The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1918-08-16
CHILD LIFE MUST
BE CONSERVED
president Gompers in the Ameri-
can Federationist.)

can federatlOnlSJ.J
Representatives of organizations
most directly interested in the leg
islation-the American Federation
of Labor and the National Child
Labor association-held confer
ence in Washington to decide upon
legislative policy to remedy the
damage done by the supreme court
decision.
The abolition of child labor is
something more than what the SUI
preme court designates as a mere
local matter. 1t is fundamentally
and eminently national matter
and is so considered by an over
whelming majority of our nation.
Those matters which are of funda-
mental national Importance must be
dealt with nationally.
The trend of governmental de-
velopment has been toward the rec
IGNITION of federal authority to leg
islate in the interests of national
welfare. The supreme court has
conspicuously opposed that develop
ment and in defense of legalistic
precedents has sought to aid separ-
atists' influence under the name of
states rights.
But the movement toward the de-
velopment of national standards and
principles is too strong to be stayed
by divided 6 to d. court decision.
In democratic country, the vote
obstruct efforts to protect the MAX
ing of a stronger, more resourceful
ration.
The position of the supreme court
has been reversed before in the in
terests of human freedom-it was in
the bred Scott case. 1t will be in
The Hammer VS.. Dagenhart case.
But our nation must think further
han curative methods. 1t must deal
with this curious political phenome-
non unlike any institution of any
other country. 1t must regulate the
veto power of the supreme court and
eliminate an intolerable situation
hat enables five men to defeat the
will of the nation.
In addition the democracy of the
ountry must see to it that judge
hips are occupied by persons who
have contact with life other than
hat infiltrated through purely legal
theory.
The decision of the supreme court
was shock to the American people
joining at a time of world upheaval
vhen precedents have no value,
When men have learned that for
PRACTICAL safety as we'll as humani-
tartan purposes every nation must
conserve the physical vigor of the
men, women and children; when
principles and methods of human
Welfare and betterment are given
greater consideration than ever be-
ore, the opinion of these five men
brings no conviction to American
citizens. 1t has had two effects-to
focus thought upon the dangerously
undemocratic power exercised by the
supreme court of passing upon the
:onstitutionality of laws enacted by
the will of the people through their
duly elected representatives, the
congress, and to harden determina-
ton to secure a child labor law pro-
tecting children who are to consti-
tute the future race.
The supreme court could have re-
pealed no other law that would
have caused such a degree of popu-
lar resentment. The minority opin-
ion of the court written by Justice
Holmes and concurred in by Justices
McKenna, Brandeis and Clark, ex-
pressed general opinion so convinc-
ingly that the reactionary decision
seemed we'll night incredible.
Organized labor and all humani-
tartan agencies are agreed that it
is only a difference in degree of
brutality in gouging the life out of
children and subjecting them to con-
ditions that slowly but surely sap
their vitality and destroy future
potentiality, compelling them to
drag YEARLY through the future.
AS has been already said the A.
F. of L. officers and the child labor
committee intend to press home
upon congress the enactment of a