Establishment of a National Children's Bureau

As part of the discussion on &dquo;Influence of City Environment on National Life and Vigor&dquo; there has been assigned to me as subject, &dquo;The Relation of the Federal Government to Race Im- provement, With Special Reference to the Establishment of a Chil- dren's Bureau.&dquo;This assignment was made because, at the re- quest of the National Child Labor Committee, I had the privilege of introducing in the Sixtieth Congress a bill to provide for a children's bureau under the Department of the Interior.The bill provided that the proposed bureau should investigate and report upon all matters pertaining to the welfare of children and child-life, and should especially investigate the following questions : Infant mortality; the birth rate; physical degeneracy; orphan- age ; juvenile delinquency and juvenile courts; desertion and ille- gitimacy ; dangerous occupations; accidents and diseases of the children of the working classes; employment; legislation affecting children in the several states and territories, and such other facts as have a bearing upon the health, efficiency, character and training of children.In effect, the object of the bill was to provide a central bureau of publicity and investigation in regard to matters peculiarly affecting child-life.The extent to which the Federal Government can legislate in regard to the welfare of children is limited.Except as to the Dis- trict of Columbia and the territories it has nothing to do with legis- lation directly affecting infant mortality, the birth rate, physical degeneracy, orphanage, juvenile delinquency and juvenile courts, and desertion and illegitimacy.There is a dispute as to its constitu- tional power to legislate in regard to child labor.The future may see a gradual and great extension of federal power.Such I believe to be inevitable as well as desirable.The country, though large, is by means of communication so closely knit together that in many

Political science · Children's Rights and Participation · Psychology