Evening journal., 1916-08-09
SAYS Child LABOR
CUTS down crime
0verman Tells Senate it
Keeps Children Out
OF Jail
CITES STATISTICS
TO PROP UP CLAIM

WASHINGTON, Aug. Child
labor is a good thing because it keeps
children out of Jail
Dropping for a moment a long legal
argument. in which he was attempt
ing to prove that the pending child
labor bill was in direct violation Of
the Constitution, Senator Lee S. Over
man. Of North Carolina, the other day,
advanced this as a reason why chill
dren of sixteen years and under
should be allowed to work in mills.
Mr. Overman brought statistics to-
support his contention. He showed
the Senate that the proportion of chill
dren between fourteen and sixteen
who were sent to Jail in North Caro-
lima was only fifteen to 100000. But
in Massachusetts,. he declared, the
number scars to 279, in Rhode Island
it reaches 1919 and in Missouri It is
1872. Senators favoring the bill COM
mented afterward that perhaps the
children in North Carolina were so
tired when they got out of the mills
at night they had not energy enough
for anything but bed.
Senator Works, Of California. did
not seem to relish the way In which
he WAS kept out Of jail when a lit
tie fellow
Works Attacks Claim.
"Al my life there has been indeli-
bly, impressods on my memory" he
said. the picture OF that little dark
room where ! slept when a small
boy, the memory of being walked up
from the deep sleep Of boyhood at 4
o'clock in the morning and taken
forth for n long day Of full sized
mans work. My muscles. morning
after morning. were so sore and stiff
from the hard work Of the day before
that il panied me TO walk until they
had gotten warmed up. Never. in the
long life ! have lived. have / entirely
recoNred from the hard work ! did
when I was n small boy"
Senator Works added that no one
need tell him child labor was a good
thing lie said. however. he believed
The pending bill was unconstitutional.
as he did not think the Federal Gov
eminent had the right 10 regulate
the hours Of labor IN the individual
States
81 shall vote for this bill" he said.
despite my belief i'm IFS unconstitu-
tionality. because ! want the Supreme
Court to pass ON il once for all. n
the Supreme Court should uphold this
bill there viii then he no DIVIDING
line between the sovereignty Of the
states and The sovereignty OF the Fed
eral Government We are driving ir-
rosistbly toward a centralized gov
ernment and. think. despotism
for centralized government eventu-
ally means a One-man government"
Went States 10 Decide
Senator Overman, IN attacking the
constitutionality' Of the bill. insisted
that the issue should be submitted 10
the States as a constitutional amend
ment Senators Bryan and Fletcher.
Of Florida. also argued that the States
and not the Federal Governments
should deal with the question
Senator Kenyon predicted that the
next step 10 follow the child labor
bin, should Il be upheld by the Su-
preme Court, will be bill to bar from
interstate commerce products of fac
tories In which women work more
than eight hours. He was asked by
Senator Hardwick II this would not
he followed logically by a bill 10 bar
products Of labor employed more than
eight hours whether men or women.
THE question is whether such a
thing would be desirable" replied
Senator Kenyon. Probably it Will
/ come i'm time"
Most Of us favor the eight-hour
day now" retorted Senator Hardwick