The Gavelyte, March 1913

I Ill I J t11 pr , thC\ 11 ,\twthl r l h,1 1 • t I\ • prohl ·111 i th.it pt rt11i11i11g t11 I 11111 l' ton c lm·c.tig 1tin • tin I' liLc \ ttm 111 lift II find the chi f 111.1 •i 11.111 Ill h lirut.d, i ·rwr-.irll, • irrupt .11ul 1uH1,,l •rt, 111ak111g 011c of the pri11< ip ii in llt11ti1i11 11f the city as ·hool ()[ dcpr,1, 11 • L.1. t) t·.11 there Wl re ;c1· ·n tll1111 ,111d 11111rdcrcr 111 mcrica and oul t"ift Lil uf them w ·r pr., ccutcd. \\'lt.i 1 ,, rungt 'J he Pre!-ident of the . huul I , ,,int of Chicag1, s,1id · "l'h · entire 111li l' for c o( thi:- cit is next to dcte,,t i11 its cffu1 ts to ..:uppre:. Cllllsl'i 1J1111 · l.1wl ncs , or tu detinitel~· arre. t the c,tn·cr uf crime within it 111ri. di< ti"11 " ,\h1111t a rlll1en hi ghwa) rubhcril' akt· pl.1 ·r.: ever, 111ght in 'hicag11 \\'h.,t trnc 11£ thi city i· ab true of other.. B11t a few month ago , 'cw \'urk Cit\ w I the scene of nothing short of h.,rh 1ri m i11 the murder .,f Rn"Lnth.tl. DPc. thi · nut .-how the ·y tern L "eak: 1 \re the hi·.,._ nf .\merican frced,1111 11,ntcnt 11ith thi.? lf not thev mu:t :ulve !ht prnbk·m. The uni,·er ,il muddle u ually called the "labor problem" h,1· b II h· fore the public f >r man) ) e.us. \\',· l\.lve in our citie..: fi\·e hundred tru ·t;, con t nill– in g not only them irkcb, Ii 1t ,ti,.,> the l,dwr \\ hich i" clor1c by one third of the \\age earners ..\ lar;e pe, c 111 l1f tlic mi l rv and povert v i du to thi . The employers fix wage· and hour a. they plt:,1se, hence cau-,ing the l,,horer to organize for elf-protection alld life. ·1 he pages of hi. tory are being filled with the account of the stnigi:!lc:. betwetn 1;111pluyer aud Lrnpl,n·cc, ancl al u uf the cleal'age between the milli 111,1ire and pauper. In . ew Ytirk Cit· twenty- ix per cent. of her popui 1tiun are p<H ert1 . tri ken. In Pliil.1dclphi, yuu tind the average wacre e.1ruer existing on :i;::!,ll> le,. p rye.tr th 111 is rec ,1g1111.ed a the average In ing ex pen ·e. Even the child i. an important feature in this lahur problem. Tl1e father must compete with the child wh•,-1e l,1bor cheap"n the pr ,duct, lowers the indu trial st ndard of the pre..,ent and thrt'atens th 1t of the f 1turc. The root of thf' child-labor e\·il i. that it ha· no ucial JU. tihc.itiun. ;\[ore impurtan t than thi is the fact that the 1:re of the child i being imp;,irt.:d Phvsically and and mentally it i being h,trmed by con<litiun· known to all. Children are working in ill-kept _hop , nd at h 1me under prl' ·ure. In • ·ew York City there are t"enty thr e thou and home where the h,1hie.., eve11 mu t help to make the li\ing. At p·e·ent there are t\\O million, hild I.,h ,rer,- in :\merica.