The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1910-11-22
AS 10 Child Labor by the
National Child Labor
Cof1I1lttee,


in an e5rteBsEve inEsestiG CATION of child
labor in the night. neEEen ger service.
The reports gfere placed Insthe hands
OF local cQuffnlttees In a number of
states. resnltihs IN some instances in
the enactment Of restrictive laws The
most advanced 0f-these was a Law
passed by the New York legislature,
providing that no minor child in cit
les OF the hrst and second class should
be employed ct this occupation be-
tween 10 o'clock p. ua- and o'clock
a. m. This bill WAS NOT opposed by
any OF the companies en&1ged ia the
messenger business, but evidently
some friends OF the industry are not
satisfied.
The Telegraph ana Telephone Age
for October contained an editorial de-
nouncine this legislature as radical
and unreasonable. The editorial Was
widely distributed among newspapers
and extensively reprinted on octo-
Der the New York Child Labor
COMMITTEES published I'm the New York
evening Post a carefully prepared re-
ply in which the CHIEF grounds of OBJ
lection TO the employment of young
boys at night were set forth and the
argument reduced to the simple prop
osition whether the employment of
minors after 10 o'clock at night as
telegraph messengers IS a desirable
occupation.
This statement eliclts another edi-
torial in the current issue OF the Tel
egraph and Telephone Age, which ac-
cepts the challenge and says there
are several interesting points for an
alysls In this statement of the case
Proceeding to the analysis. the edi-
tor asks three direct questions, to
which we are glad to respond without
hesitation.
/. Are morals of youth any more
in danger at the age OF sixteen than
at twenty-one?'' Answer: Yes.
?. Are the morals of city more
vicious at 10 o'clock than at g
O'Clock 90 Answer: Morals are never
vicious. immoral forces In large cit
les are notoriousIy more unbridled
late at night and presumably there is
more danger at 10 o'clock than at 3
O'Clock. Those familiar with the evil
dence gathered, however. would well
come prohibition of this service at 9
O'Clock if the editor prefers.
;. us the delivery of "A telegra m
at night a more undesirable Occupa-
or the early morning milk An
swer: Ca) Delivery OF "a telegram"
is a small part OF the night messen-
gers work The bulk OF his service
is in gathering and delivering other
kinds OF messages and performing
other kinds OF service, not only to and
rom. hut within gambling houses,
saloons, houses OF prostitution and
other equally undesirable places.
90 we do not commend the present
condition of newspaper delivery. The
unrestricted exposure of little boys to-
this unnecessary work is reproach
70 nearly every large American city.
Ccl %or do we approve the e%ploita-
ton of the little child or half-grown
youth in delivery of the early morn
ing milk" The profits in the milk
business are without doubt sufficient
to warrant employment of adults in
places now so frequently occupied by
children for whom 1t Is far more APP
propriate as n diet than as burden
The editor then proceeds to argue
on two presumptfons: first. he says.
I've. assume that the com mittee now
pressing this child labor legislation
is actuated by motives to safeguard
the morals not only OF minors, but
also Of those past legal age" The as
sumption is unCounded The commit
tee which made and published the re-
suits of this investigation is a child
labor committee. However deeply In
terested It's individual members may
he in conserving the health and NOR
ais of our general citizenship, 1t rec
ognizes that as a committee its inter
est must he confined to those legally
wards OF the state viz: those under
uventy-one years of age.
The second assumption has better
Foundation. He says I've assume
that the committee takes into consid-
Grafton the important feature of not
destroying the earning power of the
embryo citizen. Precisely, and al
though the wreckaGe OF Juvenile char
acter as Il result of contamination IN
this service has received more pub
ucity than any other feature of the
problem, the COMMITTEES regards the
economic aspects of the night mes
senger service paramount. 1t is be-
cause this particular kind OF work
ordinarily contributes to destroying
The earning power of the embryo cit
IZen" that We look upon It with dis
favor. II the service from the begin
ming paid an adequate wage, or n IT
orfered sure road to.industrial eti-
cheney, many would doubtless con
done it's menace to character and
health in view of the economic advan-
10 for