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.

A vigorous indictment of the Penrose.
are-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 rght-thinking man in
Pennsylvania Mr.. Walnut declared the
acts of the last State Senate, which was
dominated by Penrose, were only the leg
tslative 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
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 of accomplishing this end.
THE bill was referred to the Commit
tee on Judiciiay Special, presided over
by Senator Charles A. Snyder. OF Schuyl-
XIII 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 on the 18th of April, and was re-
ferred to the Committee on Judiciary
Special of the Senate on the following
day. 1t was then expected that the Leg
islature would adjourn not later than
the third or fourth week In May, and
presumably the intention was to kill the
bill by holding 1t in committee until too
late to pass 1t prior to adjournment
"a hearing was finally held on the
measure about the middle of May. The
question of adjournment was then i'm
mnent. No report was made by the
committee, however, until June 4, and
It was not until June % that the bill was
finally passed. In the meantime a num-
Der of spirited efforts had been made
to fix date for the adjournment of the
Legislature, none of which had how
ever, succeeded. in part because of the
insistence of the House that the child
labor bill and several other measures of
Importance then in the Senate should
be properly considered before adjourn
ment.
SENATE CHANGES FATAL.
1.-THE bill as it passed the Senate had |
been amended so as to eliminate the |
fundamental features of the measure in |
it's original form, which were the linn |
itation of the hours of labor of children |
between the ages of IA and 16 to eight |
hours a day and is hours a week and
the elimination of night work. The bill
as it passed the Senate provided for a
ten-hnur day and 5i-hour week and
what Is known as tho Glass
Exemption Clause In the provision re-
s1ecting night work of children SO that
the existing law as to night work was
not affected. In addition to these changes
numerous exceptions had been inserted
In the measure which represented back
ward steps in the existing child labor
law.
"The House refused to concur in the
amendments and great effort was made
10 prevail upon the Senate to recede in
part from it's position. Senator SNYDER.
however, who represented Senator PEN
rose in Schuylkill County, very emphat-
cally declined to make any alterations
whatever. Although he modified his DO
'ltion slightly, he refused to withdraw
rom any of the important positions taken
'y the Senate. and the bill as presented
% the House was no better than the
existing child labor legislation, and in
'ome particulars was wore than the ex-
sting law.
THE Organization controlling the Sem
tie, representing some OF the manufac-
urers Of Pennsylvania and all of the
lquor interests of Pennsylvania thereby
ucceeded in defeating the passage of
he child labor legislation of the session
II 1919"