Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-11-30
Bill to Establish Minimum Sal
airy for Women Who Work
to Be introduced
GET LESS THAN LIVING WAGES
Many Department Stores and Factories
Pay Only $3.50 and 81 Per Week.
Many Tempted to Lead Immoral
Lives After Unequal Battle for Hon
est Living.
pecial to Times-Republfcan.

|
Des Moines, Nov. 30-Esta blishment
of minimum salary for working girls
most interesting pieces of legislation,
from a sociological standpoint to be
attempted in the Iowa general assem-
bly, to be convened next January
This is one step toward the uplift-
ing of womanhood in the state to be
asked of the legislators by Mrs. Anna
Edworthy who also has charge of the
women's reformatory measure for the
| Women's Christian Temperance union.
+! That the proper way to combat an
evil is to eliminate the cause is one
of the contentious of Mrs. Edworthy.
While she is urging reformatory for
the correction Of the morals of those
women whose morals have been per-
verted she will ask law which will
eliminate what she believes to be one
of the chief causes of immoral women,
In DeS Moines and probably in many
of the other larger cities of the state
hundreds of girls are employed in
stores and factories at less than 'liv-
ing wages" Many in Des Moines are
working in department stores and fac
tories for $3.50 and 81 per week. This
is below the standard of living here for
even the most parsimonious. There is
nothing left for these girls to do but
steal or adopt soma other immoral
course to secure q living, unless it is
to starye to death. Few girls have the
moral courage to resist the natural i'm
pulse of self preservation by dying.
claims Mrs. EdWorthy, and as a final
resort start on a career which later
makes them part Of the great evil
demanding so much consideration at
present 1t is said that when girls have
of their salaries to employ |
ers insinuating suggestions have been |
Forthcoming. Women in charge Of the |
reform movement will ask the legis- |
lators to say what is fair living wage
FOR homeless girls and then to make
It a crime for any corporation or in
dividual to employ a girl at lesser
amount. The contention of the women
s that if the merchants and manufac-
III SiS SeililRPl d VI OAll S@$SSpl ny |
he sacrifice of the girls of the state
hen their business had better be aban-
loned as a menace to society.
Attorney General Byers has APP
,ealed the Pratt case testing the state
law.
This action was decided on at the
ime of the adverse decision by Judge
Hugh Brennan in the Polk district
curt, but the appeal was not pushed, {
ending the election, for the reason {
hat Mr.. Pratt is a democrat and the
tate election officers are republicans
nd it was feared that some prejudice {
night be created against the state /
Mess the matter were allowed to go {
Yer, for some might gain the belief L
nat the republicans were attempting Fl
} take advantage of the democrats u
Judge Brennan held that the pri- t
lary law was not exclusive and that il a
party failed to go into the primary f
ection it's regularly constituted COM T
ittees might nominate to fill vacan-
es caused by failure to nominate. d
The attorney general also has APP r
called the case testing the law regu- "
ting the duties of the county attor-
sy v
This Is appealed from Burlington, c
here Judge Smythe held that a coun- +
attorney was not required under
e law to do anything toward enforc- c.
6 the mulct law except to collect the f
ulct tax, and that the county attor-
" could only be removed from office al
r failure to collect the tax and not D
r failure to see that any other pro- a
sion of the law was carried out. in