The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1907-01-05
Publicity Campaign aeains st Child Labor.


The Third Annual Meeting Of the
National Child Labor Committee, the
organization OF which President
Roosevelt is not only an honorary
but an actively interested member.
reached its conclusion on Saturday.
Addresses were made by Senator
NeVeridge, Felix Andler, Jane
Adams DR.. Samuel McCune, Lind
say, Homer Folks, Arthur I. Vance
and others prominent in child labor
reform work. Senator Beveridge
described in detail his bill recently
introduced into Congress to abolish
child labor by prohibiting the inter-
state transportation Of goods man
utactured or mined by child labor,
and Arthur 7. Vance, editor of the
Womans Home Companion, reviewed
The value of publicity in reform work.
Mr. Vance said in part;
Publicity in reform is merely the
application of modern business meth
DDS to reform work. This statement
IS so obviously true that it seems
almos: unnecessary to make it.
''The manufacturer who has Il
product in which he believes, spends
thousands of dollars in buyingpublicity
in the newspapers and magazines to
tell the people of the country about
the virtues of his product. We call
this sort of publicity, advertising, If
this product lives up to claim he
makes for it, We who are interested
in reform, do precisely the same thing
when we take steps to interest the
newspapers and magazines in our pet
theories. and if our reform is good
thing the people of the country vii!
stand by and back us up. In other
words, advertising publicity and
reform publicity both accomplish the
same thing. They arouse public
interest and public sentiment in favor
of the object which they have in view.
"Not long ago certain state passed
child labor law, not a very good one
but better than nothing, and among
the inspectors appointed was a man
who liked to sit on the fence until
public opinion dil ected him on which
side he should flop. He went among
his neighbors, dropping question
here and hint there to see if strict
attention to the law would be requir-
ed of him. He speedily discovered
that rigid enforcement was expected,
and without delay. Pablo senti-
ment against child labor YVES rampant
in that state, and the law Just passed
was law demanded by the women
and mothers of the community.
"Nowadays, we plan publicity In a
systematic and scientific manner. The
problem is merely one of how best to
reach the people whom we want to in.
terest, whose help we want to enlist
in the cause. A modern campaign of
advertising. And in both cases the
effectiveness of the campaign depends
upon the worthiness of the cause.
ave have come to place greater
dependence than ever upon the
power of printers ink in molding
public opinion.
at was publicity that brought
about the downfall Of the Louisiana
1t was publicity that prepared the
way for the present Investigations
into Standard Oil. 1t was magazine
article that stirred up talk about the
conditions in the Panama and finally
led to the President going down there
himself to investigate. Legitimate
printers ink has been foremost
in the fight for pure food, and for the
regulation of patent medicine. 1t
can be safely said that publicity to
day Is the greatest power for the
public good in the country