, 1922-05-27
Child Labor Legislation

WITH THE DECISION of the United States Su-
wv preme Court declaring unconstitutional the pres-
ent child labor law, the whole subject of child labor
legislation is reopened in congress, Sentiment among
Republican members of the senate and house runs
strong for the initiation of a constitutional amend
nient banning child labor. Leaders feel that the child
labor law crusade has from the first been an essen
TALLY Republican fight, and there is no disposition to
abandon it with the present setback.
Impetus is given to the movement for a %constitu-
ticnal amendment owing to the fact that the 1920
platform of the Republican party declared explicitly
that in case 'the present law is found unconstitu-
tional or ineffective, we shall seek other means to
enable congress to prevent the evils of child labor"
The only difference of opinion now existing among
Republican members Of congress is the question of
the most effective manner of re-enacting legislation
which will stick. The fight for child labor legislation
was originally initiated in congress by former Senator
Albert J. Beverage, who has just been nominated
in Indiana as the Republican candidate for United
States senator. Success came slowly owing to the
bitter opposition of southern cotton mill operators
and their Democratic senators and congressman. In
vestigations disclosed the fact that tots Of 9 and 10
years were being worked long night shifts by southern
mill owners. State authorities were either powerless
or Indifferent to cope with the evil, and it was felt
that only by a mandatory federal law could the root
of the condition be reached.
The agitation finally eliminated in the enactment
of a first child labor law by congress on September
1,.1916. Although there was a strong Democratic
majority in both houses of congress in that year, the
records show that in the final vote in the house only
two Republicans voted against the measure, as COM
pared with Al Democrats; in senate two Republicans
and 10 Democrats are recorded against it. OF the
members of committee on labor in the house, which
reported out the measure, every Republican member
supported the bill, while three Democratic members
opposed it and returned a minority report. This meas
ure attempted to end child labor by barring the prod
ucts of child labor from interstate commerce.
Upon petition of North Carolina mill owners, the
ccnstitutionality of this first law was thrown into
court, and it was eventually declared unconstitutional
by the supreme court after being in operation only
273 days.
The second child labor law (which has just met a
similar fate) was enacted on February 25. 1919, as
an amendment to the revenue bill. 1t attempted to
end child labor by means of a 10 per cent tax upon
the net profits of any establishment employing chill
dren under conditions prohibited by the former law.
Again this measure was thrown into the courts at the
insistence of Democratic mill owners of North Caro-
lima.
In the meantime. the Republican party had been
coping with the child labor evil from another angle.
During the Taft administration, q Republican con-
gress established the federal children's bureau, which
has done much to awaken public opinion to the need
forA action. This bureau, when its existence was
threatened in 1915-16, by the failure of the Demo
cratic appropriations committee in the house to pro-
vide funds for its continuance was saved by the ag-
gressive fight which the Republican minority made
on the floor of the house, under the leadership of
former Representative Good of Iowa.
At the same time the Republican child labor pro-
gram has been continually furthered in the states. On