The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-06-05
BORN LABOR LEADER.
Miss Susie Morowitz. 20 Years Old, Is
Leading Strikes.

Atdutuk
From the New York World.
Fate made Susie Morowitz a worker
on hat and cap Innings in the factory
of Pachner, Helm & Fox, at No. A West
II ird street, but she is quite likely 10
make herself a greater leader of women
like Lille Devereux Blake and Kate
Field.
Just at present Susie is leading a
strike, in which about 35 girls are in
VClved, and has no time To think of
anything else. She has led the strike
So successfully that the manufacturers
are on the point of taking the gifls
hack. If they do this, Susie's cup of
happiness will be full and then she may
have time to think of some of the great
social questions now disturbing her
mind. She might even become a walk
ing delegate for her union and then she
would get more pay than she could
ever hope to earn working on what she
calls hateful old hat Innings for pluto
cratic heads
Miss Morowitz is not as pretty as
some of the other girls in the union.
but she knows more. one striker said
yesterday, than all the rest of them put
together. Why" remarked the fair
striker, IF il were not for Susie we
would all still be working for starva-
ton wages. Susie ordered a strike and
we all struck. Now the union gives us
ach $6 a week. That is nearly twice
as much as we could earn. working
nine hours a day. Is there any Won
der that we all love Susie? She is =
great leader. and one day we hope to
see her up in Sorosis with the other big
ladies. Those leaders in Sorosis are so
| rich that they don't have anything else
| TO do but just meet and talk. They
never had to hustle for 81 a week. IL
| they had, they would be more interest
ing when they talk"
| A reporter learned these facts ycster-
| day about Susie in a big hall at No. 70
! East Fourth street. The lining workers
| who are on a strike meet there every
| afternoon. Susie presides and all the
| rest of The girls keep quiet while Susie
| does the talking. She told a reporter
| Of the World yesterday before the
meeting that she was only a leader
| because some one had to start the
movement.
| We girls were working nine hours n
| day and earning on an average about
| So a week." she said. mo girl can live
| on such wages. Two of our girls are
| married and have children to support.
| They generally worked 16 hours day,
| so they could earn money enough to
| keep body and soul together This is
what / call crime against civiliza-
| ton. If we had gone on as we had
been going, we would be no better
| than serfs in Russia. We were pretty
| nearly Nnlle Slaves.
| II told the girls we were fools to go
on as we We're. They thought so, too,
and they took my advice and quit. and
| we are still out We are paid all the
| way from cents to Ia cents dozen
| for the Innings turned out. We only
want one-half cent added to each
grade of work. Our wages then would
| only be just above the point necessary
| for existence. There are about 165
| women engaged in this line of work.
| We have their sympathy and support.
| Our boss has filled the shop with
| young and inexperienced girls He
| thought we would get frightened and
| come back in a body.
! He didn't know that grinding pow
| erty makes some people brave. Some
| lose all courage, but we didn't. Not a
| girl went back to the shop. Now he
| says he will take all but the leaders
| back. These he has put on the black
| list. / guess he will have to chan ge
| his mind on this subject if he wants
| to do any business. We will all stay
out together. / read in the papers all
| the time that business is reviving, and
| that some manufacturers are volunta-
| rily raising the wages of their en-
| ployes. Such milk of human kindness
| we have yet to meet in our line of bus
| mess. Oh, please excuse me, but |
must now speak to the strikers"
Miss Morowitz turned and called the
meeting to order. Then she asked the
reporter to go away For the benefit
/ that Susie is only 20 years old. She
believes women ought to have the
| right 10