St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-06-05
Considered in the Abstract.

To the Editor of the Globe.
The letter from Miss Rooney and Mrs
England in this mornings GLOBE is so
revengeful and personal that it is I'M
worthy reply. 1t is only character
istic of the persons in charge. / will
stand by my former statements made
over my own signature, and their efforts
to deny them are futile: but will not
cOndeScend to vie with anybody in be-
ing abusive. / shall only ask space for
a few words in reply and some general
remarks.
Inever stated anywhere that was a
member of the Apollo society, and am
not self-appointed investigator. If
anybody wants to see my letter of
authority from number of dissatisfied
strikers, they can have an opportunity
to do so.
Miss Rooney and Mrs. England state
this morning that they have advanced
money to girls before it was received,
and have not received penny them
selves. But they told me that they
were receiving So and $3.50 per week
and other necessary running expenses,
such as car fare, railroad fare, hotel
bills away from home. etc. Now, don't
know whether they told me falsehood
or else are telling a falSehoOd in the
paper this morning. But, laying all
personal matters aside, we are here con-
frOnted with the great social question
of the proper relation between capital
and labor, and this time 1t happens to
be female labor. 1t is question worthy
the attention of every thinking man and
woman. We know from the statistics
that the factory girls, especially in the
East, are working for Starvation"
wages. The history of these girls is
nothing but the history of drudgery,
want and misery. The sharp competi-
ton among manufacturers has Occa-
stoned repeated cuts in the wages of
these unfortunate factory girls, so thou
sands of them now, right here in our
glorious United States, are really suffer-
ing from want. What can be done for
them? Could they all be organized and
make united strike throughout
the manufacturing cities of the
country, they might accomplish some
thing; or they might get up petition
asking all the manufacturers to agree
on raise in wages. To raise the wages
for the making of the working clothes.
for instance. or , cents apiece would
be an immense benefit to the girls. and
the consumers, being chiefly brother
WageworkerS, ought not to kick on a
corresponding increase of the Sc ling
price. But one factory cannot do this
alone without being crowded TO the
wall. There must be united action.
The question therefore is: How can we
bring about such a united action that
will not seriously hurt the consumer
and manufacturer and at the same time
inaugurate fair wage system for the
half-starved factory employees?
Our western manufacturers are max
ing desperate efforts, cutting wages
right and left, to compete with the
starved labor in the East. The Mime
apoiis girls have already had the
courage to demonstrate against this.
in their recent strike against Shot
well, Clerihew u Lorhman. This strike
was only partially successful. AS a
singie-handed action against a single
factory, it could be nothing else. A
great portion of the strikers did not
have the means to hold out and were
virtually starved back to the factory.
New girls were readily procured in the
place Of those who had the means or
procured aid To stay away. As a result,
the factory runs to-day in the same old
way, the managers having only made a
small raise on few articles where they
could afford raise without being
crowded of the market. AS a wage
worker and friend of labor myself. |
should like 10 see the day when the
Western and the Eastern factory girls
would join hands and make some gigan-
tic efforts for their own benefit.
Such united effort, if it could be
brought about, would surely be crowned
with success. G. A. TINGwoLD.
Minneapolis. June /.