Evening star., 1924-11-12
Lines of Battle Being Drawn
to Influence Legislatures
in ChiIdren's Fight.
RECALLS STRUGGLES
OF FORMER BATTLES
Promises to Present as Spectacular
Campaign as Prohibition and
Suffrage Encounters.

B1 FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.
Americas two most powerfully or
ganized Industrial groups-agricul-
ture and labor-are arrayed against
ach other in the fight for ratifica-
tion. of the child labor amendment.
The approaching Winter Will find
them straining every ounce of their
strength to influence action on the
amendment in 43 States, the Legis-
latures of which are about to pass
upon it. OF the five States that have
already acted only one-Arkansas-
voted in favor of ratification. Massa
chusetts, on November 4, defeated
ratification in referendum vote by
a majority of more than 1000 The,
Louisiana, North Carolina and
| Georgia legislatures had previously
declined ratification. If nine more
States join Massachusetts,. Louisiana,
North Carolina and Georgia, making
13 altogether. the amendment will be
swamped. as three-Quarters of the
Union (36 States) must ratify the
| amendment to make it constitution
! ally effective.
Dramatic Fight Seen.
! Undoubtedly the country is on the
| threshold of as dramatic crusade
to write the child labor amendme mt
into the Constitution as the United
! States experienced when the fight
was on for ratification of the prohibit
tion and woman suffrage amend
! ments. The organized opposition of
the: farming group is a far graver
! barrier to friends of the child labor
embargo than any the supporters of
prohibition and suffrage had to over
come The fight of the agricultural
group will be launched at Chicago
| during the second week in Decem-
! Der. on the occasion of the annual
meeting of the American Farm Bu-
reau Federation. AS farm sentiment
dominates in the Legislatures of 10
or dozen Middle Western and
Northwestern States, it is easily con-
ceivable that ii can swing enough of
them into line against the child labor
amendment to defeat it. In States
like Kansas. it was an issue in the
late campaign.
The attitude of the organized farm
ing community toward the amend
ment is set forth in an authoritative
quarter as follows:
THE farmers object to the con-
gressional mother idea. as found in
the child labor amendment to the
Constitution. permitting Congress to
pass laws governing and regulating
child labor. Their protests in Wash
ington were Of little avail, for Con-
gress has now put the question up
to the States. But the State Farm
Bureaus were 1t the same time put
on their guard, and the fight is by no
means over. Four States already
ment, and more will do so this
Winter.
Charge MeddlinE.
I'm the past Congress has tried
several times to legislate on child
labor, and the Supreme Court always
found its action unconstitutional.
Such proposals gave those who are
always waiting for chance to move
in on the youth of the country
wonderful chance to meddle in the
home and inject congressional
guardian between the parents and
the children. Properly trained and
given a sufficient amount of red lit.
erature, they would make ever-in-
creasing recruits to the Socialist
army. Idleness by fiat of law in
deed would be q new domestic
problem"
is graphically indicated by the 1920
census Under the heading of Chill
dren in Gainful Occupations" there
were listed 37S,S63 between the ages
of 10 and a. OF these, 1913 per cent
were employed on the home farms.
There were only two other large
groups-those in trade, As per cent,
of which three quarters were news
boys. and those in personal service,
constituting only 30 per cent. The
farm folks think their own children
can best be looked after by their
natural parents, and not a congress
sional mother"
The American Federation of Labor
holds it's annual convention at FL
Paso. Tex. next week. Mr. Gompers'
organization is the chief protagonist
of the child labor amendment. AS
the farmers at Chicago in December
will grid their loins for anti-ratifica-
ton. organized labor in Texas on No
yember II may be expected to map
out a vigorous pro-ratification cam
paign. For many months the fed
eratjon's 10000 locals" have been
working for ratification. Labor is
relatively as potent an influence in
Legislatures of industrial States as
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