Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1868-10-02

A Medley OF Equality, AmsIIerafien
nIll and Co-ODerafi0n-

able In the Eatt among WORKING men ana
women. Strikes, meetings, resolutions
and speeches are all the rage" What
the result will be no one can tell "a
The workingmen Of Memphis, although
distant from the scenes Of contention,
are nevertheless interested in the matter.
We viii therefore give picture Of the
last phase Of the labor movement" as
sketched by the mouths Of women and
men.
At a recent meeting in New York city,
Miss Gussie Lewis, q young brunette
with pleasing dark eyes, said:
Men have hearts, and IL the matter was
properly brought before them, she thought
they would see the propriety and justice
| Of paying women as much as men for the
same amount of labor done as well,
because they know not what their own
wives, sisters or daughters might come
10. She thought that one reason, and
the principal reason, why women are not
so well paid as men Is that they do not
learn any trade or business so thoroughly
as men. They do not learn II for life, but
expect 10 be married or leave their trades
some day. Again men get larger sala-
ries than women, because they are sup
posed to and do represent a wife, sister
or mother. There were other reasons
than the want Of the ballot, she thought,
why women were paid less than men, and
one of them, she believed. was taxation
without representation.
That old complaint Of " taxation with
out representation" we believe, will
never end Down here among the carpet
baggers such thing is scarcely thought
of,because carpet-baggers generally have
nothing to tax; and yet they live on ''the
fat of the land" and throw workers and
taxpayers out Of high places, Remem-
Der that, or, as Captain Cutie says,
make note Of it."
Miss Emily Peers seems to be girl Of
mind; at least she talks well. Here's
what she said:
In this city, where not only the poor
Of our land, but the ignorant, the degraded
of ell nationalities are herded together,
forced by the instinct Of self-preservation
to the sharpest of competition one with
another, it is especially necessary that
efforts, organised and persistent, should
be put forth by every well-wisher of hu-
manity to better their condition. And
upon 1.-THE very threshold of this move
ment, looking to the improvement social,
moral and physical, of women, having
only her welfare in mind, il becomes us
to carefully, dispassionately, consider
what are her needs mean of the class
who toll, so that the true remedy may be
applied, and no step taken in the wrong
direction. We know that in responsi-
bility to common Father the sexes are
egual-we know that the right to life and
its enjoyments is unfettered and unlim-
tied; we know that every avenue of hon
est labor should be open to the sexes
alike, limited only by the natural laws
we know that for the same labor, capably,
conscientiously performed, there should
be the same compensation; that all COM
binations, leagues, etc., having for their
object the exclusion of women from the
hardly-earned avenues of labor she has
entered, are alike inherently unjust, and
unworthy of manhood.
That's hard blow at the men. But
it's parted pretty well by Mr.. L. A.
Hine, who said
The question is, how much can ladies
save out of their $l4, SIG, or even $40 a
week? Fashion is so rigorous and en-
phatic in its demands, that $40 or $50 a
week can be spent by them for dress
alone, and still they will think that they
have not spent cent more than is
necessary to clothe themselves. There
fore, how much can they save out Of their
scant wages to establish cooperative
business? Labor should own itself.
Teach economists, public men and
scholars to have higher opinion of the
dignity of labor.
High opinions don't amount to any
thing. Plenty to eat and drink, clothes
to wear aud houses to live in, are re-
quired; and these can be procured only
by toll. Whether anybody thinks labor
digniGed or not don't change the price
of bread and meat, People without in
comes who want to live must work.
Here's spicy debate, which followed
Mr.. Hines observations
Miss Peers-I move that special |
meeting be held for the purpose of taking
measures to establish female printing |
Office on the plan of corporation.
Miss Susie Johns-I second that mo-
ton.
Mr.. Troup-I would suggest merely,
not as motion, that the President of the
National Typographical Union be in.
vited to attend the meeting.
Miss Anthony--I was just going to
propose that an invitation be extended
to him.
Miss Peers-I oppose that. / think
that the woman can organize without the
help of the men.
Miss Anthony-That's pretty good.
This plan was nearly scorched" by
Mr.. VIM. Sylvis, who threw few hot
Goals into the crowd in this manner:
am an iron morlder, and ] am per-
feotly willing that ladies should come
into our business. 1t is a very hard bust:
ness. am in favor of universal
liberty and universal suffrage, regard
less of sex or color. They 90 hand in
hand with universal labor and co opera
ton. / am not in favor of women work
ing at all. believe that every man
should be able to derive enough profit |
from his toll to enable him to support
his wife, daughter or mother do not
believe that woman ives intended to live
by the sweat of her brow.
Alb, the teilers-God help them How
they struggle with the world, grasping at