Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-03-09
WOMAN'S PLEA.
A Call to American Woman from Mary
II. Clardy Of San Antonio, Tex.
Ladies' Free Trade League-search Ont the
Fearful Deficiencies in American
Homes-Our Faulty Tariff.
San Angelo Enterprise.


BELOVED SIsTERs:-As it has pleased
God to put in your hands the nation in
its helpless infancy, He will without
doubt give you wisdom and power to pro-
tect your charge. 1 beg at once to
search out the fearful deficiencies IN
American homes for the proper physical,
mental, Industrial, and moral develop
ment of American citizens. Queens OF
society, 1 beg o to make thorough in
quiry into the universal extent of this
poverty and at once seek and apply the
remedy.
The farmers of our country, and the
hands in our great manufactures do not
receive, on an average, one-sixth of the
wages needful to build good dwellings for
themselves, to have good furniture, good
food, and an abundance of clothing and
bedding suitable for warmth and cleanli-
ness, with such books, music, flowers,
and other pure pleasures as the Great
Creator designs that all shall enjoy.
The farmers sons and daughters, n
able to secure a comfortable living at
home, rush to the cities to beg for work
at the hands of rich and covetous manu-
~facturers.
In the days of Bright and Golden, the
wrongs of the white slaves of England,
were wildly pictured before the British
people.
In these days the toiling children of
American nave found a friend in Flor
ence Kelly Weschnewetsky. Her little
book will surely stir the heart of Amerl-
can ~womanhood to arise n deliver
these lambs from the jaw of the mann
featuring lion.
The cause of this oppression is our tariff
OIL foreign goods.
Across the Atlantic millions of honest
people beg for work. They would like
70 make our clothing in return for food.
Our farmers would gladly exchange with
them breadstuffs, meat, cotton and wool.
The United States custom house stands
between them and prevents trade. The
millions of Europe need ten times the
meat, breadstuffs, clothing and home
comforts they now have. The protective
tariff Of America is depressing the work
ing classes of two h~emispheres.
Tariff reform is a dose of laudanum
given to the voters to lull them, while
the manufacturers continue their rob-
berries.
Ny sisters, no tariff reform will ever
give to both Americans and Europeans
food and clothing.
With invisible hand it levies exOrbitent
taxes on nearly every article we use from
the cradle to the coffin. The half-starved
babes of the poor seamstress must be
robbed in the interest Of wealthy manu-
f~acturers and their allies.
There is but one remedy-free trade.
Let the ladies of America form a free
trade league, and proceed at once to
educate our people in the truth, which
expressed at the ballot box shall set
our people free. Queens of American
society, visit all the uneducated toiling,
working women and children in your
neighborhood. Search out their neces-
sites and hen band yourselves together
and educate public sentiment to the
election of congressman pledged to vote
for free trade.
1 suggest the following methods of
work:
l. Hold a weekly parlor meeting for
the study OF the question.
2. Practice patriotic songs, worthily to
express the sentiments of a noble peo-
pie.
8. Form juvenile free trade leagues
for the instruction of our children.
4. Demand that free trade be taught
in the political economy Of our public
schools.
5. Secure q ladies' free trade column