The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1896-10-10
WOULD AFFECT WOMEN
Free Silver Issue of Vital Import
to Wives and Mothers of
Wage-EarnerS.
HIGH PRICES AND LOW WAGES.
Working Women will Also be Far
Worse Off Than the
Men.

While the value of the wages earned
10y everyone who works for a living will
be greatly reduced by the free coinage
of silver. the working women will be far
worse of in this respect than the men.
Their wages will not probably be re-
duced in greater ratio than the wages
of the men, but they will stand poorer
chance of securing an advance to meet
the increased cost Of living They will
have to submit TO the hardship of high
prices and low wages with less hope Of
rencdyins their condition.
One principal cause of this dsadvant.
age is that the women employed in pro-
ductve industries have not the organized
unions with which To sustain their inter
eSts. The great advance in the wages
of labor, especially of skilled labor,
which has been made during the past
twenty years. is due in large measure to
the intelligent organization of the work
ingmen. II IL an error to regard the
labor unions as the machinery for pro-
ducing strikes aud boycotts. Properly
and sagaciously conducted, these organi-
cations are preventive of labor contro-
ycrsies, for they provide the means of
conference and adjustment of questions
on which there is disagreement between
employers and workmen; and especially
when the question IL that of increase of
wages they have been effective in secur-
ing q proper recognition of what is due
To labor as its share in the compensation
of production.
The wages OF women workers have,
indeed, advanced along with those of
men, though not 20 a corresponding fig
ure. and the labor unions have regard
in some degree for the wages of female
operatives as well; but the lack Of or
t....a ,.f h.... Iaar he,
thousands of women workers In our
manufacturing industries at marked
disadvantage If their wages should be
cut down in value 10y the free coinage
Of silver aud the consequent depreciation
of the money in which they are paid.
In this respect, as always, il Is the
weaker that must bear the greater share
Of the burden; and the struggle TO bring
wages up to living rate after free coin
age has reduced them by perhaps one
half of their purchasing value would be
long and weary for the working wom-
en-. IL is not n pleasant prospect for
the thousands of women who today work
for wages in our mercantile and manu-
featuring establishments. They are an
industrious. self-supporting class, many
of them contributing TO the family fund
from their weekly earnings and having
n lust pride in their own Independence
and their ability to aid others. Any
public policy which cuts off their re-
sources is n cruel wrong by which the
whole community must suffer.
Every mother of a family has ever be-
fore her the dread possibility of the
death of the one whose labor provides the
means of living before the day comes
when the sons will be able TO take up
the burden Of support and the daughters
he comfortably settled In homes of their
own. Even IL the children are grown I'D
and taking care of themselves, and even
IL they are doing so well as TO be able 10
give her home after the death of the
husband and father, she looks forward TO
the time when she will be left alone with
n dread of the loss of Independence In
case the accumulations of her husband
working years have not been grcnt
enough 20 provide her means of subsist.
cnce after =, Is gone. So IL Is that the
prudent man insurcs his lite for the benp-
tit of his wife aud his children. paying
from year ~ year during his active life
the cost of assurance thai at his death
his family will receive sum of money
sufficient to avert the suffcrings of desti
tuition.
In many cases, the insurance policy il
the only thing of value the husband and
father can leave TO the wife and cbiI.
dren. lie may have been able 10 law bv
no money IN the savings bank, he MAJ
lie suddenly In n period OF hard times
ond business reverses, which have s,r.n.
ned him Of the savings of better DAYS.