The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-05-23

| recognizes as absolutely reliable. REFER 10 IN:
| United States labor commissioner, Carroll D..
| Wright in his report OF loSS. entitled, "Work-
! ingincn in Large Cities" lie gives Us on pages
| 5i6 and 5l7 II table showing the average annual
earnings OF women in san Francisco III the
eral manufacturing industries:
Boot and shoe factories. 70
Cigar box factory. Observation-Disclosures. $40 %
Cigar factory ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 2ST %
! Fruit Caunery "l2 %
Millinery. .................... IS %
1t is useless to quote all the items; suffice it
| to say that in The thirty-one different occu-
! pationS covering al the industries women are
| employed in, the total average annual earning
| is s359l7 with upholstery the highest-sjS1.7 10
| and millinery the lowest-S36S. l hope TO be
| parioned for Ogre 'si.g here long enough 10 in
viie the special attention OF my lady readers.
| Those of you ladies who are ready to sacrifice
! everything for spying bonnet OF the latest
! .ttern (aud what lady is not?) kindly rcmem-
| Der that your sister that is making these be-
| witching charuers IS not earning 81 Il day. But
! let Us hasten: the picture 10 getting horrible.
| What are the causes that bring these unions
of which the circular So bitterly complains, into
! existence? We will consult the same authority
On page % of the volume Sir. Wright, in
| his comments the condition OF laborcrs in
! San Francisco, SAYS:
In san Francisco the fruit cannery employes
are as n rule o! u lower class. The cannerics
are usually III a very dirty and unhealthy con-
uition, crowded with motley array OF people OF
all races and OF both seXcs, and the women en-
ployed in them are less intelligent aud respect
able than those in the canneries throughout
the rest OF the state.
The poorest class OF women in San Francisco
are seamstresscs. number of institutions
were discovered by the agent of the department
where "A regular system of fraud was being prac-
ticed upon the defenseless sewing women The
general plan OF such fraud l. in brief follows:
standing advertisement Is Kept in The papers
asking for girls to do taiior's sewing. When
girl applies she is told that it will take her
several weeks to learn the work, but that after
she has learned good wases will be paid. The
girl accepts and goes to work, and after four or
five weeks, when she demands pay Tor her work,
she is told that she is not satisfactory and that
she cannot be employed. The agent found
cases of this kind where women had not only
given their labor but had also brought their
sewing machines to the fraudulent factory aud
given the use OF them, and at the end OF a
month more had been sent away without
pay. The exposure OF this system, which
practiceG by number OF disreputable firms in
San Francisco Qeading members of this associa-
tion) led TO a mass meeting at which a sewing
Girls Union Was formed, one of the objects of
which is to prevent such frauds and to prose-
cute them hen perpetrated. The circular says:
Almost all the necessaries of life dearer in
San Francisco than in Eastern cities, but 20
counteract this wages are slightly higher and
the miidness aud evenness OF the climate en-
abes the working woman to do with less fuel,
less clothing and even les food. IL seldom hap
pens that san Francisco workingwoman
spends anything Tor fuel except for cooking
purposes
Surely no comment of mine can possibly add
10 what Mr.. Wright says. Not until the en-
pioyers remove the evils that lie (Nr. Wright so
tTuthiully describes, will the people believe
that uuion, are menace to society.
The heading OF this epistle reads more like a
scare head OF an advertising doiger than the
title OF case submitted to public opinion.
