The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1924-12-25
LET THE PEOPLE DECIDE.


The question of the ratification of the child
labor amendment to the national constitution
is one which has met with widely divergent
views. Honest men have clearly differed as
to the wisdom Of the adoption of the amend
ment. The labor leaders of the nation nave
for the most part strongly urged writing it IN
TO The basic law of the land. Farm organiza-
tons are almost unanimous in declaring 1t a
menace to the freedom which is guaranteed
under the constitution to which it is proposed
to make it an amendment.
Decisions of many people have been formed
on the amendment without any adequate UNI
derstanding of just what it provides and what
it plans to do Most of the people think that
it is an amendment which will take the chill
dren of the slums out of sweat shops and
>rogide for their being educated. Some others
assert that the amendment is the propaganda
of powerful influences whose sympathy for
the children is rather limited and who seek the
amendment for other purposes.
The GAINESVILLE Gazette has wisely suggested
that Wisconsin people and not the Wisconsin
state legislature decide as to whether or not
Wisconsin wants to ratify the amendment.
Here is what the Gazette has to suggest on the
matter.
1T is the pleasure of the Gazette today to
make distinct contribution to the history of
the times in a referendum of the members of
the legislature on the question of the ratifica-
tion of the child labor amendment to the Fed
eral constitution. In going over the returns
from the members, both Of the senate and the
assembly, it will be noted that there is a gen
eral leaning toward such a referendum There
are exceptions among the labor leaders and
those representatives with purely political rea-
hoiYn 4ho
and representatives Of the farm districts, are
not so cock-sure as are those who carry briefs
for organized labor In most cases the farm
members are DESTROYS Of having a referendum
at the spring election. 8S
Zone of the advantages of the referendum
would be wide and free discussion of the
question in public. We have all taken for grant
ed that the amendment was to accomplish
result which now appears to be far from the
truth-the correction Of child labor in factories
and at hard and grinding work and at the same
time not interfere with the occupation of chill
dren in right and easy tasks where there is
no danger of crippling the child either ment-
ally or physically. a'
1T will be seen from the amendment that
the control of labor is up to 10 years of age.
Then the amendment does not say children"
but persons" The tremendous power for
freak legislation, for the building of great
centralized body of federal inspection, for all
manner of corrective laws under federal regll-
lation and direction, is apparent. But this
Gazette considers the most dangerous pos
sibility in the notification of the state laws
Under section 2 of the amendment the state
may have law as we have in Wisconsin, and
yet the federal law may supersede it. altogether
as will be seen by reading that section. While
pretending to protect the state in it's own child
labor laws it does nothing of the kind
There is a powerful propaganda back of the
law now. 1t is of the same kidney as that
which lobbied the amendment through con-
gress. It is of faddist group. Among the
other things in mind, is a paternal oversight of
the American home dictated by few of these
faddists. If we had no child labor laws in Wis
consin, if we were lax in our duty here, if we
were exploiting children for gain, we might hail
the chance for a federal law with greater en-
thusiasm But to have our own laws nullified
and federal agency set up to- go about the
farms and see that children are not permitted
to do too many chores, is going pretty far
afield <
"The only solution is vote on the amend
ment at the spring elections If the people
of the state want the amendment let them have
the opportunity of saying SO at the polls"
As3