The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1903-02-07


ems Label League Convention In
New York. Women Can Help the
/ Cause Of ORGANIZED Labor. other
Jane Adams of Chicago is one of the
noble women of the day who has dared
to come out strongly in opposition to
child labor. Her stories of the little
children, five and six years of age who
toll night and day in the cotton mills
of the south are most heart rendering.
She has found that the little ones be-
come afflicted at an early age with a
softening Of the bones, and drop
sical affIicticn. This is due to ex-
posure and standing for long periods
feeding a machine, when the little
bones should be resting while they are
growing. All honor to jane Adams
| and others Of her kind who are aiding
| organized labor in it's fight against
child labor.
I There is Florence Kelly of New York,
whose description of the work of men,
| women and children in the tenement
! houses and sweat shops Of theMetrop~
| oils is most pitiable. Miss Kelly, God
bless her, has organized society of
New York people, known as the con-
! sumers' League. Labels are furnished
manufacturers who employ labor under
| clean, sanitary conditions.
f.. These labels are guarantee that the
goods were not made in sweat shop
or tenement house. If Miss Kelly
would apply her energy to the union
label, and unite her friends and sup
porters with the Womens' Union Label
! League, she could soon see some i'm
| mediate, world wide results from her
efforts. 1t is so hard to introduce a
new idea.
! Last week in Jamestown, New York,
a largely attended convention of the
Womens' Label Leagues. of the empire
state was held Mrs. S. A. Erickson,
president OF the League at Jamestown,
Ein elivering the dress S}of elcon,e,
so4nd ed ey the
Esa'I5l a =
aa
ou are aa lsed lgeed
IS a women's work for women. NJ one
can go into sweatshop and see the
conditions existing there without
! knowing that the clothing on which
these poor women are employed must
be driven out of the market before their
cruel task masters will listen to rea-
son, and they will not be driven out
until the women who buy have learned
that an honest label marks every gar
ment that is honestly made. There
fore, for the sake of our sister women
we welcome you.
! Then in closing I give you the well
| come of grateful hearts because of the
| work that your organization is des-
| tined to do for the four million little
| children In this country who are slav-
ing their lives out to add wealth to
| the over-fed aristocrats of our free
land. Dear sisters, in the blessed
| Christmas season that is still fresh
in our memory; when we celebrated
the birth of the Babe of Bethlehem,
| did you not stop to think of the over
| worked, under-fed little ones who were
| loosing their rightful privilege of a
happy childhood? Did you not turn
away in sorrow from the caresses of
your own babies when you remember
how many blackened faces and aching
backs We're unable to enjoy this holi-
day? Did you not consciously or un-
consciously offer prayer to God that
| in some way and through his own
methods He would blot this, the worst
form Of slavery our. country has ever
known?
! Then for the sake of these who can
not plead their own cause, we welcome
you to this convention .
F.. ~ 4
/ A word to the women of Duluth. Do
you know that every time you patron
ize a cheap sale at a department store,
that you are encouraging the purchase
of cheap made sweat shop and tene-
ment house labor, and you, on the
other hand, are purchasing the pro-
ducts of these unclean, and unsanitary
institutions. Do you not think, there
is much inconsistency in your action?
The wives of working1nen of Duluth
should organize a Union Label League.
1t will support the movements of their
husbands. It will make their husbands
work easier. They can do more to
encourage the purchase of fair made
goods than all of: the agitation ever
heard Of. Here is a, practical way to
begin the work. Let the women: of a
nefghborhood hold an afternoon meet
ing, just as they have sewing circles;
1 and while meeting talk over plans for
4 encouraging the. sale of union label
goods, and demand the union card from
clerks who wait upon. them. :: " ,;5s33: 7Ssc
f.. +. l. !: cARPENTE NOTES. 4 /. J. J.