The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-11-20

During the past year the National
child labor committee has engaged In
labor in the night messenger service.
The reports were placed In the hands
of local committees In a number of
states, resulting in some instances In
the enactment OF restrictive laws. The
most advanced Of these was a law
passed by the New York Legislature,
providing that no minor child in cities
OF the first and second class should be
employed at this occupation between
10 o'clock p. m, and o'clock a. m.
This bin was not opposed by any Of
the companies engaged in the messen-
ger business. but evidently some
fed.
The telegraph and telephone age
for October obtained an editorial de-
nouncing this legislation as radical
and unreasonable. The editorial was
widely distributed among newspapers
and extensively reprinted. On Oct. Z
the New York child labor committee
published in the New York Evening
Post. carefully prepared reply in
which the chief grounds Of objection
to the employment of young boys at
night were set forth and the argument
reduced to the simple proposition
whether the employment OF miners
after 10 o'clock at night as telegraph
messengers is a desirable occupation.
This statement ELECTS another edi-
torial in the current isues Of the tele-
graph and telephone age. which &C.
cepts the challenge and says there
are several interesting points for an
alysis in this statement of the case"
Proceeding to the analysis, the. edi-
tor asks three direct questions, to
which We are glad to respSnd without
hesitation.
/. Are the morals of youth any
more in danger at the age of Is than
at 21?" Answer: Yes.
2. Are the morals of city more
vicious at 10 o'clock than at Q
o'clock" Answer: Morals are new
err vicious. Immoral forces in large
cities are VIGOROUSLY more unbridled
late at night and presumably there is
more danger at 10 o'clock than at
o'clock. Those familiar with the evil
dence gathered, however, would vel
come prohibition Of this service at
70 o'clock If the editor prefers.
3. rs the delivery of telegram at
night more undesirable occupation
than the delivery of newspapers or the
early morning MILK" Answer: (a)
Delivery of "a telegram" is a small
part of the night messengers 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 from, but within gam
bling house, saloons, house of prostitu-
ton and other equally undesirable
places. CD We do not commend the
present condition of newspaper de.
livery. The unrestricted exposure Of
little boys to this unnecessary work is
a reproach to nearly every large
American city. (c) Nor do We ap-
prove the exploitation of the little
child or half-grown youth in delivery
of the early morning milk" The pro-
fits in the milk business are without
doubt sufficient to warrant employ
ment of adults in places now so fire.
quently occupied by children for
whom 1t is far more appropriate as a
diet than as burden.
The editor then proceeds to argue
on two assumptions: first, he says,
I'VE assume that the committee 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 unfounded. 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
be in conserving the health and morals
Of our general citizenship, it recog
nizes that as a committee its interest
must be confined to those legally
wards of the state, viz: those under
Fl years of age.
The second assumption has better
foundation. He says, I'VE assumed
that the committee takes into consid
Grafton the important feature of no,
destroying the earning power of the
embryo citizen" Precisely, and al
though the wreckage of juvenile char
acter as a result of contamination In
this service has received more publ