Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-02-12
WORkING.wOMEN'S WRONGS.
The National WOmen's Industrial
League Have u Hearing To-day.

WORkING.wOMEN's WRONGS.
The National Women.s Industrial
League Have Hearing To-day.
MRS. CHARLOTTE SMITH CREATES A sENsA-
TON BY ASSERTING THAT IMPROPER WOMEN
ARE EMPLOYED IN THE DEPARTMENTS
WOMEN WHO WORK FOR STARVATION WAGES
The Senate committee on education and labor
appointed a hearing this morning of the Ma
tional Women's Industrial league on the SUBJ
| ject of legislation in behalf of women. Quite a
| number of ladies connected with the league
presented themselves. Mrs. Charlotte Smith
was first called. She began to complain of inn
| morality in the departments, and that i'm.
proper women are maintained by public men
aud political influence, and even favored; that
honest, hardworking women are denied places
In the departments, while those of improper
character are retained. She said that there
were
SIX HUNDRED IMPROPER WOMEN IN THE DE-
PARTMENTS,
and began to read an affidavit, or some written
statement with regard to immoral conduct
Senator Call protested against any e1 parfe
charges or assertions that would blacken char.
acter.
Senator Palmer TONED in the protest.
MI. CAL said that if any evidence OF immoral
conduct in the departments could be produced
the committee would hear it, but it must be
positive and unequivOcal evidence.
MRS. smith eXcitedly declared that she could
give proof, and she undertook to mention some
chief clerk who had promoted a female depart
ment clerk, through favoritism and of the
immoral character Of the female clerk She was
again stopped by Mr.. CALL who repeated that
there must be no blackening Of character:
senator Palmer suggested that Mrs. Smith
read her written statement of charges, emitting
| names.
marked that the representatives of the indus
| trial league had come there to demand their
| rights and to dictate.
WOULD NOT BE DICTATED TO.
l rIr had t1,a
said: you had better go somewhere else.
wont be dictated to by anybody
| Mrs. Smith acclaimed somewhat excitedly
| about the committees unwillingness to hear
| facts, whereupon Mr.. Payne asked that she be
| called to order.
Chairman Blair very emphatically admon.
not be the vehicle of defamation; that if she had
evidence the committee would hear it, but no
| characters should be blackened.
| EQUAL CHANCES AND EQUAL WAGES FOR
| WOMEN AND MEN.
| Mrs. Hickman interposed with the sugges-
ton that the ladies had not presented them
selves to defame anybody or make any COM
plants. They simply desired to improve the
chances OF working women for employment
under government. They wanted to procure
| legislation that would give women equal
chances and equal wages with men In such
| fields of government labor as they can perform.
They asked that under the bureau of labor a
| division be established for women with q
| woman at its head.
| FIFTY CENTS DOZEN FOR MAKING SHIRTS.
Mrs. Smith introduced Miss Franklin, of
Washington, who earns her living by doing
shop work. She said she was a dressmaker by
trade; but she does not get any more of the fine
work She used 10 get, as the big stores make fine
| underwear, ETC., and sell it cheaper than the
sewing women can. That had deprived sewing
women OF that class OF work. She gets so cents
| per dozen for making mems shirts; the same
| price for similar articles; 25 cents for making
| two women's wrappers. She could not make
two day. She had not earned upon an
| average OF 20 cents a day. She had not been
a tn 90 hnrSN Twin htf
aid she would have suffered. Several days
during the winter she had nothing to eat,
had had enough to cal. Witness knew Of am an,
other lady, one who occupies the same room
| with her. who lives as she does. She is even
worse of, because she is a deserted wife. She
and her roommate pay 80 per month, and they
have to economic very closely to pay that.
Witness had not had SO of dress-making this
winter. She has a sewing machine. Wftness
meant by mems shirts such as are worn by
la5or1ng men, not dress shirts.
| TURNED OUT 1nE NEW ADMINISTRATION.
Mrs. NJ. ]. B. Reeder confirmed Miss Frank
| Inns statements. Her husband is dissipated
| man, and witness has for four years supported
herself and three children. Her husband was
She had done sewing at the prices given by
| Miss Franklin. When Col. Webster was chief
do OBJ s he
month. She finally got place in the post Office
for herself and got her daughter put in the
earned about $50 month and got
| along very nicely until the new admins
ira came In when at the instance of
| ter was dismissed on the ground that the fam
| lily had two places under the government
whereupon the forewoman procured her re-
mOval. That was last December. "The re-
publieans," said the witness, gave me living
family are supported by witness brother my
daughter" continued the witness, "has mar
ried since she was turned out; suppose because
she had nothing else to do"
| WOULD NOT ASSOCIATE WITH THE OTHER
WOMEN.
Mrs. s. r. Reed, a widow of ten years, was
employed as charwoman in the Treasury from
1881 to 1855. She engaged in business in
Washington, but failed and everything she had
was sacrificed to pay creditors. Though
stranger she went to the superintendent at the
Treasury and he employed her as charwoman
She has three children, aged IL, Is and IL.
respectively. She had heard women who were
employed on the roll OF charwoman use the
Witness described her hard labor, saying it
finally broke down her health. The fore
RfG to and sit on
woman. The forewoman said there were some
women there too proud to mingle with the
The torewoman ordered witness to sit on the
common benches, and reprmanded her for not
ter than the others. A few days later witness
was dismissed. On one occasion she, being very
faint, sat down, and that was made a COM
associate or sit with the women, who used OBJ
scene language. Those women, she said, are
| still retained in employment at the Treasury.
Mrs. T. H. Haze, of Boston, made an appeal
for women generally.
Mrs. Hickman urged legislation to protect the
homes Of working women from sale for debt or
taxes.
| A LADY WHO DID NOT WANT TO GIVE HER
NAME
because her boy might lose his employment.
said she has five children, and her little boy is
hill boy for street railroad. He works seven
| teen hours day for LBS per day. She has an
older son, but he has no employment. She told
| Of her hardships in making living by sewing
| at ruinOus prices. She pays SO a month rent
and often goes a week without penny. She
makes plasterers' pants three pair for quar-
| ter, but she cannot make three pair day.
THE PRESSURE OF POVERTY ON WOMEN.
In response to Mr.. Call Mrs. Hale of Boston,
| who is engaged in missionary work among
| fallen women, said she knew that in all the
cities of this country women are forced into evil
| lives by actual poverty and necessity. She said
here in the District of Columbia government
ought to establish and maintain an industrial
home for women. She would not advise needy
women of the country to come to Washington
| in the hope of procuring government employ