Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1910-04-07

as old, as true as pitiful.
When the whistle blows in the
morning, it calls the Girl Slaves Of
the bottle washing department Of the
breweries. to don their wet shoes and
rags, and hustle to the bastile to
serve out their sentences.
1t is indeed true, they are sentenced
to hard brutal labor, labor that gives
no cheer, brings NO recompense.
Condemned for life to slave daily in
the Mushroom in wet shoes and wet
clothes, surrounded with the foul
mouthed, brutal foremen, whose
orders and language would not look
well in print, and would surely shock
over-sensitive ears or delicate nerves!
And their crime? Involuntary pow
erty. It Is hereditary. They are NO
more to blame for it than is a horse.
for having the CHAMBERS. 1t is the
accident of birth. This accident that
throws them into the surging seeth-
ing mass, known as the working
class lis what forces them out Of the
cradle into servitude, to be willing?
slaves Of the mill, factory, depart
ment stores, hell or bottling shop,
in Mdlwaukee,s Colossal breWeries,
to create wealth for the Brewery, Bar
ons, that they may own palaces, the
aires, automobiles. FLOODED stock,
farms, banks, and Heaven knows
what all, while the poor girls slave
on, all day in the vile smell of sour
beer in wet shoes and rags, for God
knows, they cannot buy clothes, on
the miserable pittance doled out to
them by their soulless master class.
The constituencies rich see no reas-.
on why the slave should not be con-
tent on a crust of bread for its share
of all the wealth created, That these
slaves of the dampness should contract
rheumatism, is foregone conclusion.
Rheumatism is one Of the chronic
ailments, and is closely followed by
consumption. Consumption Is well
known to be only a disease Of pow
erty. The Milwaukee law makers,
Of course, enacted an anti-spit ordin-
lnce, to protect the public health,
and the brewers contributed to the
Red Cross Society, to make war on
the shadow of tuberculosis. and all
1.-THE while the big capitalists, are set
out incubators, to hatch out germs
enough among the poor workers, to
destroy the nation. Should one Of
these poor Girl Slaves spit on the
sidewalk, it would cost her more than
she can make in two weeks work.
Such is the fine system Of the present
day affairs. The foremen even reg
Iulated the time that they may stay in
| the toilet rooms, and in the event Of
Ioverstaying it, gives the foreman an
opportunity he seems to be looking
I for, to indulge in indecent and foul
| language. Should the patient slave
forget herself, and take offense. 1t
will cost her the job in that prison.
land after all, bad as 1t is, 1t is all
THAT she knows how to do. To de-
Iprive her Of the job, means less
crusts, and worse rags in, THE Land
| of the Free and the Home of the
Brave" Many Of the girls have no
home nor parents and are forced to
feed and clothe and shelter thom-
selves. and all of this on an average
| of $500 per week. Ye Gods! What
horrible nightmare! What hope Is
There for decency, when INSCRIPTIONS
wealth may exploit its producers so
shamelessly.
| No matter how cold, how stormy,
Ehow inclement the weather, many of
these poor slaves must walk from
their shacks to their work, for their
miserable stipend precludes any pos
sibility Of squeezing street car rae
tout of it. And this is due to our
much Wanted greatness! Is this CIV
|ilization? If SO, what please. Is bar
barism?
4 AS an illustration OF what these
poor girls must submit to, one about
/ to. become mother. told me with
Hears in her eyes, that every other Gay
la ,depraved specimen Of mankind,
took delight in measuring her girth,
and passing such comments as BELTS
Isuch humorous III occasion.
While the wage paid Is IS to 30
lcents per day, the poor slaves are not
IDermitted to work more than three
or four days a week, and the con-
tinual threat of idle days, makes the
slave much more tractable and sub
missive than would otherwise obtain.
often when their days work Is done,
they are put to washing of the tables
and the lunch room floor, and the
other odd jobs for which there Is
not even the suggestion of compensa-
ton. OF course, abuse always fol-
lows power, and no where is It more
in evidence than in this miserable
treatment the brewers and their hire
| ling accord their Girl Slaves.
The foremen, also uses his In
fuence through certain living med
iums, near at hand, to neutralize any
EFFORT having In view the organization
Iof these moor helpless victims, of an
un1,olu and brutal Drofit system and