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of laws that we knew in the future would tend to prevent unemployment. One of them would be the prohibition of child labor, giving such jobs as are available to grown people. Then there would be the regulation of the hours of labor. We already knew that what was happening in New York State, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and in all the states for which I had any reports, was that under this terrible pressure hours were being lengthened and wages were being reduced. That meant that the manufacturers' costs were lower, but that fewer people were working all the time. The wages paid per article of goods manufactured were less and less able to support the families that were dependent upon them. He knew about that from some stories I'd told him about these so-called runaway shops. He knew the story of the $5.00 dress. We'd had that up in the New York State conference. I felt that on the federal level we must try to put in a limitation of hours of labor.

He said, “Can that be done constitutionally?”

I said, “It's very doubtful, but I want to say now that we should try. I would like to try and would like to know if you would back me in trying.”

He said, “Sure.”

I said, “Then I think we must move just as quickly as we can for minimum wages by some device or other.” Then