The gold leaf., 1909-01-28
Inaugural Address of
Gov. Kitchin.
Continued from first page)

Gov. Kitchin.
Continued from first page)
With the revival OF business through
out the country which always follows
panics, our State will reap her share
OF benefits. State policies never yet
caused n general panic, and State
legislation can do nothing to avert
one. Our people were extremely for
tunate in being so well prepared to
weather the storm which they did
not produce and could not escape,
for the industries OF no State with
stood the panic better than ours and
suffered less it's direful effects. Every
citizen should do what is in hispower
to hasten the return OF prosperity
to our farms and factories which
they richly deserve and which will
assure similar prosperity to all other
industries.
FACTORY LIFE.
Factory life is increasing and fac
tory conditions are constantly press
ing upon the attention OF all. Fac
tories should not be hindered or Grip
pied in their great work but should be
urged forward to greater triumphs.
However, the object of effort is not
to pile brick upon brick or to merely
perfect prOcessesof earning money.
Human happiness is sought, not
merely for the few but ior all.
He that works to help another
amass q fortune is entitled, in ad-
dition, to his wages, to healtbful
surroundings and pleasant condi-
tions, otherwise his struggle for hap
piness is handicapped and fruitless.
While many OF our mills are sanitary
to high degree, especially those OF
recent construction, our factories
have attained to that magnitude
that the public may rightfully re-
quire that hereafter every mill erec-
ted shall be constructed i'll accor-
dance with the demands Of santa
tion to avoid as far as possible dis
ease among operatives, as they are
now constructed in accordance with
insurance demands to avoid as far
as possible fire loss
Every right thinking man is
against child factory labor yet every
one knows that under present con
ditions unless our homes for the aged
and infirm and our orphanges are
vastly enlarged some children must
labor. Neither the counties or the
denominations are ready to shonl-
der the expense, however good i'll
theory, of maintaining all those
whom children now help to support
and such children themselves as now
have to work. Child labor OF some
kind at present is an unavoidable
evil. 1t appears that these chill
dren who must toll can earn more
in factories than on farms, and
often they and theirs prefer the fac
tory. The mill children of today
will be the ancestors of many mill
workers OF the future For our fac
tories to compete with Others, high
class labor will be ess, ntial High
class labor must be hea thy. A far
sighted wisdom makes our mill own
ers anxious not only to preserve, but
to improve the health ofevery opera
tive both for present results and for
future safety.
Our law prohibiting children under
13 years OF age from working in fac
tories should be enforced. | doubt
not that our mill managers endeavo or
to comply with its provisions. There
should be some official inspection to
aid in it's enforcement, and it should
be under the bureau of labor and
printing We know the difficulty OF
refusing employment to the child
who must work and who can earn
more money in factory than else
where. but the law which has been
written should be obeyed While q
system lodging in some official the
duty of investigating each case o.
proposed child labor and ascertain
ing how otherwise the child OF dis
abled father or widowed mother
could be supported, or whether
admittance to some asylum could bt
had. the conditions under which sucf
child could work, his physical de
velopment. the number of hours re
Quired and other facts bearing on it
and requiring upon such investiga
tion a decision in writing giving rea
Sons, and either permitting or deny
ing employment, might be bette
than the system we have adopted
yet ours was adoted as understand
upon mutual agreement of thos
employing labor, those representing
the employed and those representing
the public, and it remains for the au
thority OF the people including tn
Legislature to see that our system
is properly carried out. In wise et
forts to perfect this system you ma.
confidently expect the cooperation
of our manufacturers.
CORPORATIONS.
The Attorney General should b
authorized to examine every pre-
posed charter for orcorporations to sc
that it violates neither the write
nor unwritten law. He should be spt
officially charged with the duty OF ell
forcing our laws against all corpore
tions, domestic or foreign. habituall
violating its sprovisioEs. When a col
poration is conducting busine So
violation of law no one feels tn at
is his special duty to act, but ever
one is inclined to wait for some OF
else to proceed, where the creates
violation is scommitt ed, there the co
poration may create strong sent
ment against its prosecution. Man
of the wrongs committed by corpor'