The Washington herald., 1909-02-28


IN the Nerth. South, East and West.
min aad mine owners were beseiged with
tracts. reports and catechisms by mail.
and Well-meaninz though often mis-
guided catechists in person Everybody
wanted 10 lend a hand in Strengthening
out the matter. and out of their mingled
good VIII and ignorance grew much con-
fusion and much unjust criticism Of both
the employer Of child labor and the
would-be reformer. All this interest grad-
ually crystallized n an organized effort
on the part Of manufacturers. legislators,
labor organizers. vomen's clubs. and
broad-nlnded citizens 10 obtain legisla-
ton that would control. 10 some extent.
this great evil Of child labor.
Now. ln this good year Of grace 1soe,
We see laws protecting children workers
in practically every State and Territory
in the Union. two or three Western d.
visions having not yet reached the need
OF such laws ThiTty-seven. OF these
States and Territories, and the District
o. Columbia, enacted these laws within
the seven years following the last census.
and last year the legislatures OF UTenty-
amended old ones.
Why are children working That IS
what everybody is trying to find out
Over a year-ago Congress appropriated
s53aeoo for a thorough investigation Of
the condition OF women and child workers
throughout the nation. \ corps OF skilled
workers has the matter in charge. and
by next fall or winter a comprehensive
report viii be offered on the subject A
recent private census on this point was
made by a Southern club woman. She
visited twenty representative mills in the
South, asking always. Why are children
working Do you want them 70 work
Who is forcing them 10 labOr2 The
answers brought out such facts as these;
The majority Of the children in those
mills were working 70 support themselves,
ana sometimes the whole family. They
had come from families Of poor whites
where the father was incompetent to sup
port them, or. worse still. was too lazy.
Many were working because the father
refused 10 contract any members OF his
family 10 the mill unless all we're taken
\ few had been brought by their work
ing mothers because there was no place
20 leave them. and Il was argued that
child was safer in the mill under the
supervision than on the streets alone
A few came with the consent of their
parents to earn money 70 spend as they
pleased.
Fourteen managers in these twenty
mil,s preferred no children under th3r-
teen or fourteen. They found them
wasteful. and more OF a hindrance at
times than a help. Two frankly pre-
ferred child labor to adult labor and
said the sooner they could get the chill
dren and train them the better, because
their fingers were nimbIer The other
four hadn't been in the manufacturing
business Of those sections long enough
20 have proved either the efficiency or
wastefulness Of child labor. The major
ity seemed TO be al TIE mercy Of ava
riciOUs parents who wanted 70 put their
children In the mills. who wanted 10
make every cent from their work they
possibly could. and who were continually
threatening 10 move away If ali the
children were not employed The varying
age limit in the States having child
labor laws makes possible a regular mi
grafton from place TO place For ex-
ample, Tennessee allows no children
under fourteen 20 work IN mills and
mines. Alabama's age limit is twelve 50
there is q continual migration Of workers
across the border, making the average
mill population in the South a floating
one.
Il is this vide variation in the child
labor laws OF the land that caused Sen
stor Beveridge last year 30 eadeavor 70
have Congress legislate in the matter
Where England or a country OF conti-
mental Europe has law restricting child
labor that can be enforced throughout
is borders without conflict. there are
nearly as. many laws on the subject IN
this country as there are States and Ter
ritOries. Il was for. this reason that the