Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-08-28

How Daughters and Wives of Well TO Do
Men Take the Bread From the Mouths
of Those Who Must Fight Their own
Battles.
Say, reporter exclaimed a clerk in one
Of the STATE street dry goods stores, II you
have nothing els. 10 write about, can't you
WELD your pen IN our Interest,"
why, whats the matter,
We'll, the matter Is that the girls and
women who have fathers and husbands 20
take care uf them. cunIe down town and work
for wages that an. fast becoming standards,
and apa slowly reducing IL 10 >taTN alton Do
YOU see that pretty glrl over ther- at the lace
Cuunteri We'll. she II JeWess. and lives out
ou Ssugamon street. Her father l. a well to
do travelling man, and allows her clothes and
board. She expects L. IL. married next wear
and is only working for mnn,.y 20 spend in
extras for her toilet She has b,S,n here
aluuu two wears SpntU time ago the bead Of
the department called hrr t. th. ofiirr t. dis
mss her because she lutsd ~ much. She
h'gg,d 10 b. retained, ami volunteered Il re
ductiun Of her salary. Then she was getting
Slo and ever since the Iepriinand She has r,A
yrIved hut - The result was a lot Of US
were reduced. and if she offers to work for
-, presume we Will have Ia stand another
cut ar gu somew her, else.
The firm l. one of the best in the city
We have chairs To sit on during dull hours.
CInSa at 5:Sa every da v and at noon Satur
day. and get vacation every year But the
fact remains that the rich girls who are
mcly enough Ia have homes of their own
are actually cutting the thrnatS of girls fixed
~ l am. | ctf 80 week and have no help
from any suUrrc whatever Nv ear fare Is
Il" cent? week. anal my hOari and washing
amount to 81, 30 YOU tan ~, that am a
long tune having trtSs or paving for
shuss. NV condition Is the same n hundreds
OF Others, hut | don't ~. any way Of improv-
ing it until better fed girls get out Of the
business The firm won't help Us Why
should it, These swell clerks come around.
ask for work, arr willing 10 accept small
wages and an abb, L" make "a guh appear
anoe- They wear nice rlutlltS lunk r,.tty
and an hip-l You can't blame tn, heads
for taking them, because it j. AN advantage
Ia tn" St"r. I" L. able to boast Of stylish
help and besides they attract customers
Il have frequently read in the papers suS-
piciouS accounts of finely drcssei dry goods
clerks, but any charsee that reflect adversely
on our rImtations are false, maliciously
falls. There are none hut tn, most respect
able women IN this store, and when critics
say that such a GiTl cannot afford to wear
IcwelTy, or that anather Is not able To wear
silk dr>Ss~, they don't know what they are
talking about That girl over there in the
br'wu dratete cnuld mt have paid for the
guSi> alone III les III II four weeks. but the
tact Is She didn't buy il at all Her father al
lows her a certain sum every month for
clothes and she devatFs her salaI-v u little
things, such a. handkerrhiefs, hosiery, Ter
fumes, fans, parasols and thingS like that
nIrrCv-iImr h0N SIR wears in her COrSace
She l. mot Obliged Ia work, and whenever She
Is iniiSpusNl or has some social engagement
she STAYS at home. Hl the very cold winter
she doesn't come down, and If she gets caught
IN a storm without an umbrella or gossamer
she takes cab home
Nov, can't YOU write all this down in YOUR
paper, an get the customers, or some of the
local clubs that are always ON the lookout for
reforms, "a drive thcSe rich girls out of the
field, Or kerp them from running our chances of
livelihood" That sUcn u state of um Just com
petition exists is sincontruvertible People hear
daily from the TuStrum terrible PHILIPPINES
against capital as applied to the oppression of
the poor working girls, and the advocates of
wuman's rights and wnmans wrongs a. set
forth 10y the W. {. T. L, are found arrayed
against expressions, but here is a state of af-
fans which, psluoel 10 it, simplest form. wO-
man against woman The vain pomp and
love of dress Is aIluring, as one can readily
understand. hut it is hard 10 believe that
s.'urrs and hundred OF women are degrading
lal,pr Inv UnrEipp
order Ia supply themselves with the fineIy
that a limited allowance will not buy These
women leave good homes TO take any sort Of
respectable employment by which their love
Of dress can lie gratI'iei Ifthe down town
counters do not invite them, they frequent
factories where cravatS and all sorts of worst
Ell goods are made, and where they are per-
mitted 10 take home work to be finished at
their leisure
Some Of these enemies of female labor
make huttonholos in cuffs and collars, en-
broidor initials on shirt tag, which Is a con-
Stant industry in itself. or darn lare when a
finer class of neeilewOrk Is unattainahle. An
other source OF income Is found among whole
sale houses. where these foolish women are
less conspicuous, and where they gladly ac-
oelt S3 and s. week for trying on yloaks,
selling buttons, keeping stock or setting
watch crystals These same figures are of
fered their unfortunate rivals, who are fire.
Tuenuy driven to despair in trying to make
it keep soul and boly together. Often these
unhappy, half starved girls complain and
threaten Ia leave, but their employers are
not scared, knowing that, in case Of a strike,
he can hire scores of girls in twenty four
hours to take tleir places.-Inter-Ocean