Hellraisers Journal – Monday April 26, 1909
New Orleans, Louisiana – Southern Child Labor Conference Deemed a Success
From Louisiana’s Reserve Le Meschacébé of April 17, 1909:
A PERMANENT ORGANIZATION
—–
CHILD LABOR CONFERENCE WILL BE
MAINTAINED AS A FIXTURE.
—–
Successful Opening Meeting Renders Members
Enthusiastic For Future.
—–
Doffer boys, ages 12 and 10. Gastonia, North Carolina —–
New Orleans.-The child labor conference of the Southern states, called by Governor J. Y. Sanders of Louisiana, came to a close after a three-days’ session, in which great things were accomplished, resolutions being adopted fixing age limit, working hours, etc., and permanent organization effected.
The convention was the second of its kind in the history of the new commercial South, but it will not be the last for already Memphis has been tacitly agreed upon as the next place of meeting, and in the twelve months which must elapse before that meeting the delegates are pledged to work mightily to create sentiment and mold opinion, so that even greater reforms than those suggested during the past few days may be gained for the “Child of the Man With the Hoe,” as Senator Colville so strikingly describes the work children. Eleven states were represented.
The chief work of the conference was the adoption of a resolution containing important provisions, to be embodied in a uniform child labor law to be proposed in the legislatures of all the states in the South…..
———-
[Photograph added is by Lewis Hine.]
From The Survey (formerly Charities and Commons) of April 17, 1909:
SOUTHERN CHILD LABOR CONFERENCE
—–
Smallest girl about 10 years old, has been in mill 2 years, 6 months at night. —–
In the contest over a better child labor law in the Louisiana Legislature last summer, the issue most warmly debated was whether a working day of nine hours or ten should be adopted for children under eighteen years of age, and for women. The Legislature decided upon the ten-hour day and Governor Sanders promised Miss Jean Gordon, who had led the fight for child labor reform, to call a conference in New Orleans to recommend a uniform child labor law for the southern states.
Governor Sanders wrote to all the southern governors asking them to attend the conference personally if possible and to send interested delegates: manufacturers, representatives of labor unions, and of different associations pledged to child labor reform. Delegates to the conference were appointed by all the southern governors except Governor Comer of Alabama, and Governor Campbell of Texas. Governor Comer’s reason for not appointing delegates—that Alabama had already the best child labor law in the country with the possible exception of Massachusetts, was so ridiculous that his action focused attention upon the deficiencies of the Alabama law, it being generally believed that these rather than the excellence of the law furnished the reason why the governor, himself a cotton manufacturer, deplored any further discussion or agitation of the subject in Alabama.
Governor Hadley of Missouri and Governor Noel of Mississippi attended the conference and took an active part in the discussion. The states represented by delegates were Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Governor Sanders was elected permanent chairman of the conference, Senator Colville, of Oklahoma, secretary, and a resolutions committee was appointed, with two members from each state represented, to which was referred all the important business of the conference.
While this committee was preparing its report, a number of instructive addresses were delivered. Miss Jean Gordon spoke on the Need of Uniform Legislation;
James W. Van Cleave, president of the National Manufacturers’ Association, on Child Labor from the Manufacturers’ Point of View; C. J. Teller, of New Orleans, on Compulsory Education; Miss Kate Barnard, of Oklahoma, on The Rights of Childhood; Thomas J. Harrison, of New Orleans, on Child Labor from a Laboring Man’s Point of View, and Owen R. Lovejoy, general secretary of the National Child Labor Committee, on Child Labor Conditions Throughout the Nation.
Governor Sanders, as chairman of the conference, ruled that as the subject of compulsory education had not been specifically mentioned in the call, it could not be discussed. This resulted in a full discussion of the intimate connection between compulsory education and child labor legislation, and the sentiment of the conference was evidently overwhelmingly in favor of compulsory education. In deference to Governor Sanders’s wishes, however, and in consideration of the local problems in Louisiana, no resolutions were offered on that subject.
The report of the resolutions committee signed by all the members except Mr. Van Cleave and two other manufacturers, was adopted with practical unanimity. A minority report offered by G. W. Pratt, a manufacturer from Mississippi, proposed to defer action until state commissions appointed by each governor should have made an investigation of child labor conditions. The introduction of this report gave opportunity for the manufacturers to set forth the blessings of cotton mills, and the improvement in conditions of operatives over those who live in rural districts of southern states.
A stereopticon lecture showing actual conditions of cotton mill children from photographs taken by Mr. Hine and others, rather dissipated the claims made that cotton mills were benefactors of children.
