Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-09-26
CHILD LABOR BILL
KILLED IN SENATE
BY PENROSE ORDERS
T. Henry Walnut Exposes
Methods by Which Meas
ure Was Robbed of Vital
ity by Machine.

\ vigorous indictment of the Penrose-
Nare-McNichol machine was made today
by Representative T. Henry Walnut, in
statement showing the methods re-
sorted to by the machines representa-
tives in the Legislature in throttling the
child labor bill. which. he said. had the
support of every right-thinkng man in
Pennsylvania. Mr.. Walnut declared the
acts of the last state Senate, which was
dominated by PenrOse, were only the leg
lslative expression of what Penrose and
his henchmen and the interests they
serve stand for
HOUSE BILL A MODEL.
Mr. Walnut's statement reads:
The child labor bill, as it passed the
House. was a measure that would have
placed Pennsylvania among those States
of the Union that had seen the necessity
for conserving the lives and health of
the children of the community, and would
have laid down regulations for the pur-
pose CT accomplishing this end.
The bill was referred To the Commit
tee on Judiciary Special, presided over
by Senator Charles \. Snyder, OF SChuyl-
kill County. who frankly represented
those interests who had long dominated
Pennsylvania LEGISLATURES and had al
ways obstructed the passage of child
labor legislation. The bill passed the
House ou the 18th of April and was re-
ferr"d TO the Committee on Judiciary
Special Of the Senate on the following
day II was then expected that the Leg
Stature would adjourn not later than
tho third or fourth week in May. and
presumably the intention was to kill the
bill by holding it in committee until too
late 70 pass il prior to adjournment
be- Hal he
measure about the middle OF MAY. The
question of adjournment was then i'm
miucnt. No report was made by the
committee, however, until June 1. and
u was not until June % that the bill was
finally passed. In the meantime a num-
Der Of spirited efforts had been made
% hx date for the adjournment of the
Legislature, none of which had how
ever succeeded in part because OF the
insisteuce Of the House that the child
labor bill and several other measures Of
Importance then in the Senate should
be properly considered before adjourn
meat.
SENATE CHANGES FATAL.
The hin as it passed the Senate had
been amended 50 as 10 eliminate the
Fundamental features Of the measure In
its original form, which were the linn
itstiuu # the hours Of labor Of children
between the ages OF "A and IS to eight
hours a day and IS hours a week and
the elimination OF night work. The dill
as II passed the Senate provided for a
tan-hrIT dav and 5-hOur week and
contained what Is known as the Glass
Exemption Clause In the provision re-
Getting 0ignt work Of children, so that
the existing law as TO night work was
not affected In addition 70 these changes
numerous exceptions had been inserted
Dan the measure which represented back
ward steps In the existing child labor
law,
THE House refused 70 concur In the
amendments and a sreat effort Was made
O. prevail upon the Senate 70 reCede I'm
part from It's position. Senator Snyder.
however who represented Senator PEN
rose I'm Schuylkill County, very emphat-
iCally declined 10 make any alterations
whatever Although ht modified his po-
sitiol slightly, he refused to Withdraw
from any of the important positions taken
by the senate, aud the bin as presented
10 the House was no better than the
existing child labor legislation. and in
some particulars was wore than the eX-
listing law
The Organization controlling the Sem
ate, representing some or the manufac-
tursrs of Pennsylvania and an OF the
liquor interests OF Pennsylvania thereby
succeeded In cefsstirg the passage Of
me child .aboE ;egislaI!gz u the session
Of 1918"