The Monte Vista journal., 1916-01-22
BY EDWARD HEATING.
'(Congressman from the Third Colo
RADIO Distr1ct).

quest Of the National Child Labor
scommittee-an organization COM
posed of such famous social welfare
workers as Jane Addams, Felix Ad-
Fler, Florence Kelly and others-the
churches of the country Will observe
next Sunday. Jan. 23, as "Child-La-
Dor Sunday" and the congregations
will be asked to join in an appeal to
Congress to enact the so-called Keat-
ing-Owen bill" because Senator Owen
of Oklahoma has undertaken to IA
ther it In the Senate, while 1 look
after it in the House.
The bill is designed to end, once
and for all, child labor in the Mines
quarries, mills, factories, canneries,
etc, of this country. 1t has been
described by one of the supporters
as "a bill to conserve child life in
America"
Not a Radical Bill
Its provisions are not radical but
they are conceded to be effective.
They specify that children under 16
years shall not be employed IN mines
or quarries or under IA in mills, fac
tories, canneries, etc. And that chill
dren between IA and 16 employed in
mills, factories, canneries, etc, shall
not be employed more than eight
hours day or at night.
That these requirements are not
unreasonable is evidenced by the
fact that an actual majority of the
people, through state action, have
adopted the precise standards set up
in this bill.
The opposition comes almost ex-
clusively from the cotton-milling in
terests of four or five southern
states. They are waging a we'll or
ganized fight, and do not conceal
their intention to struggle until they
have killed the bill by threatening
70 talk 1t to death in the Senate. In
this Congress we will probably force
them to make good their threat.
ri Need of Legislation
The need of the legislation is
shown by a mass Of evidence. Ac-
c0rdtng to the census reports for
1910 in the state of North Carolina
alone, more than 1000 children be-
tween 10 and 13 years old were
working sixty hours a week in the
cotton mills. These tots went to
work before dawn and labored until
after dark
During the hearings on my bill
one of the most prominent of these
North Carolina millmen stated, In
response to my questions, that in
his judgment 1t was all right to
make boy of ten work twelve hours
: day in cotton mill.
White Children the Victims
One interesting fact developed was
that these cotton mill children are
QAucasians and one witness testified
that he had frequently seen negro
children on their way to school pass
White children on their way to the
mills.
Congress is without power to for
bid the employment of child labor,
but it may say that the products Of
such labor shall not be shipped from
one state to another. Ninety per
cont of the products of American in
dustry is compelled to CROSS state
Nnes in order to find a market. So
Il will be seen that II We succeed in
harring the products of child-labor
from interstate commerce the evil
will be destroyed.
More Prosperity
Wilson, peace and prosperity"
Will be the battle cry of the Demo-
Gratis in the coming campaign.
The Republicans are making a
desperate, but somewhat ludicrous,
Attempt to get away from the pros
perity issue which they were SO anx-
ious to raise a few months ago.
When the last Congress adjourned
We were warned that we we're head
a straight for destruction and now
We are assured, by the same Repub-
Hcan authority, that we are rolling
n wealth because of the war in Eur
epe and that Democratic policies
nave nothing to do with the case"
Our friends, the enemy, overlook
1e fact that our country is at peace