The body of the circular contains about sixty
| six per cent. OF arrant nonsense, fully thirty
per cent. Of falsch0CGS and perhaps three per
cent OF truth and III order to separate the chatf
from the wheat, we must aaaiyse It The tr st
part gives us long string OF caiamities aud
concludes with taking a decided pessimistc
view OF the future, a very strange departure for
| San Francisco. for they have long sine earned
| the title OF princes OF blowers H0wes cr,
granted that the calamities complained OF are
real. What is the cause? LOOK at the minutes
| OF the san Francisco Board OF Trade and Cham
| ber OF Commerce for these last five years, look
AT the daily papers for the last ten years and you
| will fluid the cause consisting OF two words,
| southern Pacific" And If YOU want further
/ cause look at the letters written by Mr. Nc
/ Even, ex-eiitor OF the Examiner, and published
| in Il local afternoon paper. For III Their cause
! look al the prosperity OF the Noythwes,. where
! our merchants are taking away the trade from
/ tina; proud but lazy city inch 10y inch, SLOW but
/ SURF i nc httkiGsstpu tA CoatlGiu td.AlCTBlI
/ and the retTogrcSsion of Northern California
| gives Us more cause Tor this howl
As 10 the remedy-nos. really do not think
| am called upon TO give the remedy. Yet, Tor
| good lellowship's sake i viii d. il. Wake up,
! Cease louuging in your magnificent hotels and
| gambling IN stocks and drinking champagne
/ cocktails for diversion. Do not waste your time
and energy IL the futile attempt 20 DESTROY
! needed unions; "Nou can't do IT. Do not place
! the blame upon the shou ders Of others; bring
! il home Il yourself and rene ~ things By active
| wafk. GeJ competing railroad, 90 as your
! younger cites do, WORK Tor what you need and
you viii have IL
Again we are told tina, wages are higher in
! San Francisco tRan any where else. Granting il
/ 10 I've 50, l. tat cause Tor com paiot9 The
/ west PAYS higher waSVs than the LIST The
/ United states = a whole higher than England
! EnglanI higher than o.1cr kGropesn countries
/ Europe higher than Africa. Africa tEaa Asia.
/ is there Il res enable man taat Will CAIN that
J Asia Is a better country - live "a than the
/ United states %; America, or Will any one claim
/ taat Asia IS more prosperous than America
/ High waE,s "a no cause scr COMPLAINT on tbn
/ contrary. high wages iaGIea.c = prosperous CON
| dltou ., socistv. As - competition. san Fran
cisco could compete with every oths- city in the
! United S,a;cS i sAo had competing raj
/ reads, live citizens aad less Buck
! Icy politics. The waking celeste. as
/ usual. is dragged into the forum He
y
! IS made 20 n Ike Us believe taa. what Wa. tr,le
! :6r,y wears ego OF ,hc ucuta. an inpf.> ceual-
flou Of the .abos.as man IS SKI. true today Bu;
reason teaches rs different N.ckcas in his
Hard Times D.ctgres - as M Iaco- ~ tator.
/ an iugi;ned - me belief tina; t.c character
+ drawn was I3uHdei ca real coalitions than *.
+ lsst-c. The writer % The B-eaiw. nrers'
{ t-.-.y years later t-.cs - Initiate u.CAcas lat
+ fa;.s Ii makes no allowance .o- ;ae raoi! al
/ vaG.e of civilization. lie fo-Sct, that with
! civilization :he wcrs.,,g man ats' makes rapid
{ stri-es Forward. I'll, picture -. q s--iko. where
! o. one o,cl. few veterans &c! - tae hero dis.
! pec>e thousands ai wo-AiGcmea. = rit.cQi0ls
+ lac lao17.-E man never Was . coward. Tie
. writer G.d we. u conceal h;s name. Ter the
hooS a. hlsi : aA,hiCC more tasa = sensational
! N.sd Ncst story based upon no probability or
/ p'ss.otlty- Ia4t during a STRIKE some utilize
! TIE occasion - rob ari yignic~. violate lsw
disturb iae peate O.; society IS undo, 6te1iy tGue:
- true IS Il sso = Iha; some ministers OF tSod
I rc2 iGe cAu7ci; arGsc tls conGGeace o: tne,1
focN so,a9 .4Uyccs train aad r7o.lce fa!so
! wiinesscs, some doctors ala and abe; :ae con-
/ uniting az laiaatc.ce ~ TIE waolcssle-yet
society 5 no; reaty - say thnt iavvver, doctor
AMI Dl.n .s;er should he extern ira:ci
Again. - t1s woIsra. a0o- a-.,sta- the most
noted magazines ana taet-op1,it.p dsilies have
/ freely opeue1 thsi- columns. Nor Is be slow 10