New-York tribune., 1916-01-18
House Committee Reports
Favorably on Keating
Measure.
WILL REACH SENATE
AGAIN IN FEW DAYS
REPRESENTATIVES Flay Southern
States, Said To BE Only
Opponents OF Bill.
From the Ttibune Bureau J

Washington, Jan. II. The fate OF
tLe Keating child labor bill. which
would prevent tho shipment across
state lines Of the products Of the labor
OF children under certain ages. viii
again be put up squarely to the Senate
in few days, from indications in the
House to-day. The House Committee
on Labor reported the bill favorably In
the House. and It's passage is only
question Of reaching vote. Last year
the House vote in favor Of bill
virtually similar was unanimous. but
tho Senate permitted the measure to
die.
A scnthing arraignmcrt Of tho South
orn States was contained IN the report
OF the committee. which said that the
only opponents who appeared person
ally were from the cotton manuiact.
uring states OF Virginia. North and
South Carolina and Alabama. The re-
port declared that the cotton mill Oper-
Ativcs Of these states had opposed child
labor legislation before their state
the largest textile manufacturing state
Of the Union. had for four years had an
eiCht-hour Law for children under six
teen. and the textile Industries. so fnr
from suffering, had been operating sue
cessfully under IL.
The Keating bill would prevent the
shipment across state lines OF products
Of mines and quarries made wholly or
I'm part By children under sixteen. any
sort of manufactured products made
wholly or in part by children under
fourteen or by children under sixteen
employed more than eight hours day,
CT bv children under sixteen employed
at night.
"Only two Southern states have not
reached the fourtecn-year age limit.
and only three have not reached the
sixteen-year age limit" says the re-
port with Arizona. Arkansas, Ken
tucky. Missouri and Oklahoma among
the states reaching the cight-hour day
for the employment Of children under
sixteen. and with Arkansas, Kentucky,
Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and
Texas reachIn" the siXteen-year limit
for the employment Of children IN
mines and quarries. the attempt &c
characterize this measure as one tina
its directed at a section, the South. D.
groundless.
"The committee believes that Fcl
eral relief is necessary 10 cure a.
child labor evil. and IL IS IN the pow
Of Congress 10 cure that evil and wlp
out national disgrace. We belle.
the proposed bin comes clearly with
the power granted TO Congress 20 r..
ulate commerce between the states. au
this view prevails among students
constitutional law. The committee ha
teen strongly impressed by what ma
be called the broadening view Of On
yowers Of Congress under the inter
state commerce clause, view Cmph
sized in a number Of recent cases b.
the Supreme Court. particularly thOs
cases bearing on the lottery, the foo
and drugs and the white slave acts.
81: is TO be noted that the bill place
responsibility where 10 logically be
/ longs upon tho shirner OF the goods
The Bcveridge amendment of 1907 wa
aimed solely nt the carriers OF tn,
products Of child labor. the desire cvi
/ Gently being 20 strengthen the consti-
tutiOnalitv of the act. 10 rs who'll
/ unnecessary to resort 70 any such de-
/ vice. A bill directed solely agairs
carriers presents points Of fatal weak
ness. as 10 wholly eliminates from the
prohibition the principal offender
namely, the dealer or manufacturer
and opens wide the door for evasion.
"The fact that child labor is ma
/ tonal evil. blot on the fair name o
/ our Republic. requires no demonstra
/ ton. and unfortunately admits Of o,
denial. The statistics us 10 the numbor
/ % states which have so far failed 2
achieve all of the four minimum stand
ards suggested IN this bin is suiiicicn
TO demonstrate 20 the most skeptica
/ that in the United States the working