The morning call., 1894-08-23
THE LIVING WAGE.
Ladies Discuss Social
Problems.
MRS. MAYNARD THE SPEAKER
She Considers Machinery and
LabOrerS.
WHAT THE LAWS MOST NEED.
First Public Meeting of the Woman's
Congress Association-Many
Sign the Rolls.
WHAT THE LAWS MOST NEED.

The Woman's Congress Association.
which is the permanent organization of
the recent Woman's Congress, met in
Golden Gate Hall yesterday afternoon 10
hear an address upon why Is There a
Labor Problem ?" by Rev. Mia Tupper
Maynard of Reno.
a large number of members and guests
occupied the body of the hall Mrs. John
Vance Cheney presided. On the platform
were also Mrs. Sarah b. Cooper, Mrs.
Charlotte Perkins Stetson, Mrs. Edna
Smell Poulson, Mrs. George V. Gaden,
Mrs. Mary McRoberts, Nine. Sorbier, Mrs.
Ada Van Pelt and number of other la
dies who distinguished themselves during
the congress. After regretting the una
voidable absence of DR.. Kellogg Lane, who
was to have made an address, the presi-
dent introduced Rev. Mrs. Maynard.
This lady, who did not use any notes.
spoke simply and clearly and at corsdera-
BILE length. Going back 120 years. to the
beginning OF the revolution caused in the
industrial world by the introduction of
machinery, she showed how the laboring
man, whose whole stock in trade had been
the possession Of few simple tools that a
days labor would purchase, had been
laDOf-
saving machines that required vast calital
to purchase and run. "When a man pur-
sued his trade i'll his own kitchen, he
could easily, with a little thrift, become an
employer. The factory system has taken
all that out OF his hands. Whereas, in 1000
men there were formerly 500 employers
and 500 employees. there are now 999 en-
plOyeS and one employer.
There are as many men as there were
before, plus many times their laboring
capacity EN- bodied in machines, and these
are competitors that have neither to be
! boarded nor clothed and can be bought
and sold like slaves"
Mrs. Maynard. after contrasting this
state of things with what a hopeful
dreamer might have pictured when labor
saving machinery was first introduced,
| declared that it was shallow to try to
blame any class Of people for this.
sit is the fault of progress" she said,
adding that the labor problem had been
complicated by the new theories EN- bodied
In that first work on political economy.
! Adam Smiths Wealth of Nations"
| which had appeared just at time when
its I'VE must not interfere with industry
views were dangerous.
The speaker then showed how grinding
competition in England had reduced little
children to toll in factories. and cited as a
beneficial result of judicious interference
the lhClOIy laws pdSStu Dy LIl6 arl6tO-
cratic party. which had made it impossible
for manufacturers to employ children.
This example has not been followed in
America as it should" she said.
Trades unions were then described al
great length, and the speaker graphically
spoke Of the recent coal strike In England.
where the Government had not turned a
deaf ear 10 the laborers' plea of Never
mind what POLITICAL economy saws. the
workman must have living wage" bnt
on the contrary had stepped in and forced
the employers TO submit TO arbitration.
This recognition of the right of Gov
eminent TO interfere between employer
and emplOye is radical and looks like a
retrograde movement. Imagine one of the
old colonials being lnterfered with as 10
what he should pay mis- men, But we
have found that one industry involves the
interests of thousands. There is not a
corner in the world that was lot affected
by that coal strike. Could they any longer
say it was a private affair? Capital must
be represented as a social function TO some
extent and cannot any longer be left to the
entirely individual management of its own
affairs"
The recent railroad strike was then de-
scribed, and it was said to be: "All on a
Utopian scale that did not admit the posi-
bllitY or its being sympathiZcd with as
some of its features merited. IL those
men had volunteered TO go and fight for
their country we should have greeted them
with applause. | know of dozens of the