Evening star., 1933-07-26
Child Labor-Repeal
And Crowd Psychology

To the Editor of The Star:
was greatly interested In PresideI.t
Roosevelt's radio address, broadcast
Monday night. Especially did these
words secure my hearty approval:
Child labor has been abolished. That
makes me personally happier than any
other one thing with which I have
been connected since I came to Wash
ington. In the textile industry. child
labor was an old evil. But no en-
ployer alone was able to wipe it out
II. one employer tried 1t, or If one State
tried it, the costs of operation rose so
high that it was impossible to COM
pete with the employers and States
which had failed to act"
I seem to hear another voice, gentle
and strong: THE use Of, and traffic
in, intoxicating liquors is an old evil
specially hard on women and children
But no community alone could wipe 1t
out. If one community tried it, or if
one State tried it, the cost of the effort
was found to be high, and those ad-
joining communities and States that
favored the liquor traffic made enforce
ment Of restraints exceedingly difficult
everywhere"
Let us grant that prohibition came
in on wave of war idealism. The
world was going to be safe for democ-
racy, life was to be different now, every
thing was going to be all right, we could
all afford to give up liquor together! !
Consequently, Senators and Representa-
tives and members of State Legislatures
tumbed over each other in their haste
- = sfxyx A;rr .I,,,
one had good word for booze.
Later there came another manifesto
ton of crowd psychology. The declara-
tions Of the Democratic convention in
Chicago; the ecstatic-not to say hys-
tercial-utterances of the nominee for
the presidency, the flocking to the wet"
standard OF large proportion Of the
city press, the boosting OF booze for a
purpose by large income taxpayers, the
cheers Of certain labor leaders, the ap-
peals from the White House to the
Southern dry States to be true to the
prediction pledges of their party lead
ers. shell shock suffered by many drys
and We are where We are!
Does Mr.. Roosevelt suppose that the
signing of the cotton textile code, a
'gentleman's agreement" will per-
manently do away with child labor?
VIII Ine SenJleNlen OF JQe CarOllna
mills, or of the mills Of any other
States, never again overreach in their
desire for cheap labor? This code is
worth only what it is worth. The child
labor amendment to the Federal Con-
stitution still needs to be ratified by the
requisite number of States; agitation
and education need to be kept up, and
the amendment, when ratified, must be
vigilantly enforced.
Liquor is not the only issue before
our people. have no quarrel with any
one who contends that 1t Is not even
the most important issue, though it is
important. Taking liquor control out
of the Federal Government and turning
it over to the States will not settle it.
There is dissatisfaction of it
planted and cultivated-with the pres
ent situation. But hysterical efforts
for bald repeal will get us nothing de-
sirable
My hope has been that enough States
will decline to ratify, so that repeal
will be blocked. But that would not
settle the question. 1t would. however,
make it possible to develop plan by
which the Federal Government would
retain its hold on the liquor situation.
Then such changes could be made in
handling the matter as might be found
desirable after non-partisan investiga-
ton and discussion.
LUTHER K LONG.