Children

The Child Labor Amendment* , proposed to the states by Congress last summer, seems to have come into an unfortunate infancy. It has been ratified by the Legislature of Arkansas. It has been rejected by the Legislatures of Georgia and North Carolina. In last week's election, the people of Massachusetts voted it down by a majority of about 5 to 2.

A large factor in the Massachusetts defeat was the intense opposition of the Catholic Church, led by Cardinal O'Connell.

The beginning is ominous--three foes to one friend, among the states having acted. If the proposed Amendment is to grow to the maturity of ratification, it must reverse the proportion, win 36 of the 48 states.

President Coolidge found it necessary to have the State Department explain why he did not sign the proposed Amendment when passed by Congress. Amendments to the Constitution are not placed before the President. They are passed by each House of Congress (with a two-thirds vote), signed by the Chairman of each house and sent directly to the states for ratification or rejection. The absence of the President's signature signifies nothing; he is not supposed to sign.

*The proposed Amendment does not prohibit Child Labor. It would give Congress the power to regulate or prohibit the labor of persons under 18 years of age. Its purpose is to make uniform, and inferentially to raise, the bars against Child Labor. The formal argument against the Amendment is "too much centralization." The real arguments are "conflicting interests, economic, social."