Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-05-25

:
! said she needed medicine not so much az
something TO eat. As she began to revive
. in her delirium she said, gasplngiy
Eight cents Eight cents! Eight cents
: | wish could get IL dOnel l am 50 tired
! wish | could get some sleep, bat l must
/ get it done! Eight ceutsl Eight centsv
/ We found afterwards that she was max
/ ing garments for cents apiece, and that
she could make but three OF them in a
/ day Hear it, Three times are "a
Hear it. men and women who have com.
Portable homes Some Of the worst vii
+ lains Of our cities are the employers Of
these women. They beat them down to
the last penny and try TO cheat them out
! Of that The woman must deposit dollar
or two before she gets the garments TO
work on. When the work is done it is
sharply inspected the most insignificant
flaws picked out and the wages refused,
ana sometimes the dollar deposited not
given back.
The Women's Protective Union reports
case whore one of these poor souls, md
ing place where she could get more
wages, resolved to change employers, and
went 20 get her pay Tor work done. The
employer says: Il hear you are going to
leave meY' eyes" she said, ''and have
come TO get what you owe me-" He made
no answer. She said: ''Are you not
going to pay meY' eyes" he said, 81
will pay YOU" and he kicked her down
stairs.
Oh, that Women's Protective Union, 10
Clinton place, New York. The blessings
Of heaven be on it for the merciful and
divine work it is doing in the defense Of
toiliug womanhood. What tragedies of
suffering are presented to them day by
day. A paragraph from their report:
''Can you make Mr.. Jones pay mef He
owes me for three weeks at two dollars
and a half week and | can't get any
thing, and my child is very sick. The
I speaker, a young woman lately widowed,
burst into a food Of tears as she spoke.
She was bidden to come again the next
afternoon and repeat ner story to the at
torney at his usual weekly hearing Of
frauds and impositions. Means were
found by which Mr.. Jones was induced
to pay the seven dollars and a halt"
Another paragraph from their report:
"a fOrtnight had passed when she mod
estly limited a desire TO know how much
her services were worth. 'On, my DEAR
he replied, you are getting TO be one OF
the most valuable hands in the trade; you
will always get the VerF best price. Ten
dollars week you will be able to earn
very easily And the girls fingers flew
on with her work at a marvellous rate.
The picture Of the ten dollars week had
almost turned her head. A few nights
later, while crossing the ferry, she over
heard the name of her employer in the
conversation of girls who stood near.
What! John Sulpes? Why he don't pay.
Look out for him every time. He'll keep
you on trial, as he calls it, for weeks and
then hen let you 90 and get some other
fool And thus Jane smith gained her
warning against the swindler. But the
Union held him in the tolls of the law I'M
til he paid the worth of each ofthOse days
Of trial. "
Another paragraph:
"1er modification may be imagined
when told that one of the two five-dOllaT
bills which she had just received for her
work was counterfeit. But her mOrtifi-
cation was swallowed up in Indignation
when her employer denied having paid
her the money aud insultingiy asked her
topTove it." When the. Protective UaiOn
had placed this matter in the courts, the
Judge said: "YOu will pay Eleanor the
amount Of her claim, IS SO and also the
costs Of the court"
How are these evils to be eradicatcdY
Some say: "GiVe woman the ballot"
What effect such ballot might have on
other questions 1 am not here to discuss.
but what would be the effect of female
suffrage on women's wages? l do not be-
lieve that woman will ever get Justice by
wOman's ballot. Indeed, women Cypress
women as much as men do. Do not wO-
men, as much as men, beat down to the
lowest figure the woman who seWs for
them? Are not women as sharp as men
on washerwOmen and milliuers and
mantua-makers? If woman asks 81
for her work does not her female EN-
plOyer ask her if she will not take 80
ceutsY You say comfy 10 cents differ
ence," but that is sometimes the differ
ence between heaven and he'll. Women
often have less cOmmiseratiOn for women
than men. If a woman steps aside from
the path Of rectitude, man may forgive
woman never Woman will never get
Justice done her from wOman's ballot.
Neither will she get it from mans ballot.
How, then? God will rise up for her.
God has more resources than we know Of
The flaming sword that hung at Eden's
gate when woman was driven out will
cleaye with its terrible edge her OPP
DressOrs.
Bat there is something for women to do.
Let young people prepare to excel in
spheres Of work and they Will he able
after awhile to get larger wages. If it be
shown that a woman can IN n store sell
more goods in year than man she will
soon be able not only TO ask, but 10 de-
mand more wages, and to demand them
successfully. knskllled and incompetent
labor must take what is giyen; skilled
and competent Labor will eventually make
its own standard. Admitting that the
law of supply and demand regulate these
things, | contend that tue demand for
skilled labor is very great and the supply
very small. Starr with the idea that
work is honorable and that you can do
some one thing better than anybody else.
Resolve that, Col helping, you will
take care of Yourself II you are after
n while called into another relation you
will all the better Ia qualided for il by
your spirit of solf-reli2nce; or II you are
called to stay as YOU are vOu can be happy
and selt-suppOrtlng. Poets are fond of
talking about man as an oak and woman
the vine that climbs il; hut have seen
many tree fall that not only went down
Itself but took all the vines with it. /
can tell YOU OF something stronger than
an oak for an ivy % climb on and that is
the throne Of the Great Jehovah. Single
or atlianced, that woman is strong who
leans on God and does her best. The
needle may break; the factory band may
slip; the wages may fail; but over every
good womau's bead there are spread the
two great gentle, stupendous wings OF
the Almighty.
Many Of you will 90 single-handed
through lite, and YOU will have To choose
between two characters. Young woman.
| am sure you will turn your back upon
the useless, gigglng, irresponsible nom
entity which society ANONYMOUSLY ack.