Evening star., 1937-02-21
JAMES ROOSEVELT
|TSCH|[DLAbOR
Ratification of Amendment
Held Necessary After Court
Killed N. R. A.
By the Associated Press.

GARDNER, Mass, February 90
James Roosevelt, son of the President,
tonight plunged into Massachusetts,
controversy over ratification of the
child labor amendment, with an as
Sertion the amendments ratification
had been made necessary by the Su-
preme Courts action in outlaWing the
national recovery act.
In an address prepared for delivery
here, the Presidents son declared that
two years ago, when the amendment
was last before the Legislature here,
he had expressed an opinion that
ratification was not necessary because
he believed the N. R. A. short cut
through long years of struggle"
"Since then" he asserted, "the Su-
preme Court has crushed the hopes
given by N. r. A. that we had found
an immediate solution" for elimina-
ton of child labor. Conditions have
changed" he added. MY opinion
has honestly changed with them"
No Reference to Father.
Now an administrative assistant to
the President, young Roosevelt made
no direct reference to his father in
supporting the proposed amendment
which would empower Congress to
limit, regulate and prohibit the labor
of persons under 18 years old"
(Action upon the amendments rat
ification by Massachusetts, now awaits
return of a report by the legislative
committee on constitutional law
Roosevelt listed the National AsSo-
citation of Manufacturers as ''the most
apparent of the many which have
resisted" the amendment every inch
Of the way"
Asserting the N. r. A. took at least
100000 children out of industry with
the overwhelming backing of public
opinion" he charged that after the act
was declared unconstitutional soon
the chiseller dared raise his head
again"
soon" he said the honest en-
ployer was forced to meet the COM
petition of others willing to exploit
the young and inexperienced. The
children started back to work because
of that minority of employees who
would not play the game fairly.
Cut-Throat Tactics Hit.
so The real point at issue in
child regulation is whether a State
can be free to protect its children by
adequate laws without subjecting its
industries to cut-throat competition
from those less humane and less pro-
greSsive States which are willing to
allow the exploitation of their children
for profit"
The amendment" he argued,
"creates no new kind of governmental
power over children. 1t merely seeks
to give to Congress some of the powers
on child labor which State Legislatures
now have and will continue to have.
"Those who assume, those who
fear that the Congress would at some
future time twist the powers of the
child labor amendment into permis-
sion to commit assault upon our way
of living, do violence to our civil
liberties or meddle in our sanctuary
of church and home and school must
also assume that the people will at
some future time elect a Congress COM
pletely devoid of common sense"
Cites Several Regulations.
Massachusetts,, said young Roose-
welt, was in the van in its recog-
milton of the necessity of social reg
ulation of child labor. All that is
asked of Massachusetts, now is to help
the good work it has itself begun.
go I now advocate the passage |
by the Massachusetts, Legislature of a |
vote ratifying the child labor amend
ment."
Roosevelt said his address was an |
answer to letter in which Robert j. |
Watt, secretary-treasurer of the Mas
sachusettS State Federation of Labor |
and stanch advocate of ratification, |
asked him to explain his stand on |
the question.
During the week labor leaders led a
walk-out of the amendments cham
pions from public hearings before
the Constitutional Law Committee
of the Massachusetts Legislature at
which Michael J. Ahern, S. j., spokes-
man for William Cardinal O'Connell,
Catholic Archbishop of Boston, spoke
in opposition to ratification.