The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-03-06

as political expression of the New tonfan theory-a mechanism. controII- ed by system of checks and balances This theory has never been sound as applied to government It is prefer able to accept the position so striking 1y annunciated by President Wilson in his book -tThe New FTee1om''-tH1,o interpret the constitution of the constitution of the United States ac- cording to the Darwinian pTinciple** $
 that Nation is a living thing and not machine. With this point of view the abuse of child labor may be approached in the terms expressed by
 Justice Harlan of the United States Supreme Court in the United States V. AmeA He said: We should hesi- tate long before adjudging that an evil
 of such appalling character, carried
 on through interstate commerce, can not be met and crushed by the only power competent to that end"
 k A bill carefully Y drawn, forbidding the privileges of interstate comm cree to misunderstanding estabIishments in which children under 14 years of age
 under s are compelled to work more
 than eight hours a day or during the night, or to mines and quarries in
 which children under 16 zaresenpIoye7 at any time, was presented to a. mum
 Der of prominent lawyers and to state and federal conversant with the cus- tom and practice in these matters, and
 finally placed in the hands of Hon. A.
 Mitchell Palmer of Pennsylvanias who introduced the bill in the House of Representative on January 18th, and of Senator Robert L.. Owen, of Okla
 homa. who introduced the bill in the Senate on February 21st-
 Already a number of state and na.- tiona1 organizations have given the s1--s. to their belief in the principle so eIn- phatically stated by Abraham Lincoln that s@The Union is older than the
 states" It is gratifying to record I that the state child labor committee first to endorse this bell men under the shadow of the capitol of the old | Confederacy in Richmond, Virginia, l and by unanimous vote endorsing the bill struck a blow at what President | Wilson has appropriately called thai
 ancient doctrine'' Of states rights i Virginia thus leads the states in de
 claring that states rights cannot jus
 tify chibdrens wrongs.
 | The bill provides for a. board com posed of the secretary of commerce 1 the secretary of labor and the attor- | ney general, who shall draft all rules l and regulations, and gives power tC
 the secretary of labor to make any necessary investigations. The plan O1 administration links the federal gov l ernment with state officials and alst l provides that any factory inSp ector
 school attendance officer or any othel
 person may bring to the district at 1 torney any evidence of violations
 A number of bills have been intro 1 duced on this subject, but it is believ- l ed that when all are considered to- | gether by congressional committees l the Owen-Palmer Bill will be regard 1 ed as advanced enough in standards tc
 be worth while, and simple enough tx | be enforceable
 It has been introduced by delnecrats 1 but the friends of the measure hope i 1 will be considered on its merits re. gardless of party lines by all who be. l lieve that young children should be free from the burden of EVage-eaEning