, 1923-01-22

mills. canneries, workshops, factories or manufac-
turing establishments of persons under is years
of age and of women"
This marks the third attempt by congress to pro-
hibit the evil OF child labor, and in this instance as
in the first two instances, the legislation proposed
is initiated by Republicans. The Republican party
has always led the fight to prohibit child labor.
The Democratic party has always opposed such
legislation.
The reason for the Democratic party's opposi.
ton to child labor is ut once apparent when the
census data relative TO child labor is studied. OF
the ten states which have the highest child labor
rates, all but Island-are southern
states. The child labor rates are computed by OBJ
tanning the percentage of the total number of chill
dren in each state, between the ages of ten and
fifteen, who are engaged in gainful occupations,
Those states which have IL per cent or more Of
their toal number of children engaged in gainful
occupations are as follows, together with the per
centage: Tennessee LIB; Texas 10; Louisiana 129;
Rhode Island 13.4; North Carolina 1866; Arkansas
1S5; Georgia 20S; Alabama 24.2; South Carolina
IA; Mississippi 2o5.
This prevalence of child labor throughout the
south is reflected in legislation in southern Demo
cratic states, where the laws prohibiting child
labor or limiting the hours of child and women la.
Dor, are very few and not enforced.
Data regarding the number of hours worked in
southern textile mills is furnished by the depart.
ment of commerce in a bulletin Just issued upon
the subject of the cotton spinning industry for the
month OF November. The average number of hours
per day in the mills of cotton growing states was
HAS. The average number of hours per day in all
other states was 756. Massachusetts had twice as
mary active s~pindles as any other state in the
union. The average number of hours per day in
Massachusetts was 7.2S. North Carolina, which
stood second in the number of active ~spindles, had
a workday which averaged 1196 hours, practically
a twelve-hour day., and South Carolina which
stood third had an average workday of 11.52 hours
and Georgia, fourth, in the list of active spindles,
had an average workday of LA hours. 1t is these
southern states which employ from IL to 20 per
cent of their children and which have IL and II
hour days, that are the backbone of the opposition
to any child labor legislation.
T. This rOrnnCttnn ~ 1 g ffn o. .I1o--. A1.4
Samuel Gompers, Democratic politician and his
clique of Democratic followers, are very vccifer
GUS in their professions of opposition to child la
Dor, but they never get any further than vocal pro
tests. Mr.. Gompers carefully protects the Demo-
cratic southern mill owners bacause they are the
backbone of the Democratic party. While he and
his clique expend vast sums of money organizing
northern mills, they exert very little effort toward
organizing southern mills. While they are very bit
ter in their criticism of the 12hour day in the steel
industry OF the north, there is nothing ON record
showing they have criticized the 12-hour day in
the textile mills of the south, which is doubIy vic
ious because little children are employed to a large
per cent in these mills and are the ones who are
compelled 10 work these long hours.
The Democratic party is VIGOROUSLY antagon.
istic to child labor legislation and its enforcement.
Under the Wilson administration the immigration
laws on the Mexican border were suspended in or.
der to permit the importation of Mexican children
for the purpose of working in southern cotton, on.
ion and sugar beet fields. This was a violation
in spirit of the contract labor law which was made
possible by an administrative order for the pur
pose of enabling southern cotton planters and plan
tation owners to obtain a tremendous quantity of
VIGOROUSLY cheap labor. There is nothing on rec
ord to show that Mr.. Gompers at any time pro
tested against this outrageous action upon the part
of the Democratic administration.
During the recent campaign Mr.. Gompers and
his Democratic crowd made a lot Of noise regard
ing what they proposed to do to remedy the child
labor evil. That was demagogic talk purely for po-
itical purposes. None of Mr.. Gomper's political.
friends have ever seriously attempted to stop child
labor. Mr.. Gompers always lines up tho Demo-
cratic party which is VIGOROUSLY sympathetic with
the exploitation of women and children.
Mr.. Gompers and his clique fought Senator
Lodges election in Massachusetts, Yet when the
time came to act, Senator Lodge and Representa-.
tive Green, another Massachusetts, Republican were
the ones who initiate the movement to amend the
federal constitution so that child labor may be pro.
hibited and regulated. None of Mr.. G ompers'
Democratic associates in either branch of congress
made a move to stamp out child labor in the Unit
ed States.