New-York tribune., 1909-12-18
JUSTICE! THE CRY
Women Teachers 4gain Gath
er to dir Their Wr0ngs.

The militant Interborough Association OF
women Teachers held a mass meeting at
carnegie Hall last night. They wanted
simple Justice. They had had little enough
OF 1t. goodness knows. and might almost
as we'll acknowledge that it might take
away their breath If ever they got even a
tiny bit OF it, And yet-Boston had a tea
party-justice once lived-and IF they
don't give us Justice, we will have univer-
sa suffrage" almost whispered one of the
speakers as the closing thread of an ad-
dress that was otherwise full of poesy and
fire
The Interborough warriors as every one
knows. have fought valiantly for four years
for equal pay" for women school teachers.
The mass meeting was called to pass reso.
lutions with much vim and accompanied
by such eloquent appeals to the sentiment
and sympathy and, above all, of course, the
sense of justice supposed to lodge some
where in the public mind, that the Board
OF Education would be ashamed OF its rec
ord and reform.
The Governor, for vetoing the so-called
equal pay bill; the Mayor. for mistaking
some OF the alleged facts in the case; the
male, distinguished from men teachers;
part of the press, the ferty-six sOlons
known as the Board of Education" and
all persons who live in glass habitatons
who deny the woman teacher her $500 a
year were treated to allopathic doses by
the men orators and Miss Grace G.
Strachan, president of the association.
Mirabeau l. Towns. the poet-lawyer, talked
IN that order, paying almost fearful atten-
ton to what he might cite as examples of
epoch-making men, no one of whom but
was blessed by the teaching of a mother
or some other woman. It was that way
with Washington. Where, too, would Lin
coin have been without a mother? But
for women the clank of chains and crack
Of whip probably now would resound
throughout at least half of these United
States. The cost of living had advanced,
but not the women teachers salaries.
Should a superintendent receive $4,000 a
year and little mother $600-the amount
earned by corner bootblack?
Mr.. Towns was applauded many times to
the echo and Lewis Nixon. the shipbuilder,
followed with few pointed remarks.
Il find in the commercial world" he said,
that when a commodity sells for less than
it is worth, either the quality depreciates
or the commodity is withdrawn" He be-
lieved strongly in equal pay.
Ex-Congressman Charles F. Moore was
sincere and humorous. Did women receive
20 per cent discount on their grocery bills
because of sex? There were tables reserved
for ladies in restaurants, to be sure, but
pancakes and bacon cost them the same
as men. Why, therefore, differentiate in
salary list because of sex?
A letter was read from Mayor Mcclellan.
saying that the increase in the budget
would be s13, oo0000, and he did not think
the city was in condition to meet the de-
mand. Miss Strachan answered that all
estimates by the city officials were based
on assumption merely and that the wom-
ems wishes could be satisfied for approx
mately s4,25oO00 Also, she added, the wom-
en- were ready TO take it in Inst ailments
over two. three. four, or even FIVE years. 1t
was not the money so much, she said, as
the principle involved. She made a most
favorable impression on the numerous au-
dience and satisfied all Corners that she
had studied the problem from every angle.
Simple justicev' were he- last words.
The resolution asks that Section SO of the
bylaws of the Board Of Education be
amended so as 10 provide one salary
for one and the same position, except that
teachers and superiors of boys may receive
an annual or bonus not to exceed $3.50