Evening journal., 1915-02-16
TUESDAY FEB. Ie, 1915
PUNITIVE LEGISLATION.

PUNITIVE LEGlSLAIlON.
pTNHOSE six members Of the Delaware Child Labor
Commission who have fought for efficient
forcement of the Child Labor law and who carried
that hght for efficiency to. the point of dismissng an
inefficient State inspector deserving OF the thanks
the public the support protection of the
Legislature and the Governor.
1t is unthnkable that persons like Former Leuten-
ant-Governor John NJ. Mendinhall Mrs. Beniah Wat
son. Mrs ella c. Emery Miss Emily p Bissen, Irenee
DUPONT and Andrew Marvel shall be sacrificed by a
Republican Legislature and Republican Governor to
make holiday for that inglorious trumvirate
posed OF Benjamin A. Hazel Jeremiah Coady and VIII
liam j. Gibbons If those six persons had stood for
ineiiciency and if Hazel Coady and Gibbons had
stood for efficiency then in such event the Legislature
and the Governor with perfect proprety might have
tdrned against them, and given countenance and sup
port to Hazel Coady and Gibbons. That, however
not the case Gibbons the inefficient State inspector,
WAS the nominee OF Hazel He was the personal and
political friend and the choice OF Coady. Hazel aud
Coady youchcd for the efficiency Of Gibbons Their col
leagues accepted him, reluctantly in instances. upon
their vouchers.
When time revealed that Gibbons was inefficient and
that Hazel Coady had imposed upon the confidence
their six associates and when the work of Gibbons
became the subject OF well-merited criticism, Hazel
~~d Coady became his excusators. When the six
The commission who had been insisting upon ef-
lad been fed with excuses and promises Of
sfs...lit until they surfeted with them, and
.g.. ~ decided that the only real remedy lay in
the removal Of Gibbons and the appointment OF eff
cient Inspector Hazel and Coady did everything they
could do to save their When his removal
accomplished fact and when by way of revenge,
he decided to do what he could here and in Dover.
TO wreck the commission, Hazel and Coady at
his elbows When the fight broke loose in Dover it
was Gibbons the inefficient with Hazel and Coady,
the excusators of that inefficient who underneath IL all
pd Mr. Mr. duIlou Mr.
Marvel, Miss Bssell Mrs Watson and Mrs Emery the
representatives of efficiency.
Partisans OF Gibbons Hazel and Coady, with little
regard the childhood OF State less regard for
the truth, sought nhame public sentiment against
the six commissioners who had done their duty by
the commonwealth and its childhood Bills repeating
the Child Labor law and the Child Labor Commission
law introduced legislative investigation was
ordered and held. with Gibbons Hazel and Coady still
posing as much-a abused trinity. To all thinking and
unpreudiced persons that investigation proved con-
clusiyely that Gibbons was inefficient; that Hazel and
Coady had loaded him and his inefhciency upon the
commission and the State that for months they had
posed the excusators Of their imposition and Of his
nehiciency and that the remaining six members would
their trust II they had neglected
to remove a State inspector who had failed so sgnay
in the work properly dschargng the duties of an n-
portant Office
That committee made its report We do not think It
either fair adequate but il a report such
as it was The partisans of Gibbons. Hazel and Coady
then tried to play the trump card that they had held up
their That to effect the legislative rein
statement OF Gibbons. The majority members OF the
committee blocked that scheme. They decided that
Gibbons ft be reinstated and yet with in
comprehensive inconsistency. reported in favor of
aboshng the commission that had removed him
from Office.
Meanwhile there had occurred a radical change in
public sentiment Almost overnight the weight of
that sentiment shifted from Gibbons Hazel and Coady
TO Mr.. Mendinhall MIR. dupont. Mr. Marvel Miss Bis
sell Mrs Watson and Mrs Emery The people of the
State aroused. They had had time for second
sober thought With it had the inquisitoria iu-
minaon Of the legislative investigation
That change of sentiment was reflected in Dover
The bills to repeal the Child Labor law and the Chile
Labor Commission law absolutely were thrown int,
tho discard Instead it proposed that the Chill,
Labor law be kept intact, but that commission o
three members to be named by the Governor and no
by the court should replace the present commission
OF eight members, and that State inspector. Il
succeed Gibbons should be appointed by the Govono
and not by the commission. That plan did no
meet with public approval The committee reporio
substitute bills providing for a commission OF fv
members. to be appointed for five years by the Gov
ernor and State Child Labor inspector. to be ap
appointed by the commissioners. In addition It wa
Non6sed that the State Tcn-Hour Law Inspecto
should be named by and work under the direction o
that same commission and that both inspectors shou
be removable by the commission for cause after du
hearing
There no provision in the bill for womeI
commissioners or women inspectors. nor was ther,
any provision for labor representatives non par
'isan board Nor did the bin provide ample safeguard.