The St. Louis Republic., 1901-12-16
LEAGUE WILL FIGHT
ST. LOUIS SWEATSHOPS
Battle to Be Waged Through the
Medium of Shoppers-Labels
to Be Used.

communication from the Consumers
League of New York has been received by
garment manufacturers OF St Louis asking
that they support the league in a warfare
that is about to be inaugurated here agains,
sweatsnops and unsanitary tenements. Ac.
cording to the epistle sent out by the league
the sweatshop evil will be fought through
the medium Of shoppers. who will be re-
quested not to purchase goods unless they
bear the league label.
The trades and labor unions are known to
be opposed to sweatshops. and they will be
asked to cooperate with the league The
league proposes to make an effort to have
some measures taken by the Board of
Health and the State authorities to pre-
vent the crowding of tenements and the
providing Of inspectors to see that the
sanitary conditions Of such tenemonts are
what they should be. The league Is COM
posed Of women in several States organized
to work for the betterment OF the labor
Ing classes. It was organized in New York
City.
The person who buys a thing makes It. -
said Mrs. Caroline Drexel OF New York,
who Is here in the interests Of the league.
This Is the motto of the Consumers
League, and in its two years experience It
udS proved the truth OF 1t.
SO far the league has supervised the pro-
duction Of white muslin underwear only.
but 1t Is now preparing to turn its atten-
ton to other lines OF women's apparel. "A
typical factory is located at Richmond, Vt.
A dfty-acre farm incloses q long, we'll
lighted building, heated in winter by steam
Near by Is a :ommodious boarding house for
the workgirls- lighted. steam heated
and provided with tennis court and fruit
and vegetable gardens.
The employees number 100 women and
girls and three men, all we'll paid, pros
porous and intelligent These are the con.
dittons tndorsed by the league label Tho
owners OF the establishment are enabled to
compete with New York sweatshops be-
cause OF low rent and ample storage room
Tor large amounts of raw material
OF the list. 1t has sixteen league factories.
against two each in Pennsylvania and New
YORK. ana one each In several other States
I'M Inc % oo,ect & ioT which the league is strive
neaithful sweatshops to country factories.
I have taken look around the city in the
last last Few days and the conditions in some
which foreigners are employed almost ex-
clusively, the floors looked as IL water Lad
never touched them. They were thickfy
coated with grease. and the walls were al
most as bad. I do not mean to say that
this condition prevails In q great many Of
your factories. Indeed, found conditions
cities. but the few sweatshops are few too
many and the owners ought to be brought
to time.
..The Board Of Health should have tb.
shops and factories here inspected at regu-
lar intervals and not depend on factory in
spectors. They can find many places that
are literally breeding places Tor disease
avoid such surroundings. but the cheap Ia
boring foreigners have no such scruples.
apparently. and seem content to work In
any kind Of a hovel. The league will mako
2 determined effort to have these disgrace
ful conditions remedied. and We hope for
tho cooperation Of the public"