The morning journal-courier., 1908-12-05
PROF. FARNAM' s
 STRONG ADDRESS
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Continued from First Page)  certain policies which he believes to be in the public interest, He is the strateglst, It Is the duty of the stu dent, and often a somewhat lonely duty, to roam as a scout through those regions which are still debatable ground and inform the statesman what the prospects for the next ad- vance are. His opinions may perhaps be formed generation in advance of the time at which the statesman can enact them into law Indeed, If you will trace the progress of legislation as Prof. Dicey has done in such mastetrly way for England, you will see that the enactment of law often follows by thirty or forty years the time at which it's principles were the common property of scholars.
 My topic reads the relation of state and federal legislation to the Child Labor Problem. At first sight it would seem as If there could be but one side to the question. The federal constitution Is one of enumerated powers and nowhere in that admirable document do we find the power of passing child labor laws conferred upon congress. Yet two methods have been recently proposed for invoking federal Intervention in this matter and there is a third, which though little considered as yet, must be seri- ously examined before we can regard the whole question as settled.
 1, The first method is to simply provide for the creation of chil- dren's bureau in Washington, Such bill has been introduced by Senator Crane of Massachusetts Its main purpose Is to gather information on the subject of children and thus to exercise a certain moral influence up on the action of the states or upon public opinion. The chief difficulty with a measure of this kind Is, if you will pardon the colloquialism, that 1t has no teeth. Experience has long shown that mere knowledge of cer- tain evils does not terminate them. Some more definite and aggressive ac- i ton must be taken As a preliminary step the children's bureau might be advantageous but 1t cannot be regard l ed as anything more. It Is like a searchlight which shows up the enemy I but does not hit him.
 ? Though congress is not speclh- eally endowed with the power of leg I islating on the subject of child labor t Is thought by some that 1t might indirectly check its evils by providing that no articles shall be allowed to enter into interstate commerce which l have been produced in establishments i employing children below certain age. This Is the essential feature O, the blll introduced by Senator Bev. eridge of Indiana
 2. The third method which I shal discuss at greater length involve, nothing less than an amendment tc the federal constitution, giving con. gross concurrent power with thu states to legislate on this important question. Such an extension may bt advocated on one of two grounds either the failure of the states to live up to their responsibilities, or. on tn, other hand, the desirabillty as prin, ciple of conferrng such power upor the federal government
 l shall say nothing of tho formc point, though long chapter might b written upon 1t. In the short tim at my disposal I prefer 10 emphasiz the positive rather than the critIca side of the question
 Would National Child Labor Lay be in accordance with the general pur poses of the constitution? We need no read far in that admirable instrumen to get an answer to our question. Tn Very preamble enumerates among it purposes "to secure the blessings O liberty to ourselves and our posteritv
 What blessings has liberty for a per son whose childhood has been blighted whose bodily strength has been impair ed and whose education has beeI stunted by long hours of work in mill? It is to secure tho blessing of lib erty 10 our posterity that child labo laws are enacted They could not b specified in the constitution becaus