Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1900-03-15

large meeting of these women held in
PHILADELPHIA grand speeches were dCliv-
cred, but ncedlewoman took the stand, |
threw aside her faded shawl and with
her shrivclCd arm hurled Il very thunder
bur Of eloqucncc speaking out the hor-
rOrs of her own experience.
Stand ut the corner Of n street i'll some
great city at & or I o'clock in the morning
as the women go to work. Many of them
had no breakfast except the crumbs that
were left over from the night before or
the crumbs they chew on their way
through the street Here they come! The
working girls of the cities. These engag-
ed in bead work, these in flower making,
in millinery, in paper box making; but
most ovcrworkcd Of all and least compen-
stated, the sewing women. Why do they
not take the city cars on their way up!
They cannot afford the > cents. If, con-
Guiding to deny herself something else,
she gets into tho car. give her Il scat.
You want to see how Latimcr and Ridley
appeared in the fire. Look Mt that woman
and behold II moro horrible martyrdom,
hotter fire. more agonizing death.
Ask that woman how much she gets fer
her work, and she will tell you 6 cents for
making course shirts and finds her own
thread
PitifuIIy Small Pay.
Years ago, one Sabbath night in the
vestibulc Of our church. after service, n
woman fell in commissions The doctor
said she needed medicine not SO much
as something TO eat. As she began to re-
vivc in her dclirium she said gaspingly:
Eight cents! Eight cents. | wish |
could get it done. am so tired. | wish
| could get some sleep. but | must get it
done. Eight cents! Eight cents" We
found aftcrward that she was making
garments for cents apiece and that she
could make but three of them in day.
Hear it! Three times eight are %. Hear
il, men and women who have comfort
able homes. Some OF the worst villains
of or cities are the employers of these
women. They beat them down to the
last penny and try to cheat them out OF
that. The woman must deposit dollar
or two before she gets the garments to
work on. When the work is done. it Is
sharply inspected, the most insignificant
flaws picked out and the wages refused
and sometimes the dollar deposited not
given back The Women's Protective un-
ion reports a case where one of the poor
souls. finding a place where she could get
moro wages, resolved to change employ
crs and went to get her pay for work
done. The employer said. II hear you
are going to leave me-" Yes" she
said. land have come to get what you
owe me" He made no answer. She
said. Are you not going to pay mey'
Yes" he said, II will pay you," and he
kicked her down stairs.
Oh. that Womcn's Protective union!
The blessings of heaven be on it for the
mcrciful and divine work II is doing in
the defense of toiling womanhood. What
tragedies of suffering are presented to
them day by day! A paragraph from
their report: "'Can you make Mr.. Jones
pay me? He owes me for three weeks
at $3.50 a week, and l can't get any
thing, and my child is very sick The
speaker, a young woman lately widowed
burst into flood of tears as she spoke
She was hidden to come again the next
afternoon and repeat her story to the at
torney at his usual weekly hearing OF
frauds and impostions Means were
found by which Mr. Jones was induced
to pay the $3.50"
Another paragraph from their report
"A fortnight had passed, when she mod
estly limited a desire to know how much
her services were worth. oh, my dear,
the most valuable hands in the trade
You will always get the very best price
Ten dollars week you will be able tC
earn very easily And the girls fingers
flew on with her work at a marvellous
rate. The picture of SO week hae
almost turned her head. A few night
later while crossing the ferry, she over
heard the name of her employer in tn,
conversation of girls who stood near
What, John Snipes? Why, he don't pay
Look out for him every time. He'll keel
you on trial, as he calls it, for weeks an,
then he'll let you go. and get some othe
fooln And thus Jane Smith gained he
warning against the swindler. But tn
union held him in the tolls Of the Law
until he paid the worth of each Of thos
days of trial"
Another paragraph: Her modification
may be imagined when told that one o
the two 50 bills which she had just re
ceved for her work was counterfeit. Blu
her modification was swallowed up wit
Indignation when her employer dcne
having paid her the money and insulting
ly asked her to prove it. When the Pro
tcctive union had placed this matter i
the courts, the judge said. You will pa
Eleanor the amount Of her claim, $5St
and also the costs Of the court
Proposed Remedies.
How are these evils to be eradicated
Some say, Give woman the ballot.
What effect such ballot might have o
. other questions am not here to discus:
: but what would be the effect of femal
: suffrage on woInen's wages? ! do nc
believe that woman will ever get justic
: by woman's ballot. Indeed women OF