The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-05-15

demands in strikes as steadfastly as the men This Is shown by their ac- tons fin the recent strikes in Fall Riv- CT, Lawrence. Gloversville and in the garment working trades, and also In the shoe workers strike of Lynn, Mari- boro and Haverhill. do not believe in strikes except when they are abso-s lutely necessary. and think every pos sible means toward an amicable settle ment should be made. do believe fp the boycott in all cases where an em- ployer threatens to lower the standard of labor in a given industry, and think 1t the duty of the whole people to boy cott such employers.
 You ask me what organized labor has done for my trader It has raised the wages from 10 to 12 per cent, has bettered our working conditions and has reduced the hours of labor one hour per day. with Saturday half holiday during the summer months. It has raised the self-respect of the work ing girl by making her feel that she is machine, and that she has an influence in fixing the conditions under which she works. This has been to the mu- tual advantage of both employer and employee"
 "wiil trades unions eventually pre- val among our clerks. typewriters and servant girisy-
 Yes, they have already extended to clerks and typewriters. The trades liberal enough to cover all classes of labor irrespective of its nature"
 A Voice from wellesley.
 Miss Vida Scudder of Wellesley Coll lege Is President of the Boston wo- mans Union Label League. She is bright woman intellectually and much interested tn woman's work. She writes:
 The Boston womans Union Label League is composed of women who may or may not belong to trades unions, but who feel 1t their duty, as consumers, to patronize union-made goods. They be- lieve the label to be the most effective means we have of extending practical loyalty to the great principle which is revolutionizing modern industry. This principle they hold to be that the primary consideration in industry Is the welfare of the producer; and that only when this welfare is adequately protected may we rightfully aim at cheapness or quality of product. Organized labor in Ameri- ca is the most important agent which is pressing practically toward the enforce ment of this vital principle; and, there
  ble, democratic and just than that which we at present enjoy. To demand goods bearing the union label Is directly to further the cause of social righteous ness. and to join the label league gives to ones individual witness the added force which always comes from organiz- ed effort
 Trades Unions and woman's Clubs.
 As to trades unions, Miss Scudder writes:
 Trades unions are certainly a good thing for women if they are good thing for men; and I believe that women can help to improve the industrial condition of their sex more effectively by entering the ranks of organized labor than in any other way. To belong to a trades union 'unsexes' a woman no more than to be- long to one of the women's clubs popular among the privileged class. Indeed, 1t strengthens more directly a high feml- nine idenl, inasmuch as the primary aim of the woman's club is usually intel lectual self-culture while the primary aim of the trades union is ethical and humane. Nothing more enlarges the sym pathies and uplifts the desires of a work ing woman than to belong to the right kind of trades union, and to learn to 1 look beyond the personal advantage of | the moment to the permanent welfare of | all her comrades in labor"
 From the Boot and Shoe Workers.
 The Boot and Shoe Workers Union Is | found in many parts of the country. It | numbers thousands. and is especially | strong in the west. I have a letter bc- | fore me from Miss Emma Staghagen of | the executive board of this union. It Is | dated Chicago. She says that the Wo- | mans Label League IS a great help to the union. as its members are pledged to | buy none hut union-stamped shoes, and | all other commodities which bear the union label. She writes that this league is national In it's scope. and that its mission is to educate trades union mems wives, women workers and club women up to the standard of unionism. This league demands the union label on every purchase and ia helping women and chill dren workers to better conditions.
 Miss SteghaRen says that the Boot and Shoe Workers Union has a woman in the field whose duty 1t Is to organize l. the women of the trade. and also to work for the union label This organization pays $5 per week sick benefits. $5 a week to every one of its members on a strike and from $50 to $1oO in case of death. A-aA A-.