Evening star., 1922-06-11

OW would you ike TO be
- child of five. compelled to
, work six and even eight
hours a day In q factory?
To put 1t still another way-how
would you like TO have a child of
yours work for six or eight hours
day In a factory?
1t does not seem possible that in
the United States-and comparatively
near the National Capita.-c1ildren
are compelled to work in various
kinds of work rkshops-children five.
six or seven years of age. of course.
they are compelled to work, for
child of that age would scarcely
choose such occupation of his time.
Twice the Congress has attempted
to put an end to the labor Of little
children in this country and twice it
has failed. The Supreme Court of
: the United States has ruled that the
federal laws enacted to control and
prohibit child labor are unconstitu-
r., tional-that they invade the rights
of the states to control such matters.
President Expected to Urge
Constitutional Amendment.
And now the sentiment in the coun-
try which forced the enactment of
the federal laws regarding child
labor is gathering back of the pro-
posal that the Constitution be amend
ed so as to give Congress full au-
thority to deal with this matter. so
important to the development of the
child. President Harding is prepar-
ing. according to a letter addressed
by him recently to Representative
John Jacob Rogers of Massachusetts.
to send a message to Congress deal
ing with the subject and to urge
that a constitutional. amendment be
r submitted by Congress to the states
for ratification
Already "a sheaf of resolutions pro-
posing such an amendment to the
Constitution have been introduced in
Congress. A half dozen or more have
heen introduced since May 10, the
date that the Supreme Court knocked
the props from under the second fed
eral law for the control of child
labor. Senator Hiram Johnson of
California Offered the first resolution
in the Senate. IN the House Repre-
sentatives Nolan of California. Tague
of Massachusetts Fitzgerald of Ohio.
Perlman of New York and Raker of
California have all introduced reso-
lutions recently and Representative
Rogers of Massachusetts offered
. such a resolution in April. 1921. In
fact, Mr.. Rogers has introduced a
similar resolution in each Congress
the last ten years. The Rogers reso-
luton goes further than those of
others. since 1t gives Congress also
the power to control the employment
of women as we'll as all persons
under twenty-one years of age.
~ n isa a
the fundamental law of the land is TO
be amended to enable Congress to
safeguard the children. it should go
as far as the enlightened coming
generations may desire to go. So he
has provided for the regulation of
the employment of all persons until
they are legally of age. and of women
over that age. The other resolutions
relate merely to children under
eighteen years of age.
Congress Has Tried Twice
To Regulate Child Labor.
In its first effort to meet the child
labor situation Congress invoked the
control given it by the Constitution
over interstate commerce. 1t provided
that no goods made by child labor
beyond the limits set by the law
should go into interstate commerce.
This was enacted in September, 1916,
and became effective one year later,
TO give the manufacturers and the
families which had been living off
child labor an opportunity to make
other arrangements. The law was de-
clared unconstitutional by the Su-
preme Court in a case which came
. TO 1t from North Carolina. upholding
an opinion of Judge Boyd. federal
district judge. just nine months after
It became effective.
Then Congress tried to control child
labor through the power Of Congress
to levy taxes, and in the revenue act
of 1918. effective in 1919. 1t inserted
q provisi levying a prohibitive tax
upon goods made by child labor. The