Abbreviated resolutions adopted by the conference follow:
First—That the minimum age for the employment of children in any gainful occupation, except agriculture and domestic service, be fixed at fourteen years.
Second—That no child under the age of sixteen years be employed in or about any mine or quarry, or in any occupation dangerous to life or limb or injurious to health or good morals.
Third—That no child under the age of sixteen years be employed in any gainful occupation, except agricultural and domestic service unless such child can read and write simple sentences in English.
Fourth—That no boy under the age of sixteen years and no girl under the age of eighteen years be employed in any gainful occupation, except agricultural or domestic service, between the hours of seven p. m. and six a. m.
Fifth—That an eight-hour day for children under sixteen, and women, is the only humane standard for hours of employment, and we hope this standard will be reached by all Southern States. That legislation is necessary which will provide that no child under sixteen years of age, and no woman, be employed more than fifty-four hours in any one week, or an average of nine hours per day, and no such boy or woman shall be employed more than nine hours in any one day unless it be for the purpose of allowing a half-holiday on Saturday, and then such employment shall not exceed ten hours in any one day.
[Sixth-That legislation on the subject of the issuance of employment certificates be according to the provisions of the present Kentucky law. (Found in article above.)]
Seventh—That a law requiring the registration of all births be adopted by the states interested herein, to the end that the future administration of the child labor law may be simplified and made more effective.
Eighth—That we recommend a proper guide for sanitary and safety regulations.
(Such a list is appended in the resolutions adopted.)
Ninth—That we regard a state system of factory inspection as essential to the enforcement of all child labor laws; that each state should make ample preparation for the employment of proper officials and assistants for the inspection of all mines and factories, and that such inspectors should be given the power and be required to see to the enforcing of child labor laws, and that they should be given authority to prosecute the violations of all such laws.
Tenth—That the laws recommended for the protection of women and children should be accompanied by adequate penalties to enforce observance.
In accordance with the last resolution, a permanent organization was effected, with Governor Sanders as president, a vice-president from each state, and an executive committee of one member from each state. The committee elected George L. Sehon, of Louisville, chairman. It was agreed that a similar conference should be called next year and Memphis, Tennessee, was suggested as the probable place of meeting.
When the Southern States adopt the standard here proposed, they will excel the present legislation of New England. The argument made by the manufacturers against the nine-hour day was that they would be at a disadvantage with eastern cotton mill states.
[Photographs added are by Lewis Hine.]
[Paragraph breaks and emphasis added.]
(Right hand boy) John Campbell, (Box 294, Gastonia, N.C.) 10 years old. Been three years in mill. In school part of this time. (Left hand boy) Roy Little. Said 12 years old. 2 years in mill and worked nights 9 months. Doffer. Location: Gastonia, North Carolina.
Some of smaller “hands” on the night shift waiting for the whistle to blow. Whitnel N.C. Cotton Mill. The smallest boy and girl were about 50 inches high. One of the medium sized boys has doffed 4 years,-some at night. Get 60 cents a night. Smallest girl looked 10 years old. Been in mill 2 years. 1/2 year at night. Runs 8 sides part of the time. Photo by flashlight. Location: Whitnel, North Carolina.
Daniel Mfg. Company, Lincolnton, N.C. Boy 6 years old, stays around in the mill all day. Mother and sister both work there. Helps a little. How soon will he be drafted into regular service?. Location: Lincolnton, North Carolina.
Note: Where LOC gives no date, I have used Nov 1908, as per date of arrival in Carolinas given in article in Charities and Commons of Jan 30, 1909-where all of these photos can be found. It appears that Hine was in the Carolinas until early January 1909 (see links to his Carolina photos below).
Lewis W. Hine, well-known to readers of this magazine by his photographs of social conditions in New York city and elsewhere, was sent by the National Child Labor Committee to investigate conditions in North and South Carolina and record the results with his camera. In November, 1908, he went to Charlotte, N. C., the center of the cotton mill region of the South. Over fifty per cent of the cotton spindles and looms of the South are within one hundred miles of Charlotte. Mr. Hine visited nineteen and investigated seventeen mills, taking 230 photographs.
Per Mother Jones in Appeal to Reason of Oct 24, 1908.
-Dedicated to Governor Comer of Alabama:
Comer, go reckon our dead
By the forges red
And the factories where your slaves spin.
You’ve eaten their lives,
Their babes and wives.
For which Roosevelt says you’re a desirable citizen.
It was your legal right, your legal share.
If blood be the price of your god-cursed gold,
God knows, these slaves have paid it dear.
————————-
