Omaha daily bee., 1906-02-06
WOMAN IN CLUB AND CHARITY

Peculiarly illustrative OF the ways aud
methods by which women are outgrowiug
their conservatism through the medium OF
tho womans club. the members Of the social
science department OF the local club were
Monday afternoon treated to a liberal pre-
sentaton of the object and value of labor
unions through p program announced as
oxpla natorN Of the white label uf the Ma
tioual Consumers League. The origin and
object OF the Consumers League were pre-
scented by Mrs Clara Burbank in paper.
In which she further pointed out the tc-
sponsiblity Of tho club woman in creating
the demand for the goods bearing the label
which is a guarantee that they have sheen
manufactured under sanitary and whole
some conditions, for fair wage and that
no person under I6 years of age has worked
on them.
From it's small beginning in 1899 tho
league has grown to include branches in
twenty states. and the club women con-
stitute substantial proportion of its
membership At present the white label
is used most on womcn's wear. particularly
white underwear aud women are urged to
insist on buying goods so marked as tho
most practical aud surest way of eventually
abolishing child labor and overcoming
other manufacturing evils against which
they are striving.
On invitation Of the department Mi VIII
o. Maupn of the Wage Worker" spoke
of the labels of the various trades unions.
what they stand for and why 1t II to tho
interest of women especially TO lend their
support to extending the demand for union
label goods. ANY Industrial system that
necessitates women laboring outside the
bn,, dc e., ~ ~ ,-tri Or,
theory he said. THE home is the
mans rightfu place. and anything that
takes her from II and deprives it of her
influence is menace to that home" And
then he told tho women that the union
label is the guarantee of manufacturing
conditions that will correct many Of the
present wrong conditions and make It pos
sible for women and children to resume
their proper and natural places. He found
no fault with the Consumers League label
except that It, does not guarantee enough
and asked the cooperation of the women
in pushing the union label by asking for
goods bearing It. He condemned the bar
gain sale" and the dainty finery in wo-
mems wear that is bought by Needless
women totally ignorant Of the tears and
blood and sweat that are sewed into them
by their desparing sisters in eastern sweat
1
the large cities he had personally visited
where practically every kind of wearing
apparel Is made amid conditions as dam
gerous TO the eventual purchaser as they
are hard for the unfortunate laborers. He
told the story, now familiar to club women,
of the wearing apparel being made in the
dark rooms Of the New York tenements
where all manner of disease, contagious
and otherwise, existed and actually worked
on by men and women far gone with con-
| sumption. He concluded by assuring the
women that II the trades unions can have
the cooperation of the club women of the
country for few years the battle against
the sweatshop. child labor and the other
evils will be won. Mr.. Maupin illustrated
his argument with two pairs of overalls,
one made by union labor at 60 cents a
dozen and one made by non-union labor
at e cents a dozen.