Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-02-14
APPEAL FOR nErrER WAGES.
Arguments Made fn Support of Pend
ing LegfHfnfiOn

| ing LegfHfHfiOn.
| There is a bill before Congress which pro-
vides: THAT all labor for the public ben
| eft. such as canals, sewers, making streets
and alleys, gobbing. alsanng streets and
alleys, parking, planting trees, making
| railroads, electric light work, gas work,
and so forth, done by the District authority
| or by the government for the District Of
Columbia, which is not already fixed by
law, shall be paid by the, day, and that the
| rate be not less than1one dollar and fifty
cents per day for common labor, and that
eight hours per day shall constitute a
biz '''' ''''e' 'ie p pfo'''''' - ''''
| A violation of the provisions of the bill
| is to be punished by "a fine of $3Oo or
years Imprisonment.
In support of the measure Mr.. Sterling
III. Hester, colored man, appeared before
the District Commissioners yesterday, ac-
| companied by Mr.. Joseph s. Boss MT:
| Sterling was the spokesman, and addressed
| the Commissioners as follows:
I'VE call upon you this morning, gentle
men, upon the question of labor, and While
shall speak but short time, wish 10
| say in the first instance that from the be-
ginning of this bill up until now am glad
to say that we have not held any bitter
ness toward the superintendent, the con-
tractors or the foremen. They have treat
ed us laborers with all due respect and
Kindness. There is no contractor or fore
man under which have worked, in my ex-
perlence OF twenty-five years, but who
would, II he needed more 1aborers, give me
JOB. Furthermore they all have said that
they are willing to pay us as much as the
District government will pay, but Kindness
and due respect will not pay house rent,
nor will it fill empty stomachs.
Take the average laborer's pay. The
census allows five persons to every family.
we make an estimate of five days in the
week for a laborer on the average, throw
ing in all the holidays and days for occa-
slonal sickness, and rainy days, making
1Ve days in each week. Now, them we
take man working for ST. he works five
days. That gives him cents for the man,
cents Tor the woman and 22s cents for the
hearty, growing little children If the man
works the 1--WE days in the week We null
uply that by three, because there are three
meals to give each day in an average fam
lily; three times are "a, and three times
- are q cents for the family of three per-
sons That Is for the board of that family
OF nVe persons for one day. We multiply
q cents by seven, because there are seven
Gays in the week. Seven times u are $5.O4.
mat takes the entire s., and nothing re-
malns-not a cent for clothes, not cent
for Doctors bills"
After making a similar computation at
the wage rate of $1.25 a day, he said: I'VE
cannot raise head of cabbage, We can
not raise chicken nor turnip. Then. in
plnch, when prices of provisions go up,
we have to pay the market price But we
feel satisfied that you will do something to
nelp disseminating to help these condi-
tons under which we are placed. If
man gets only two three days work out
or week he has got to take that money
and get something to eat. He cannot pay
his house rent, and then the landlord serves
notice on him to vacate the house We
are compelled to beg for help from some
source or another. All we ask you to do is
to ask Congress to do by us they would
want US to do by them if they were placed
in our condition.
Mr.. Boss Endorsed all that was said by
Mr. Hester, saying, 1.-The men ought to get
" day. If a man should get 50 he
would not make more than 50 week. If
you don't get enough to support your fam
lily somebody is4going to suffer The fam
lily suffers the landlord suffers or the doc
tor suffers, If the laborer doesn't get enough
to pay his way through the world"
The Commissioners promised to do what
they can in the matter. \