El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-03-10
SAYS COTTON MILL
rs A MODERN HEROD
McKelway Pleads For Res
cue of Children From
Mil Slavery.

Birmingham, Ala, March 10.-Cotton
manufacturers, by means Of Hobbies in
legislative halls, have obstructed child
labor legislation. in the opinion of A.
]. McKelway. secretary for the south
ern states Of the National Child Labor
committee, who addressed the seventh
annual conference Of the organization
here
Referring to the plea of the New
England and southern cotton manu-
facturers at the tariff hearing in 1SOS
before the ways and meaps committee,
that cotton goods should not be bur-
dened with a prohibitive tariff be-
cause cotton manufacture was an in
FAINT industry, Mr.. McKelway said:
IF an infant industry is one that
employs infants, this is empha tically
an infant industry. The cotton mill
is the sHerod among industries, and
its slaughter Of the innocents con-
tinues in the 10th century. When next
the cotton manufacturers come before
the representatives of the American
people, those representatives may Wen
insist that protection to infant indus
tries must be preceded by some meas
ure of protection for industrious In
fantS
THE cotton mill through the manu-
facturers' Hobbies which crowd every
legislative hall where child labor leg
islation is being considered is not only
condemning the host of children
which it employs to the curse of child
labor, but is holding back the states
of America from the adoption Of a
standard uniform child labor law. And
If, as they frequently claim. the cot
ton mills cannot exist without the
child labor system, with wage scale
the American people will contemplate
with serenity the putting out of the
factory fires and will write upon the
walls the obituary of the Herods:
They are dead that sought the young
child's life to destroy it
Mr. McKe1way reviewed the history
Of the child labor movement, declaring
that one of the reasons which led the
pilgrim fathers to leave England was
the oppression of their children in
the old world.
Loyejoy Tells of Progress.
Progress in the prevention Of the
evils of child labor in the last seven
years was noted in a speech from
Owen r. Lovejoy. general secretary Of
the national child labor committee,
before the convention on Child abor-
The speaker suggested that changes
secured in child labor laws within the
past seven years would perhaps more
accurately than anything else measure
the extent to which the public had
awakened. He explained the sceien-
tific reasons upon which the commit
tee has based its agitation for exclud
ing al children under II years from
and commercial indus
tries, for limiting the labor of those
under 16 to an eight hour day, and
their work at night. for ex-
GLIDING all children from certain oc-
cupations known TO be dangerous to
health or morals, and especially re-
ferred TO the investigation recently
conducted by the committee TO deter
mine the extent to which night mes
sen gers are exposed to immoral influ-
ences. The results of this investiga-
ton he said. have been a law in New
York forbidding employment of mes
sengers under 81 years after 10 o'clock
at night, and laws in Ohio Oregon
and other states fixing the age limit
at is years. He said bills for a 81
year limit are now pending in Rhode
Island. New. Jersey. Massachusetts.
Pennsylvania and other states In
Providence. R. L, last week. he said.
the committee agent broke up a noto-
rious cocaine gang. landing two Of
tenders in prison.