French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1916-1919, 1917-02-22
sHIPMAN FOE sTATE,s RIeHTs.
Thinks General Assembly Should Pro-
vide Means of Enforcing. the Child
Labor Law.

Vidlng machinery for the enforcement
of the child labor law, effective on the
first lof September, squarely before the
Governor and members of the General /
Assembly in the following letter trans.
mitted to His Excellency today:
To His Excellency,
Hen. Thomas W. Beckett,
Governor OF North Carolina.
My dear Governor:
desire to im1alt to the members
of the General Assembly, through your |
information in my pos
consider of vital interest to the people |
of North Carolina, in that it points the i
way to the enforcement of a Federal |
statute, touching our industrial lie
Ey the State itself.
You are doubtless aware that an
ac1 of congress entitled "An act co
prevent interstate commerce in the
PRODUCTS of child labor, and for other
purposes" becomes effective through
out the. county September 1, 1917, and
tlrat the power Of the government viii
b. behind the enfoI cement of this law.
Tie subject of it's enforcement is ont
which comes directly under the pur-
view of the Secretary of Labor, except
THAI the Secretary of Commerce with
the Attorney General and the Secre-
tary of Labor constitute a board for
making rules and regulations. The
executive officer in. charge, however,
for the United States in the admins
tration of it's child labor law is the
Secretary of Labor. and with that Off
cial have been endeavoring to ar
range a system of cooperation which
would enable the State of North Caro-
lima to manage it's affairs without Fed
eral interference.
The Federal law provides that ''in
any State designated by the board an
employment certificate or other SINH
lar paper as to the age of the child,
issued under the laws of that State
and not inconsistent with the prov1-
sions of this act shall have the same
force and effect as a certificate herein
provided for" The essential part of
The certificate is, of course, the meth
Oh by which age can be proved and I
azn assured by the Secretary of Labor
! that if the State of North Carolina
GHould provide means of enforcement
! of the National child labor law, the
reports of her officials will be accept
ed. and thus the necessity of sending
/! Federal inspectors into the State
+ 4W9ufd be -obxiateti zsS-
! 1 took the matter up with Secretary
Wilson, in person, while in Washingv
ton a few weeks ago, at which time &
tentative measure for consideration
by our General Assembly was filed for
examination and approval by the Fed
eral board. This bill is now in my
possession, having passed the censor
ship of both Secretary Wilson and Sec
retary Redfield l have practically
been assured that if this proposed
measure shall be enacted into law
there will be no dual inspection Of in
dustrial concerns in North Carolina
when the National law becomes effec
tive on the first day Of next September,
and feel it my duty both as an Off
cial and citizen of this good State,
to convey this information to the
members of the General Assemtln
who, alone, have the authority to say
whether our wage-earners shall OBJ
Etain certificates of employment from
Raleigh or Washington. The bill. sub
mitted by the writer to the Secretary
of Labor and partly redrafted by that
official, is at their disposal. I have
neither the time nor the inclination to
"button-hole" legislators in the inter
est of this, or any other proposition
The information in my possession will
be cheerfully communicated to any
members who may be interested in the
States supervision of it's own affairs
We hear a great deal of talk about
States rights. Here is an opportunity
Ito show the extent of our convictions
upon that question.
Some of our citizens may be delud-
ing themselves with the idea that the
Federal law. regulating the employ
ment of children, will be declared un-
constitutional. l am not a lawyer
but the Webb-Kenyon decision and the
opinion of the Supreme Court, in the
case brought before it under the Mann
: White Slave Act prec1udes the proba-
bility, at least, of an adverse decision
, to the provisions of the national child
labor law Even if it should be un
i, favorable, North Carolina would have
. / nothing more in the matter of labor les
! islation. than she has needed a good
many years, in the event the bill il
my possession should become a law
1t would be a protection to both thu
e employer and employee and an injur!
f. to neither.
Frankly, I do not fancy the idea o
Federal inspection of the industrie
of my State. for with it may come ag;
ttation that would be hurtfuI to many O
: our institutions. But we are facing
condition and not a. theory. 1t is m
honest opinion that the affairs of thi
Il State should remain in the hands O
t those who are in measure, awar
f OF existing conditions, and he allowe
s to pass into the hands of stranger
who may know nothing of them. An
n this conviction has prompted me to tr
s to devise, if possible, some means G
D escape from a situation which may b
d neither pleasant nor profitable to on
o people.
Tho action hoVo fokoTn uo q -Y1.oT1a M