The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-03-19
WAGES AT THE DANGER POINT.
IA Minister'S Plea for Letter. Carriers, Sewing
Girls and Shop Girls.

IA Minister'S Plea for Letter. Carriers, Sewing
Girls and Shop Girls.
New York Sun.
ssWages now stand at the danger point in this
community" said the Rev. Dr. DeOosta, in the
Church OF ST. John the Evangelist, yesterday
morning, in beginning his sermon on Better
Wages Demanded by Christian Morality"
'SThere is too much work and too little pay
among the. laborers of every kind" he went on.
'"Fhe postal carrier among the men and the
needte-worker among the women conspicu-
GUS examples of the evil. Two thousand under
paid, overworked seamstresses in our city are
the pitiful proof that Hoods Song Of the Shirt
is real history. When we realize the truth that
woman rises or falls In the moral scale just as
her wages rise or fall we can see how ominous
and terrible is the situation of working women.
A recent careful investigation of the con-
dftiOn of these two thousand seamstresses
revealed that 534 made only 81 week,
and over | 400 only 81 a week. Only seven of
the whole 2,C00 were able to earn $S a week by
their toll. When men, too, are compelled to
work for like pittances can any one wonder at
finding men and women sacrificing all that is
noble of themselves, and becoming thieves or
worsea The wages paid by the miserly employer
are often death to the virtue of thousands of
women, and ruin to the honor and manhood of
young men,
Shall We coolly look upon this picture and
GAY there is remedy, no change for the future?
Some say: oh, you can't change this. These
things are always regulated by the law of sup
or laws than thar. To-day it is practically cruel
and inhuman law. and the time has come when
humanity will not tolerate it, As at present
abused il Is the chance seized by every mean.
Siespicable employer to Cypress his unfortunate
fellow-man, 1t is the business of business men
to find substitute for this law TO regulate their
business, and they must not be forever finding
that substitute either. Thousands Of noble en-
ployers who have not cut their laborers' wages a
penny even though times were hard, and others
were reducing pay. prove that better and more
humane application of law is possible.
where there is e will to remedy the evil there
is surely way. The avarice Of corporations
and monopohes must be restricted. The stock
holder, who does as stockholder what he would
not dare to do as private citizen must be
forced to forego oppression of the poorer laborer
The elegantly dressed women who crowd the
stores where their own sex is oppressed by poor
wages, in order that the odd cent may be saved
the purchaser, must awake to the fact that they
kre taking part in the oppression of the saesgrl.
The reforming influence of the government
should be invoked. In fact the government
ought to be the first to put itself at the head of
reform movement and set the good example
by paying good wages and permitting no over
work. II this new administration is half the re-
form administration itclaims to be- 1t will hasten
TO remove from the government the perpetual
stain of meanness that the poor pay and long
hours OF the letter carry with them. 1t
Ae disgrace that such misery pay and over
6egk should be allowed, when there are millions