The wageworker. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1904-????, 1909-03-27
THE ESSENCE OF FUDGE

carried the fOiloWlnS interesting ASSN
clated Press dispatch under a Wash
ington. ID. c.. date line:
"Mrs. William n. Taft. Mrs. Nicholas
Lonsworth. Mrs. Oscar Straus and
numerous other women prominent in
the society life of Washington and
New York lent their patronage to a
meeting held at the public library in
this city today to discuss the welfare
of American working women. The
meeting was held under the joint
auspices of the 6ook6inders' Union
and the woman's department of the
Civic Federation. of which Miss Ann
Morgan. daughter of J. Pierpont Nor
gan. is president. Miss Morgan her
self delivered the principal address at
the meeting. 1t is said to be the un-
Outstanding of those closely conneeted
with the work of the Civic Federation
tnat President Taft will in the near
future recommend to congress the
establishment of 4 special bureau to
investigate the conditions of women
employees of the government"
We confess TO somewhat mixed feel
ings when we consider the above dis
latch. Just as we have about made
up our mind to rejoice that these
representative soc1U women have
decided to give some thought to their
toiling sisters. we are overcome with
the fact that this sort of thing usually
results in a lot of high-fiown resolu-
tions, followed by a reduction in
wages and an increase of sweat shops.
Sympathy is capable of several
definitions, but real sympathy is
based on experience-only those who
have suffered can adequately sympa-
t,size. And what do Mrs. William H.
Taft, and Mrs. Oscar Straus and Mrs.
Nicholas Longworth and Miss Ann
Morgan know about the, sufferings
of the toiling women of Americae
What does any one of them know
ABOUT the pinching poverty. the hope
less outlook. the sheer despair thar
faces thousands upon thousands of
working women every day in the year.
What does any one of them know
about the agony of seeing helpless
children starve by their sides in this
boosted land of plentye
These estimable women may spend
money in relieving temporary dis
tress, but what do they know about
the great work of correcting these
evils They can see only the surface
evils-not until they have lived down
alaong these sufferers will they be
able to perform adequate service in
the cause of humanity
i We've attended some of these meet
ings, We've seen women dressed in
costumes that cost as much as the
average workingman makes in year
stand up and make plaintive appeals
for the toilers. 1t is awfully easy to
talk. but it is different when it comes
down to making real sacrifices for the
benefit of the oppressed. Ringing
resolutions may make interesting
reading. but they don't cut much ice.
There is a whole lot of fudge
about these meetings 10 consider the
anelioration of the condition of the
working classes. Miss Morgan's father
can do more to better the conditions
of thousands of workers with a single
stroke of his pen than she can do by
attending a thousand meetings as .
'-patroneSS~" He is the big boss of the
steel trust, and the steel trust has
inst issued notice that if its tariff
graft Is interferred with. the wages
already at a starvation levsl-win be
further reduced. Alice Roosevelt
I-ongworth's husband can do more
with one vote than she can do at al
the ''patroness" meetings she can at
tend in n lifetime. Let him Join in
releasing the stranslehold the trusts
have upon the toilers of the country
| Mrs Taft's husband can do more witt
/. one short message to congress than
say ~<aAA W. ~ ASHoAAS ASA pAS>SuSS u
| rsn thousand meetings Let hin
notify congress that it must act or
the square in its tariff legislation. and
that it must give labor an equal
chance before the courts.
Labor is not asking for special priv
| ises-it is asking for justice 1t is