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P. J. McBride to Roy Hennigh - Page

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P. J. McBride to Roy Hennigh

This letter was written in response to Roy Hennigh's earlier letter (dated November 21) to Gov. Arthur Capper, which had been referred to P. J. McBride, the Commissioner of Labor and Industry. In it, McBride responds to Hennigh's complaint that a welfare inspector prevented Hennigh from employing his two daughters in his grocery store. McBride referred him to the child labor law that "prohibited the employment of any child under 14 years of age in mercantile establishments." No one could make any exception to this law because, according to McBride, some of the worst cases of abuse had occurred at the hands of parents. This law did not affect children's work within the home, but it did mandate that children under 14 could not be assigned regular duties for a specific period of time in a place of business. McBride emphasized that "it is not the purpose of this department to split hairs," but that his inspectors were bound to ensure that the law was applied fairly and equally to all.

Creator: Kansas. Governor (1915-1919: Capper)
Date: December 12, 1917

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Curriculum Notes

This letter provides information about why children's labor for their parents was included in the child labor law, which had not always been the case. It could be paired with Roy Hennigh's initial letter (dated November 21), which has also been selected for this standard. When combined with the other letters from Sabetha citizens, such as Ralph Tennal and Emma Grimm, this could form a case study of how this law was applied in small-town Kansas.

KS:11th:1.4:Child labor laws (2005)

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About this item

Item Number: 211803
Call Number: Governor's Office, Governor Arthur Capper, Correspondence Files, Numerical File Box 10 Folder 3 No. 9
KSHS Identifier: DaRT ID: 211803

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