The Washington times., 1915-05-11
A. }. McKeIWay Declares Stock
holder in Pencil Factory
Fought Georgia Bill.
GIVES IDEA OF FEUDALISM
Graveyard on Mill Property
Notable for Its ChiIdren's
Graves, Official Tells Board.

Leo Frank would not be under sem
tence of death and Mary Phagan would
- alive today If the State of Georgia
had passed the child labor bill urged
by the National Child Labor Commit
tee.
This assertion was made by A. J. Nc
kelway, of Washington. secretary of
the committee. before the Commission
on Industrial Relations today.
The Georgia bill. which was beaten,
placed a fourteen-ycar limit on child
labor. Mary Phagan was less than
. fourteen when killed. McKelway said.
and would not have been permitted TO
work In the factory If the measure mad
Passed
Moreover, McKelway said. one of the
principal stockholders in the Atlanta
pencil factory in which the fhagan
murder occurred. vigorously fought the
child labor bill when it was up in the
legislature.
Outlines Feudalism.
Feudalism in the cotton mill towns of
the South was outlined by McKelwaY.
The mill owner owns the towns.
MoKelway said, THE operatives work
In his mill. they live in his homes, send
their children to his school, and go to
his church to hear his pastor preach"
And do the mill owners bury them?'
Commissioner Lennon asked.
There Is one graveyard on mill
property especially notable for its chill
dren's graves" McI<elway replied.
Mill operatives in the cotton mills Of
North Carolina. South Carolina, Geor-
gia and Alabama are a hopeless class.
the witness said. "1lliteraCy Of the en-
ployes is appalling he added. There
is contest between the mill and the
school and the mill wins"
Illustrating tho degree of illiteracy
McKelway said that the average Of
literscy for North Carolina in 1911 was
80 per cent, but in the mill tOwna II
was 16 per cent: 4S per cent for South
Carolina. and II per cent In the mills;
Georgia "A per cent, and IL per cent in
the mills.
Conditions Improved.
Conditions affecting messenger hoyS
in Washington have been greatly i'm
proved since the passage of the Kenyor
act. closing the restricted district
McKelway continued.
DR.. Mckelway said that fearful con
ditions prevail in New Orleans. Where
messenger boys are brought into init
mate association with denizens of the
Tenderloin and purveyors Of opium ant
drugs. This Is practically the same ir
nearly all Southern cities. where boys
OF all ages from ten years up are en-
ployed.
Opposition had been encountered from
telegraph companies In both the Nortt
and South to child labor legislation
McKelway alleged.
Venal legislators were charged will
responsibility for defeat Of child la ho
legislation. AS an illustration tha
where the people have been given al
opportunity to speak they have favored
this legislation. DR. McKelway sair
that when submitted through the init
atve and referendum a child labor Law
in Arkansas was favored by 5000 t,
25,Ooo.
Summarizes Evil.
Summarizing child labor evils. DR.. Nc
kelway said that wages as low as 3
a week are paid to thousands of cir
workers from sixteen to twenty year.
Of age, the ruling wages for the Young
ef children: that employ ment of chill
6ren makes vagrants Of fathers; tha
investigators of the child labor commit
tee are run out Of mill towns; that !,
some towns of the South it has bee,
found that only per cent of ChildreI
Of school age are in the schools
Through the activity of the children
bureau of the Department Of Labor
which the National Child Labor Com
mittee was instrumental in having era
ated. DR.. McKelway hoped present evil
will be corrected