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-
Ware McNichol machine was made today
by Representative T. Henry Walnut in
a 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-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. walhut's statement reads:
"The child labor bill, as 1t 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-
nose of accomplishing this end.
THE bill was referred to the Commit
tee on Judiciary Special presided over
by Senator Charles A. Snyder, of Schuyl-
kill County who frankly represented
those interests
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 II in committee until too
late to pass It prior to adjournment.
"a hearing was finally held on the
measure about the middle of May. The
question of adjournment was then i'm
ninent No report was made by the
committee, however until June 4, and
1t was not until June % that the bill was
finally passed. In the meantime a num-
ber Of spirited efforts had been made
to fix n 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 lin
ttation of the hours of labor of children
between the ages of IA and 16 to eight
hours day and As hours a week and
the elimination of night work. The bill
as II passed the Senate p.ovided for a
ton-honr day and a 54-hour week and
contained what Is known as the 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 ba ck-
ward steps in the existing child labor
law. ....
"The House refused to concur in the
amendments and great effort was made
to prevail upon the Senate to recede in
part from its position. Senator Snyder,
however who represented Senator PEN
rose in Schuylkil County, very emphat-
ically declined to make any alterations
whatever. Although he modified his po-
siton slightly, he refused to withdraw
from any of the important positions taken
by the Senate, and the bill as presented
to the House was no better than the
existing child labor legislation, and in
eome particulars was wore than the eX-
istng law.
The Organization controlling the SEN
ate, representing some of the manufac-
turers of Pennsylvania and all of the
liquor interests OF Pennsylvania. thereby
succeeded in defeating the passage of
the child labor legislation of the session
of 1919"