Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1916-08-16
CHILD LABOR BILL PASSED,
Tillnan Voted Against 1t Because
Thinks It Unconstitutional


interstate commerce In products Of
child labor by il vote Of 80 to ~.
Tho measure. which already had
passed the House, was brought to Il
vote in the Senate upon the iisiSt-
cnce Of President Wilson, after :lc
Democratic Senate caucus once had
decided to defer its consideration
until next December.
Senators who voted against the
bill we're: l'ankhcad, Alabama;
Bryan and Fletcher, t'lorida; Over
man and Simmons, North Carolina;
Smith and Tillnan, South Carolina;
Smith and IIardwick. Georgia; WI.
liams, Mississippi (Dcmocrats); and
Oliver and Pcnrose. OF Pennsylva..ia
(Rcpublicans).
Southern Senators who voted for
Underwood, Alabama; Vardaman.
mississippi. and Martin and Swan
son Virginia.
Opposition to the measure had
'oHC SliNilS TWIN DoulllclH ColtoI
rill owners, and the group Of South.
crn Democrats who voted against it
had fought 1t in caucus ard main
tanned their opposition during the
Senate debate on the ground that the
regulation proposed is unconstitu-
tional and would interfere with the
rights Of the States. Eleven Demo
trats from the South. Senators swan
son ana Martin, Virginia; Under
wood. Alabama; Nardaman. Missis-
sirp!; James ana BcckEam, Ken
tucky; Culbcrson and Sheppard,
Texas; Ransdcll. Louisiana: Rob
inson, Arkansas. and Shields. Ten
ncsscc, voted for it.
In order to expedite consideration
OF the measure in conference, Senate
confcrees were appointed immedi-
atcly after the final vote The only
amendment adopted would extend
the bills provisions to bar all pro-
ducts OF establishments employing
children from interstate commerce.
The House measure was directed
only against those on which child
labor actually had been employed.
The bill as passed would prohibit
Interstate commerce in the product
OF any mine or quarry in which chill
dren under 16 years Of age have
been employed. or in the product Of
mill Coz
tory or manufacturing establishment
in which children under II have
been employed, or in which children
between II and lG have been en-
ploycd more than eight hours a day.
more than six days week, before 6
O'Clock in the morning or later than
! O'Clock in the evening. 1t would
take effect one year after enactment.
Tillman Speaks.
During the closing hours Of de-
bate to-day Senator Tillman de-
nounced Southern cotton mill own
ers opposing the bill and said that
while he believed it unconstitutional
he was tempted to support it because
OF the seliishncss OF the interests
fighting it. He also declared Con-
Grcss was too much influenced by
the attitude OF labor interests.
II have been shocked" said the
South Carolina Senator, Ito see men
in South Carolina---rirh, intelligent,
well educated men "no are willing
to swell their dividends at the ex-
pcnsc Of little children. The veil of
sophistry in their letters could not
hide their heartlessness. Their plan.
stripped OF vcrbiage. is Let the chill
dren toll that we may live in lux
ury,' and yet we wonder ut the
spread OF socialism and the increas-
ing hostility Of labor towards capi-
tal."
Servility Of present day votc-seck-
erS to organized labor, he added,
presented as great a problem as did
the attitude OF politicians 20 years
ago to concentrated wealth.
'TEe Congress OF the United
states trembles every time the labor
unions frown," he continued. "Capi-
tai. with its brutal, cynical disregard
for humanity started the conflict and
labor in sclf-dcfensc, organized for
the struggle
we have ceased to lcgislatc in
the way we know to be right and
have become Dandnrcrv IN r,,,,,;.