Evening star., 1909-04-18
LEGAL ACTION LIKELY
Bureau Girls Looking Up the
Libel Laws.
-UNION WILL MEET TODAY
Official Action to Be Taken on OBJ
jectionable Publication.
WANT TO KNOWWRITER'SNAME
Authority for the Story Denied by
Civic Federation oficers-State-
ment by Mrs. Valesh.

The girl employees of the bureau of en-
craving and printing. whose morality was
the subject Of attack by two papers yes
terday morning. spent the greater part
Of yesterday in trying to locate the source
of the attack. They called upon Secre-
tary MacVeagh at the Treasury Depart
ment, the editor of the paper where the
New York story was reprinted and on
several members Of the National Civic
Federation, which was incidentally. and,
its members declared, quite innocently
drawn into the story. They say they
were received with sympathy at all points
and a retraction of the story was prom
ised them, but when night fell they were
no nearer a solution Of the mystery than
before.
A Joint meeting Of the man and woman
employees of the bureau Of engraving and
printing will be held at Typographical
Temple this afternoon at $3.50 to take
Official action upon the attack upon the
character Of the woman employees Of the
bureau.
Resolutions will be presented demand
ing that the person who wrote the
article shall be made known to ehe
public and held responsible. 1t is likely
that the union will take legal steps to
secure damages for libel II they md
on consultation with counsel that dam
ages can be collected by a union for a
libelous publication.
Secretary Will Investigate.
Secretary MacVeagh, when the COM
mittee called, said he had received no
intimation Of the story till 1t appeared
In print and was at a loss to know how
1t got started. He assured the commit
tee OF his entire sympathy and said
that he would do his best to see
whether any employe Of the Treasury
was responsible for starting the report.
The committee Of girls called on MRS
Samuel Spencer, president OF the local
branch Of the National Civic Federation'
Archibald Hopkins. They all Of them ex-
pressed the greatest surprise at such q
report having been circulated. and told
their callers that 1t was almost needless
to say that the Civic Federation had
never entertained the germ Of the idea
conveyed by the story.
Some of the members of the National
Civic Federation have been much inter-
ested In the work OF the girls at the
bureau, and there have been several
meetings between the bureau employees
and the federation officials with view
TO possibly lettering the hygienic condi-
tions under which the girls work, and
possibly getting their pay increased. the
only way In which even the fact that
the federation had any of the girls
names could have been bruited about
was from the circumstance that Mrs.
Tuckerman, one of the members OF the
federation wanted to give reception
to some OF the girls at her home, and
as she could entertain only about fifty
Of the TOO at one time had asked to have
list of fifty prepared for her. which
was done.
Mrs. Valesh's Statement.
Mrs Eva Mcdonald valesh. a vice
president Of the National Civic Fedora
ton of Women, and who, as organiser
Of the American Federation OF Labor.
recently formed a union OF more than
500 women employees of the bureau OF en-
craving and printing. says in relation
to the article referring to alleged laxity
Of morals among the bureau OF engrav-
ing women employees:
"As a national off1cer Of the Woman's
National Civic Federation ] desire to
state most emphatically that this or
ganization has no made any investiga-
ton as to the morality Of the women
employed in the bureau of engraving
and printing, has made no charges
against them. nor has IT recommended
the discharge Of fifty girls on that or
an insult to every woman employed In
the bureau OF engraving and printing. 1t
in a blow to the good work being done
by the Woman's Civic Federation.
mo matter how definite and complete
the proof that no such investigation was
ever undertaken. the gossip started by
such a story will persist. and every girl
who resigns from the bureau hereafter
fnr any reason whatever will be branded
by some people AZ discharged for i'm
morality 49,.
Miss Anne Morgan nor Mrs. ]. Borden
Harriman. nor any other member Of the
Woman's Civic Federation. would for an
instant countenance such action. know
this because am In constant correspond
ence with Miss Morgan. sometimes ex-
changing letters with her daily. She ini-
tiated the work Of organisation among
the bureau girls. and has taken the great
est interest in their efforts to secure the
81 a day from Congress. SO that they
might have a living wage.
I'm the course OF organizing the several
hundred employees of the bureau in
union have had the occasion to come In
personal contact with nearly every woman
employed there. I have found them q re-
markably fine lot OF girls. bright, well
hammered. upright In conduct and many
Of them devout church members. do not
think it would be possible to find several
hundred women In any walk OF life where
the average of morality and good con-
duct would be any higher than among
these women who work for low wages
and under such terribly, hard conditions
In the bureau Of engraving and printing"