The Labor enquirer., 1885-03-28
An Open Letter Addressed to
the Press of the United
States.
The Champion of Working,
Women's Rights Tells Some
Startling Stories
About Life in WashingtOn--W Who She
is and What Others Say
Of her.
TO the Press Of the Country.

cause of woman, making lher advance
1nent the chief aim ofmY life, I may be
Iardoned for appealing to the, press 6o
the country, the great lever which moves
public opinion, to aid me in furtherance
cf my object. *7". r'-, 5.a@fo q i = Z
My efforts at the national capital have
teen recognized by many of our lstates-
men and public men, and at the sugges-
ton of many ofthem and in accordance
with my own desire 1 make this appeal
to the press of the countrv-confdent
that l shall not appeal in vain.
Some years ago was elected president
Of the Woman's National Industrial
League of this city, and by the work the
league has accomplished its name has
been made a household word in the
home of the bread-winners Of the coun
try, and the wage women have a friend
in the organization which has stood by
their interests and done great good at
The national capital.
An interest IN the condition of the
Tage-laborers of the land has been
awakened by the labors of the league,
and the senate and house committees on
education and labor, appreciatihg the
zeal manifested by the league, appointed
Lhe undersigned, the first woman ever
appointed, to collect information and
statistics regarding the condition n of the
wage women of the United States and
Europe, which duty has claimed much
Of my time and considerable amount
of nv limited means. l have received
no remuneration for my labor, the COM
mittee alleging that there was no appro-
priation to pay me. So that my appoint
ment was more ornamental than lucra-
tive.
Theresult ofmy labors has been shown
in the testimony of the chairman of the
committees of the senate and house and
the able report of the secretary of state OF
the United States.
In the course of my Investigations l
discovered that France had $50 indus
trial schools for women, Russia has med
ical schools for hers, and that both Coun-
tries are far in advance of ours in this
regard. The fact that this is the case
should impel our government, and
especially our people, to build, at least at
the national capital, an industrial college
for women, where lessons of self-reliance
and self-support should be taught the
wage women-the practical lessons of
life.
The government of the United States
has in its benefcence. or perhaps ex-
travagance, provided home for many
purposes here at its capital. The deaf
and dumb, the insane, the soldier, and
even the bird, the fish, and the alligator,
and the snake, but no home where the
industrious worker, the wage-woman of
the land, can find refuge or home.
Such an industrial college would at once
be a CT edit, as well as an honor, to the
seat of government; it would show that
honest la Dor was duly appreciated by
the people of this great country, and
that, while monuments and statues were
erected to man, woman was not forgot
ten. The industrial college would soon
be selfsustaining. Such an institution is
sadly needed here, and when cnce its
benefits are demonstrated its good re-
suits would bring to its support the
wealth and talent Of the country. 1t
would grow in popularity, and the wage
women of America would have s, college
in which the whole country would take
pride.
But the government has made no ap-
preparation for the erection Of this in
dustrial college. Wage-workers are al
ways poor, and no other means is left
me but to appeal to the manhood and
womanhood of America for contrl buttons
to build this college. No matter how in
significant the sum contributed by each
it would amount to much in the grand
aggregate, and when once started the
government would lend a helping hand,
To show the confidence and appreciation
in which l am held by our, public men,
append the following testimonials from
distinguished senators and representa-
tives, many of whom know me IN the
committees on education and labor OF
the senate and house, for the zeal ana
industry manifested in the cause OF
labor, and some of whom hold positions
in the cabinet of President Cleveland.
In the United States senate, on the
fourteenth of May last, the senate having
under consideration the bill to establish
a bureau of labor statistics, Senasor Blair
said:
The bill has been read at length. l
DO not wish to trouble the senate with q
discussion of its merits or provisions.
| will, however, ask the secretary to read
letter from Mr.. Nlmmo, our present
chief of the bureau of statistics, which is
written in reply to request of Mrs.
Charlotte Smith for information upon
this subject, such information as he, the
most experienced of our government