The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-03-30
HELP FOR CHILDREN
IMPORTANT CONFERENCE BEGINS
 IN NEW ORLEANS.
Governor Sanders Presides, and Miss Jean Gordon Makes Sarcastic Reference to Some Laws in
 the South.

New Orleans, March 29.-Seeking the accomplishment of uniform child labor laws in the South, delegates from number of Southern. States gathered Tn New Orleans today for conference to extend over a period of three days. Not only does the convention mark the first concerted movement in this direction in the South. but 1t is made further notable by the fact that In attendance upon 1t are both leading opponents of a more stringent child labor regulation and prominent man ufacturers employing child labor. as
 well as leading public officials.
 Various viewpoints were presented at the first session of the Congress this afternoon and from the different ex- pressions and suggestions that are to be offered during the course of the con- vention. 1t is hoped to arrive at the provisions of what would constitute model child labor law bill for adoption by. the States of the South.
 Governor J. Y. Sanders of Louisiana was called to act as permanent chair man after. the details of preliminary organizati ., had been carried out and several ae1esses had been delivered. He declared that the views which would be submitted in many instances
 were widely divergent and that conn promises would be inevitable. as even in the actual enactment of all laws. In commenting on the changed con- ditions in the South in the last gener-
 ation. Governor Sanders said that he did not know but that the transition
 from an agricultural South to a com 1 mercial and manufacturing South spoke no good for the people.
 Governor Herbert s. Hadley, of
 Missouri declared that it was the duty and right of the State to protect | the children and women who toll and that Missouri was ready to join in any
 movement which aimed at this.
 J. W. Van Cleave, of St. Louis, president of the National Manufactur- CTS Association, spoke from the man. ufacturers viewpoint. He declared
 that the great majority of manufact- urers are in favor of making the
 minimum age limit for children work CTS fourteen years and that great in justice was often done manufacturers In assuming that they were opposed to child labor regulation He be- lieved that it would be only com paratively short time before the won derful improvement of machinery would create conditions, so that there would be no room for children in factories and declared that child la bor was In reality not profitable Ia bor to the manufacturer.
 As to the laws for the regulation of child employment he declared:
 Make the parent responsible to the State. and you will have solved the problem"
 Miss Jean Gordon. factory inspect or for the City of New Orleans, en- tered into a severe arraignment or laws. existing In the majority of the Southern States, she said. which ground out the welfare and happiness of women and children.
 She made a sarcastic reference to the establishment of night schools and Hbaries for children and women employed in factories, declaring you
 might as well install an art gallery in an asylum for the blind" The feature of tonight's session or the conference was an address by Miss Kate Barnard,r,commission of chari- ties and corrections of Oklahoma, who
 in the course of a plea for the takins
 of children out of mills. said:
 Our mill children are making vast
 private fortunes for few at the price
 of deseneracy of race. They breathe
 the dust and lint of the loom. they
 stand constantly on floor trembling
 with the vibrations of monster ma
 chimes until the delicate lining of thu