The situation in the Southern
states, where the laws are, generally
speaking, very lax, is the one that is
at present attracting the most at
tention. The newness of the evil
here and its rapid growth both tend
to draw all eyes toward Dixie. In
fact the impression seems to prevail
to a large extent that this is pecu
liarly a Southern problem. That
the people of the South have the
problem yet to solve is all too true;
but that other sections are partners
with us in perplexity is also an un
fortunate fact. The only states with
out any legislation at all for the reg
ulation of child labor are Florida,
Mississippi and Oklahoma. Perhaps
it is unfair to include the last
named, as it is scarcely a state yet,
and has been under a general terri
torial law on the subject. It may,
however, be said in passing that with
these states must be included the
District of Columbia! The laws of
Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, North
Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia,
and West Virginia are also very de
fective. So it is no wonder that in
the South, with the great growth of
eotton and other manufactories, the
matter has reached an acute stage.
That the laws of the Southern states
are, generally speaking, behind those
of other sections does not prove that
the people of these states care less
for the welare of their children than
do those of the North and East. The
restriction of child labor did not
come anywhere without a struggle.
