The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1908-03-29
SPEECH OF HON. VIM. FRANKLIN
ON BEHALF OF CHILD LABOR BILL

with the young flower of our states
manhood and womauhood the rich
est heritage OF our state?
There ar probably upward OF n
thousand children working in and
about the mines OF this state. Some
are yeiled from the light OK day
buried in dark caves of earth midst
damps and gases. Many are denied
the pleasures OF walking over grass
carpeted fields, listening To the mu-
sical undettoncs OF tapping brooks.
charmed by music throatcd birds.
where summers sunshine shifts
through interlacing buughs and per.
fumed zephyrs sigh breathing the
sweetness that comes from the odor-
GUS folds OF lovely flowers. You may
say that this is sentimental. but let
me tell you that is a beuighttd soul
that has no sentiment and that law
is written in the very life's best
blood which does not ia some de-
gree, come from the emotions of
'some worthy sentiment. lie me tell
YOU, the children who work in the
laundry shops-and there are thou.
sands of them in this state-working
with the dirty linen of my good
friend Senator Little 50 that he can
look cute" and others who desire
to look handsome, are due some con-
sideratiou at our hands. The chill
dren working in and about the mines
of this state-in those dark subter-
ranean vaults-carying out the cold,
black Jumps of coal, stored with the
latent heat OF sunboams, that YOU
and | and others in this state might
be protected from the winters blast
demand this legislation. When
these, children, if shut off from all
the beauties and blessings of earth,
consigned TO the blind caves of
eternal night" confronts the one
in whose image they were made,
viii they not be called upon TO
testify as to one of Okahoma's
blackest crimes?
This law l propose would save
our young womanhood from having
to work at the gainful occupations
mentioned in this bill between the
hours of o'clock p. m. and 6 o'clock
a. m.-the hours when character is
more apt to be assailed. If we do
not give them such protection, what
will be their charge when they pass
TO that sphere "where death, danger
and shame assault us no more?"
have been in both hemispheres OF
this globe and nowhere have | seen
women loved, honored and cared for
as they are in this western country.
All! sirs, if the women and children
are loved, cared for and protected.
the armies and nayies of the world
may eXpend their valor on fields of
revelry and parade. Nations that
have treated their women as toys
and spols of war, their lovellness
as commodity are recognized today
by their crumpling thrones and de-
serted temples.
Whenever it is acmitted that the
law would benefit those who create
things and make the wwheels of prog
ress turn, but some one says do
not pass that law NOW" | am fore
cd to look at the other side OF the
picture, mirrored in some classic
have read, "all day long the iron
wheels go onward, grinding down
from its mark, and the toilers, whose
souls God is calling heayenward,
spins on blindly, in the dark"
The evils of terrible slavery sys-
TEN will creep upon us soon, II we
do not enact similar law 10 the
one / propose. AS far as our laws
on child labor IS concerned, We can
now better compare with Russian
than any of the civilized nations.
Just a few years ago England saw
the evils and soon passed remedial
laws along this line. In hor last
war it was found that 60 per cent
of the men who presented them
selves for enlistment We're unfit for
service and that 80 per cent of those
enlisted could not go 10 the from:
for service. This condition caused
the authorities TO investigate the
cause of the condition. They. found
that the health and morals of that
nation had been undermined by the
treatment of children in mines, fac
tories and workshops. There ars
$500 children working in the mines
OF this nation. According TO the
census OF 1900 therewere 10000 chill
dren under IA years of age working
in the cotton mills OF the south, and