The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-09-04

against the child labor amendm
Fletcher issued from his o
the press on Aug. %, a staten
North Carolina legislature had,
in it's senate, refused to ratify
the child labor proposal. He
called attention to the fact that
the North Carolina legislature
had then amended the state law 80
that it will be hereafter impossible
for anyone under IA years of age to
engage in gainful occupation" He as
serted that this showed "the determi-
nation of the state to free itself from
all accusations regarding the exploit
alton of child labor"
Denies Child Labor.
Then he proceeds to quote the au-
thor of this state law as saying that
only 66 boys under IA years are now
working, under certificates, in the cot
ton mills in North Carolina, and he
states that this new law makes pos.
session by the employee of a working
certificate from the state commission
prima facie evidence of compliance
with the law on the part of the EN-.
ployer." He denies that any large
number of children under IA years
are employed in the cotton mills OF
the south, and he quotes as his chief
authority Sen Wadsworth of New
York, who is the northern champion
of reaction on this issue.
Fletcher used to be friendly to la.
Dor legislation in Congress. Then
Miami and Palm Beach and st. Peters
burg and Orlando and a few other
Florida towns were discovered by mil
lionaires from the north. Money be
gan to pour into his poverty-strickeI
state. 1t came faster and faster. TIL,
winter sun became Florida's fortune
Fletcher discovered the millionaire.
and they discovered him. Fletcher
became conservative. Business mus
be safeguarded against radical pro
posals.
ncCdN dpcrL MuFuers
When the barbarous murder of
North Dakota war veteran by cour
ty convict whipping boss in Florid;
aroused a storm all over the coun
try, last year, the impression was Civ
en- that Florida would take this coca
sion to prove herself willing to en-
force constitutional rights. Here wa
a boy arrested on fake charge, viz
tually kidnapped and sold into SLAYER.
in Florida camp. and fogged unit
The died. The whipping boss was con
victed of second-degree murder, bu
now the state supreme court has Civ
en- him a new trial. Nobody expects
to see him given long sentence, ever
If he is again convicted. And not /;
word from Fletcher or Sen. Trammel
or any Florida congressman who hal
fought the child labor amendment il
the name of state rights.
So with this North Carolina legisla
ton, to which theFlorida senator point
with so much pride. He knows tina
it is fake legislation, since it does no
make the employer responsible, once
the child gets working certificate b,
any means. He knows the state off
cial machinery will not enforce this
law, because the mill interests tina
control the state government do no
want it enforced. He knows that fed
eral inspectors, operating under fed
eral law, would get enforcement. Ant
he knows that his figures on the mum
Der of child workers in cotton mills
in North Carolina is utterly out Of
keeping with federal reports on tina
subject.
Fletcher On New Tide.
But Fletcher is riding the new poll
tical tide of Big Money in Florida. HI
thinks it good politics to be as pitiles
as Jim Wadsworth, on child labor
Later on, he will assail other Eek
treme" measures put forward by the
progressives in the senate, and will
find the support of the Florida win
ter colony more and more congenial