New-York tribune., 1908-12-31
CLASS AGAINST CLASS
Tpo Elements in Self-Smpportins
TedgHe at Wdr.

Women have long been warned that IN coming
Of the seciusion Of their homes eney "ouiu u
get into trouble than they dreamed or anu
events seem to be Justifylns that prophecy inc
rock which the sufYragists have struck is the
labor difficulty. They not, 1t is true employers
OF labor to any extent. but there are otner ways
of getting into trouble with tho trade unions thah
that OF trying run open shop. 1t suffces' ap-
rarently. try amalgamate trade unionlsts WIN
those who are not unionists and as the uaoe
union constitute large proporuoh VI
those who wish to vote this is naturally what ei7
suffragists want to do. It las been done in facI
with apparent success IN The league of Ser-Sup-
portine. Women of which Mrs. Harriet Stanton
Blatch is PRESIDENT.
Fifteen thousand y these s supporting women
are trade unionists The rest-about four thousand
earn their lvin.- IN moro genteel ways IheS eFo
doctors lawyers writer's sociolo6 lca workers etc
Altogether they make formidable array when
Il Is necessary to quote numbers TO recedc1IahI
legislators, but they don't mix any better than
oil and water and things have now como TO suoh
q pass that each party iB discussing the possiple
secession OF the other. Neither VIII aonlt 'ha'
the~a is a.1y likelihood OF its getting out itself
OF course" say the trade unionists. I'VE are the
league, and II doesn't make any difference TO us
if q few women who have never done anything
any way do get out" The others ssyi II any
one gee out K AL be the trade unionists, thougE
they admit shet this will leave them sadly Grip
plfad in nu-1sers. Tie smaller section complains
OF tbs unresrena h. =uesl of the trade unions ana
their desire to haze everything their own way and
the trade union assert that they never were
considered a. az
Fancy" said ane. "an organization of working
woman with tfrcs hours from 10 o'clock to
o'coc there you really have the whole thing in
nutshell
The trade 1uionists further complain that the
league never does anything. THE ladyiike section
doesn't want do anythng. and those who don
pretend 10 tavs any vainly struggle
against this insr Tia" Furthermore. they say that
professional membership, particularly as represent
ed on the executive committee. is largely paper
one composed OF women who were brought IN sim
DIy for their names and who rarely carns to the
meetings This adds to the alleged difficulty of
getting anything done.
All this discomfort has been srnrnering beneath
tbs surface for a long time but it to head
with the formation of the Equal Franchise League
by Mrs Clarence Mackay. Mrs Batch is mem
of the inner circle which laid the plans for this
organisation at series Of luncheons at fashion
able club Now, the trade unionists, rightly or
wrongly, identify Mrs Blatch with the smaller and
more srstoca section of the league, and these
conferences, which shared by Mrs. Mackay,
William WINS and Colonel George Harvey, added
fuel to the fame, Then came the open alliance
with wealth and fashion in tbs formation OF the
Mackay league.
The trade unioufsts now believe that their own
orga nization can occupy only second place in
the affections of their president, and they say that
Mrs. BIatch Is far of the feeling that her
resignation from the society that she organized
can be only matter of time. They say that she
is going abroad IN the spring, and that when she
comes back she will undoubtedly resign and devote
all her time to the Equal Franchise League
Mrs. Blatch said when the matter was brought to
her attention that had never heard Of any dis
satisfaction on the part Of the trade unionsts and
that she had not thought Of the possibility Of re
signing.
The league headquarters are st the homo OF Mrs
Flatch No 103 East 18th street, and she says that
the rooms are open at any hour that members
want to them.
or the executive committee Of the league are
Miss Rose schnerderman, of the Hatmakers'
Union; Miss GKate H. Clayborn, Of the Tenement
House Department: Miss Elizabeth Cook, the Cor
nell orator; Miss Jessie Ashley and Miss Adelma
H Burd. lawyers; DR.. Emily Dunning Barrtnger,
Mrs Florence Kelley, secretary of the National
Consumers League; Esther c, Edelson, trade
unionist and socialist; Dr. Gertrude ". Light. Miss
Vida MilhoIIand, undergraduate at Barnard.
Mrs Mary I. Bush Mrs Nora Blatch de Forest,
Mr.. charlotte Perkins Gilman. Mrs Lillian Weiss,
q trade unionist, and Miss H. Alice Bergman, also
a trade unionst. Miss Helen Marot represents the
Woman's Trade Union League as a fraternal dele
gate and there are delegates from the Pipe CaIk-
ers Union and typographical Union No. 8.