Evening star., 1924-06-08
Adjournment RELIEF
TO BUSINESS BLOCS
100 or More Major Industrial and
Commercial Groups Displeased
by Record.
BONUS BILL HARD FOUGHT
Opposition to Child Labor Amend
ment to Be Carried to States.
BY HARDEN COLFAX.


A general sigh of relief from 100
or more camps Of organized business
in Washington goes up today as
Congress adjourns. Whomever else
Congress may have pleased, it has
made no hit with them.
These camps represent almost ev-
cry major activity of industrial and
commercial life. They range in size
from the outstanding Chamber of
Commerce of the United States and
the National Association of Manu-
facturers down to the relatively
small organizations representing in
dividual lines of industrial activity.
They opposed, for the most part,
the bonus bill. 1t was enacted.
They were for the Mellon tax bill.
1t was defeated.
posings the so-caIled child labor
amendment. 1t was adopted.
They won out in their opposition
to the McNary Haugen bill.
Three stinging defeats and one
minor victory-such is the record in
lied business interests, of the first
session of the Sixty-eighth Congress.
Responsibility on States.
Tempering today's feeling of re-
lief is apprehension that in the pos
sible ratification of the labor amend
ment, the worst is yet to come.
Congress adopted the amendment in
the dying days of the session, leav-
ing the problem as a legacy to the
states. 1t now goes before the leg
islatures of the forty-efght states,
and business organizations here fear
that 1T may be written into the Con-
stitution within year.
They are preparing another fight
against the proposed amendment on
as big scale as that against the
soldier bonus. And this time the
business interests hope to succeed.
Forty-two legislatures meet during
the coming winter and spring. The
proposed amendment will come be-
fore all Of them. Thirty-six must
ratify to make it effective. The main
hight against the amendment, which
promises to be bitter, shifts, there
lore, from Washington to forty-two
state capitals.
The proposed amendment follows:
Section l. The Congress shall have
power to limit, regulate and prohibit
the labor of persons under eighteen
years of age.
Section 2. The power of the several
states Is unimpaired by this article,
except that the operation of state
laws shall be suspended to the extent
necessary to give effect to legislation
enacted by Congress"
Slender Vote Possible.
Opponents of the legislation have
inquired that the amendment can be
written into the Constitution by the
votes of 2.70S men-members Of state
legislatures in thirty-six common
weaiths containing less than half of
the population of the United States.
In other words, if the twelve leading
states in point of population oppose
the measure-aS most of them are ex-
pected to do-the remaining thirty
six, nearly all of which are agricul-
turai, can still write the provision
into organic law.
Nm In most of those twelve states of
H Hsw York, Pennsylvania. Illinois,
Ohlo, Texas, Massachusetts Mich
igan, California, Missouri, New Jer-
sey. Indiana and Georgia lies the
back bone of opposition to the amend
ment. According to the census of
nearly $4,000, 900 of the country's los
100000 inhabitants
In the twelve legislatures there
are 2.0'0 lawmakers. In the Iegis
Iatures or the remaining thirty-six
states there are 5,344 members. The
proposed amendment can be ratified
by majority vote-not a two-thirds
vote-of each house of the thirty
SIX legislatures. calculation shows
that 2,70S state senators and as
semblymen. voting for the amend
ment can put it into the United States
Constitution.
All told, there are 7,414 members
OF state legislatures. The 2,70S pos
eral Constitution are less than 40 nar
cent of the total p
No state in the Union at the pres
ent time. a summary shows. attempts
70 nmlt, regulate and prohibit" by
blanket law the labor of narsons
under eighteen years of age Tha
blanket limitations stop at from four.
teen to fifteen years. Congress baS
indlcated a higher age limit by from
tnree to four years than any adonted
to date. p'eu
Affects Whole Population.
If the proposed amendment he
comes effective. business interests
here assert, almost two-fifths of ths
entlre population will be affected as
there are 100000 persons in tho
united states under eighteen years
or age. Sixty per cent of the workers
turns show, are found on the farms.
they are, for the most part, mem
bers OF farmers families. While
there is no record of the number of
workers under eighteen, it is esti-
mated that they number from 2,000,-
South Carolina asserts, for instance
that almost the entire cotton crop is
gathered by workers who have not
yet reached their eighteenth year.
Senator Reed of Missouri. who led
the fight in the Senate against adop-
tion, thus summarizes the effect of
the amendment if adopted:
IF a farmer were to send his bow
out to plant corn, a law could be
passed to send that farmer to Jail. If
mother permitted her daughter to
wipe the dinner dishes. a law could
be passed to send the old lady to jail.
Also a law could be passed under
which a mother could be sent to Jail
for asking her daughters to assist in
the family sewing.
"A widow left with six children.
the oldest seventeen years and six
months old and the next two above
fourteen, would be required to do the
entire work necessary to support the
family"
These are extreme illustrations, ad-
mittedly, but they are of the kind
that the business interests will flood
the country with soon in their effort
to prevent ratification.
copyright, 1924
Nutrition Nuggets.
When cake turns out heavy and