The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1911-02-27
TINES BUREAU,
At STATE CAPITAL.

Il
Indianapolis. IND. Feb. 27.-Represen-
tative Keegan. of this county, who is a
prominent leader in the ranks of labor
organization and the father of the child
labor bill now before the legislature,
decalres that if the senate passes the
child labor bill in the form in which
it was amended by the senate commit
tee on labor he will us eevery effort in
his power to have the house Kill the
bill when 1t comes back from the
senate for concurrence in the amend
ments. He declares that it would be
better to have no child legislation than
to have this bill passed. And Keegan,
who is Democrat, goes even farther
and declares that IL the bill is killed the
Democratic party will have to take the
consequences in the next campaign.
The fact that the republican party IN
Ohio and Illinois adopted a child labor
law when the child labor question was
not issue as means of perpetutat-
ing itself in power" he said, land that
the law answered the purpose for some
years afterward seems not to appeal
to the democratic party of Indiana as
reasons why 1t should keep its platform
pledge when child labor was an issue in
| the campaign.
/ The majority of the caucus of the
senate. having agreed that the party
platform regarding child labor was a
mere subterfuge to misiead the work
| ingmen of the state, and that after all
lit knew to precision. the real intention
OF the party. proceeded to remove us
from our position as the twenty ninth
state in rank as to child labor legis-
lation, by weakening the law and put
In the more disgraeeful position of
the caucus has served notice upon
thousands of citizens who believe that
some relief should be given the children
of the state that they must join some
other party to obtain relief
Whether or not the republican or
democratic parties realize the import
ance of this question. some legislature
in the very near future will say that
men must cease to bring dollars out of
the flesh of little children. The legis-
lature that so decides may not bear
either the democratic or republican
name
Referring to his last statement Mr.
Keegan said he had in mind the pro-
posed labor party which may be or
ganized to do the work that the other
lparties have refused to do Mr.. Keegan
predicted that such party would hold
the balance of power from the begin
ming.
When the senate democratic caucus
after working on the Keegan child
labor bill for three hours, finished its
task, Representative Keegan had lost
the ground he had gained in his
spectacular fight in the house, when he
defeated a majority report from the
committee and saved the bill intact
, The bill when the caucus was ended
bore little resemblance of the original
Keegan bill Every section except one
had been altered and the provisions
, which have been the most vigorously
objected to by employers during the
last few weeks had been wiped out.
Dipleased at the action of the caucu:
( Keegan requested members of the
senate labor committee to withdraw tht
bill from further consideration by tbs
general assembly, or to leave it sleep.
ing in committee. There was no dis
= position on the part of democratic
: senators to favor the author of the bill
; in that manner and some of them sait
!. that notwithstanding Keegan's reques
J. the bill would be pushed through tn,
senate In the form agreed on. Keegar
: said If the bill went through in tina
J; form he would kill it in the house.
t caucus for a short time and speak o,
v the bill Immediately after he left thu
r caucus the senators began to tear TIL
d bill to pieces.
t The principal changes made in tn,
); bill in the caucus were in the provision
that girls under eighteen years of ag'
Q shall not be employed in cigar factories
hotels. theaters and certain othe
n 10 a q
:; the provision that no child under six
teen shall be permitted to work NOR
}. than eight hours a day This wa
l changed so as to permit working min
hours day with the consent of paren
:; or guardian. These are the provision
5, which the cigar manufacturers pro
:; prietors of glass working establish
nents and other employers have bee
saying should be changed. The onl.
q provision which was left intact was tn
l. one which prohibits night work b.
n children, the prohibited hours beini
from o'clock in the evening till
u clock in the morning. Farm worl
|; and domestic service the only ex
y ceped classes in this provision.
III In some instances the age of eightee
was left as the minimum for the EN-
ployment of girls, but this was not /
N any of the occupations concerning
N which there has been any considerab l
: amount of discussion around Legislative
;, halls.
s.. Senators Royse, and Beal. both q
= Tere Haute and Senator Curtis. of NJ
4: Vernon. it is understood. were activ
z In proposing amendments In gettin
h, the bill into the form in which it will D
l. after amended, 1t is said Senator
5, Stotsenburg and Kistler took the mos
prominent part. These two senator.
while they had no amendments of thei
r own. inserted in the bill. it is said wer
q good listeners and did more than an
r other senators to crwstallize the agree
/ ments which put through the amend
70 ments finally adopted by the caucus.
Senator Akin was the senator tina
put up the strongest fight again chang
ing the bill. Senators, Shiyely, Farrell
/, Sullivan and Harlan were among thos