The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-03-23
CHILD LABOR '
 IS DISCUSSED Club Women Hold Meet-
 ing.
 WANT DELEGATES NAMED Committee Appointed to Wait on the Governor. M is the Opinion of the Club Women that If AIabama's Laws Are
 Best, others should Be Enlighteaed. --

Interested because Alabama, alone of all States, had refused to send deie- gates to New Orleans to attend the convention called by Governor Sanders for the purpose of considering the child labor laws, the City Federation of Women's Clubs met at the Carnegie library yesterday afternoon in an ex- ecutive session.
 Not only were the. women interested in the child labor question but action was taken concerning the proposed course of lectures to be given on Thursday and Friday afternoons and saturday evening by Dr. Guthrie, of Che University of the South, under the auspices of the Federation.
 It was in the child labor problem that greatest interest centered, because of the publicity that had been given by the press to the fact that Governor Conner had declined to appoint the del- egates, as requested upon the express cd theory, that Alabama already had good and sufficient laws. covered in the call of the conference, and that 1t was unnecessary therefore to send dele- rates to New Orleans to the meeting of March 29-31, inclusive.
 When the President, Mrs. Burwell Boykin, called the meeting to order the ohacers and many members of the elev- en federated clubs. were present. A. ter the business relating to the Guth- rie lectures was disposed of, Mrs Ray Rushton. President of Mothers Circle, upon the request of which club the call for the meeting was Issued, was asked to state the reason for the request.
 Mrs. Rushton in the composed and forceful manner that always charac- terixes her public utterances, said that because the New Orleans conference aimed at the welfare of women and children. the Mothers Circle had felt peculiarly interested in its work. She had been assured both by dispatches in the press and by private correspond ents that Governor Conner had declined to appoint delegates to the conference, and the purpose of the call was to bring the Governors decision to the attention of the City Federation, with ths@hope that such amicable steps might be taken in the name of the four hundred club women of Montgomery, as would induce the Governor to alter his opinion In the premises so far, as the appointment of delegates was con- earned.
 At the conclusion of Mrs Rush ton s remarks. Mrs. W. J. Chambers, also of the Mothers Circle, spoke. She said that if 1t were true, as Governor Co., mer claims, that Alabama had the best child labor laws of any State in the Onion, except Massach usetts, then fl was but wise and kind that these laws should be called to the attention of the conxerence by delegates frems the State in which they are operative. for the general edihcation of the whole repre- sentation. with the view to their adop- tion for other Southern States.
 Enlighten Others.
 'srhe purpose of the conference was not legislative, but only educative in its character, Mrs. Chambers said. "If '.wse have the best. go offer 1t to the rest. If we haven't the best. let's go after it."
 The next speaker was Mrs. Phares Coleman, President of the State Feder- ation of women's Clubs.
 Mrs. Coleman prefaced her remarks on the question by saying that better things for women and children was the work of the club women of Alabama and that the present child labor laws were the outcome of the agitation be- gun by the club women eight years ago. She was glad to see that the spirit of the meeting was so conserv- ative and the attitude towards Cover nor Conner so friendly.
 She tn ought that if a committee were