Semi-weekly herald., 1914-02-12
BODIES OF MEXICANS
FOUND AT TRINIDAD
Sheep Herders Who We're Lost in Blizzard on
December Fourth after Wandering over Many
Miles are Found in Bottom of Small Arrovo

bills that have been introduced. Mrs.
| Kelly, has prepared the following art
icle explaining why this is 80:
The child labor bill introduced in
congress by Representative A. Nit
chell Palmer, of Pennsylvania, on
January 26, last, is more comprehen-
sive than the Kenyon child labor bill
in which hitherto | have been deeply
interested. 1t applies to manufac-
turing establishments, factories,
mines and quarries, mills, canneries
and workshops. 1t is more extensive
than the Kenyon bill in that it regu-
lates the employment of children be-
tween the ages of ID and 16 years,
restricting their working hours to
eight in one day and to the daylight
hours from a. m. to p. m. Like
the Kenyon bill it applies to inter-
state commerce.
The enforcement of the proposed
law is made the duty of each district
attorney to whom the secretary of
labor shall report any violation. It is
quite new in providing that prosecu-
tons must be begun when state
factory inspector, commissioner Of
labor, state medical inspector, school
attendance officer or any other per-
son shall present satisfactory evil
dence of a violation of the law. The
penalty provided is a fine Of not more
than $1,000 nor less than 800 or i'm
prisonment for not less than three
months or more than one year, or
both such fine and imprisonment.
The bill marks long advance over
the proposals contained in both the
Kenyon bill and the old veveridge bill
because it applies to wider range Of
employments, and to older children
Cbetween IA and 16) for wko,n.1e 6unx
! bids night work and establishes' the
eight hour day In short, it applies
to more occupations, and more chill
dren, contains more provisions and
authorises more officials to begin suit
upon complaint of more different sets
VI Pccpie.
The question is often asked wheth-
err an interstate commerce provision
would supercede state laws and NUM-
cipal ordinances. 1t could not do this
for the following reasons: 1t can In
the nature of things apply only to
goods manufactured, mined or quar-
ried; it leaves untouched the mes
senger service, employment in de-
partment stores and other forms Of
retail trade; all agricultural work
such as cotton picking, berry and
hop picking, wedding in the best
fields, and all other kinds Of agri-
cultural and horticultural work in
which children are employed in ever
increasing numbers.
Such law cannot interfere with
street work, such as newspaper vend-
ing, peddling boot -blacking, and SER
vice as delivery boys on wagons,
which have to be dealt with by state
laws or municipal ordinances Furth-
ermore, there are certain dangerous
trades which by score of existing
state laws have been forbidden to all
children under 16 years or 18 years.
The only feasible attempt to touch
upon this important point by federal
Legislation is the prohibition of work
IN mines and quarries by children un-
, der 16 years.
d Such provision is included in the
Palmer bill but no protection is AZ
t forded to children in other dangerous
trades for dangerous machines and
various occupations involving the
r lives of others are not and could not
be included.
= We have an analogy in the case Of
n the pure food law. The states and
e cities have never been so stimulated
e to enact and enforce legislation with
regard to foods prepared for sale
within their own borders as since the
enactment of the pure food and drugs
law, and there is every reason to be-
lieve that the proposed federal child
4 labor law would work in the sams
u way.
I believe that the educational work
of the National Child Labor commit
r tee will be found to have entered mp
c on new phase more valuable than
e all the good campaigns that It has
3 hitherto carried on.
J States whose statutes are good o.
ie paper only will receive new stimu.
= lus to the enforcement Of their laws
l. And refractory states such - Wes|
z Virginia and the great cotton mana
/ featuring communities Of the soutl
! will receive a challenge they canne'
e ignore through this Aggressive attael
to upon the sham laws which diaRfan