" should begin. t
Employment Of Children.
In 1890 the south ceased to be 'pri-
marily an agricultural region. In 1905
1t actually manufactured 1000 more
bales of cotton than the north and
east. Now It leads the country in
the number Of cotton mills. There are
upward of 100000 persons thus en-
played. Sixty per cent are probably
under 81 years Of age. 80:
About $4,000 children between and
II are working in these mills II hours
a day; sometimes more, or little less.
Little children under IL arc working
nightsfrom 6 to 6.
have seen and talked to them, and
in this I tell only what I have seen
and heard.
It is no answer to say that next
January Georgia will have law. for
bidding children working in the mills
under ~; or that South Carolina for
bids night work by children under IL.
These laws are not enforced.
1t is the testimony Of those VINO
know that the railroads unite with the
mill interests in defeating laws which
would really take the child from the
mill. 1t Is railroad ethics that nothing
must interfere with business.
Work of Hirelings.
Agents for the mills are busy all the
time. promoting emigration to the
towns. The farmer is told now he or
his children may earn $1.75 a day
largely fiction, by the way). He is to
have a fine new house for so cents a
month.
So begins the drudgery Of the. chill
dren. Twelve hours on her feet makes
bed a welcome place to a little girl Of
10. There is not play for the children
of the MILL.
l.. Schools are mostly empty; reading
rooms desertedSS the gardens run to-
waste. 49, ..
Did you ever see whole town with
out ball field? Did you ever. see a
playless race of. children? Here you
find them both. 49,.
Children Of the mill are prematurely
old. In fact, they are never really
children. Financial independence
breeds a loosening of parental ties, and
they marry early. Georgia has it's
widows Of IA.
Menace to Maternity.
The mill demands the young moth
er's labor, and she gives it at time
when her strength should be given to
her offspring. And a generation comes
that is misbegotten and misborn--
feeble, undersized,@ marked with here.
ditary weakness and handicapped for
life. The children of the children now
working the mills will not be soldiers,
like their fathers, who fought at Kings
Mountain. and the battle Of New Or
leans. More like will they be to that
army Of 100000 Of London's unem-
ployed," who are really an army of
'ineffectives," recruited from the mills
Of Manchester and Leeds and Birming-
nam-men and women whose vitality
has been Slapped by premature employ
ment-the hooligans and 'arrys" who
are the offspring Of England's century
Of trif1ing with the child labor problem,
which in the: south is new.