The Washington times., 1902-02-14

N~N'N''iNNN
byterian Church also rang with cheers fox
the President.
Mrs. Shaw then suggested that it would
be a good idea if the suffrage speakers
could secure the opportunity to be heard,
together with the civil service speakers
She said that in going up the stone steps
of the Capitol the other day for the first
time she met reporter, who said that
although opposed to woman suffrage, he
had become converted when compelled to
attend tie convention for the purpose OF
reporting the speakers.
This she said, seemed symbolic
The representative of the mighty power
of the press and of the suffrage associa-
ton meeting on the steps of the nations
Capitol"
Mrs. Shaw was warmly applauded and
Mrs. Gait made the comment. Il think
you can all see now why the remon-
strants of Boston are so terrified by
Mrs. Shaw"
Haley and Chicago Taxes.
Miss Margaret Haley, OF Chicago, who.
with her assistant. Miss Goggin. investi-
gated the reasons why the salaries of
Chicago teachers were not paid, was un
able to be present, but Mrs. Gait told the
story in her dramatic way and ELECTED
hearty applause. She said. in part:
Miss Margaret 4. Haley, of the Chicago
Teachers Federation. has recently come
into prominence through her work in con-
nection with Miss Catherine Goggin and
her fellow-woTkers in school. which has
Of dol 10
that the rich corporations have avoided
paying.
The appropriations for schools in Chi
cago have long been inadequate, and
whenever the board Of education needed
81, 600 600 or 81, GOO for any purpose it
has been in the habit of deducting IL from
the teachers salaries. few years ago
about 1900 of the 5000 teachers in Chi
cago organized a teachers federation.
Having reason to believe that the short
age of money was due to the fact that
most of the large corporations were evad-
ing their legal taxes, they appointed two
young teachers. Miss Margaret Haley and
Miss Catharine Goggin, a committee to
investigate. Then the battle royal began
between two little school ma ans and all
the most powerful corporations and trusts
in the State combined
The womens enquiries revealed 4 most
extraordinary state of things. Up to 1875
the railroads of Illinois had been assessed
an annual tax on their franchises. In 1874
the assessment was S31, 600. 000: in 1873,
only 500. GOO. 600 and from 1873 to the
present time they have not been assessed
at all. In 1874 the franchises Of the two
little horse car lines which Chicago then
had were taxed at 81 000, coo. but in 1899
TIE franchises of the 700 miles of electric
and cable car lines in Chicago were not
taxed a cent. About 1875 the railroads
apparently found out that it was cheaper
to Sribe the officials whose duty it was
to apportion their taxes than il was to
pay the tax. Other corporations found out
the same thing. OF twenty-three large
corporations that the teachers inyesti-
gated, the majority were not assessed ar
al. and the others were assessed On
only small fraction of their actual prop 3
erty. These twenty-three corporations
were the gas and coke company. the tele-
phone company, an electric company and
twenty street railway companies. I
The women tried to induce the officials
whose duty it was. to tax these corpora
tions TO tax them. Finding that they were
in league with the tax dodgers and were
determined not to comply with the law.
The women engaged an able lawyer and
took legal action to compel the officials TO
do their duty. The corporations fought
hard: they exhausted every resource of
up frera court to court; but the lav was
clear and the evidence of fraud over,
whelming, and the Supreme Court OF llii-
nois has ruled that they must pay.
Address by Dorothy Dix.
Mrs. Gait then introduced Mrs. Eliza
beth Gilmer dorothy Dix, who spoke
on the subject, THE Lady and the Quill.
This is an unsentimental age. and the
daily paper is the most unsentimental
thing in it. If woman occupies po-
sition as a reporter, OF editor, or para
graphist, the world may rest assured that
il is the result of fitness and ability and
not because of some mans galiantry.
I'm reality it should cause no surprise
that women have taken to journalism
like n duck TO water In church fair
and progressiye-euch kind of way cur
sex has always been training for the
career. since newspaper is merely the
aggregate gossip of the world. The first,
the most important, the enc indispensa-