The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1911-04-03
GIRLS PLEA FOR FIRE SAFETY
pLaIN Talk TO THE BIG OPERA
HOUSE MASS MEETING.

"Inr 80 cheap ana Property So sacred -
cries Rose Scheiderman- Unions Are
the One Hope. says Peter Brady
Committee OF Five to Inyestigate.
slim. hatless girl. with manuscript
rolled in her left hand, stood at the centre
Of the Metropolitan Opera House stage
Yesterday afternoon to tell what che
thought Of the shirtwaist makers fire.
Her audience filled the main floor, boxes
and every balcony. 1t was a mass meet
ing called at the instance of the women's
Trade Union League. Rabbi Wise had
just said that "the lesson of the hour il
that while property is valuable life is
priceless"
Said the girl. who was Miss Rose Schei-
derman. vice president of the league:
The old thumbscrew Of the Inquisition
was merciful compared with the modern
rack. the high speed machine. And this
is not the first time working men and
women have been burned to death. The
erty is SO sacred, there are so many Of us
e. every job, that it matters little IL l4s
die.
"Citizens. you have been tried time
and again and found wanting. Every
time the working people try to protest
Tor their rights the law says Be orderly
and the strong hand OF the law beats us
back. and back we go to conditions that
make our lives unbearable. 1t would be
ueachery and treason to those burned
bodies If l came here to talk fellowship
Too much blood has been spilled"
There was another speaker whose
argument was sceptical. He was Peter
Brady. secretary Of the Allied Printing
Trades He said:
we haven't lot of confidence in what
this committee la committee Of five in
vestigators to be appointed as a result Of
Yesterdays meetingl will do Citizens
committees have been appointed before.
In Newark after the fire there it was a
trade union of women that made repeti-
tion impossible by refusing to work unit il
bad conditions were made good Labor
If going to take il into its own hands to
bring reform in New York hope thie
committee won't attempt to freeze out
the labor unions. ] hope it will go even
further and give labor men authority
to inspect the factories themselves. II it
does that such a disaster as that OF WASH
ington place cannot be repeated
Jacob 2cht6 UNA torupOra ,ha ;r,,, m >,
OF the meeting and Eugene A. Philbin
formerly District Attorney. was perma- :
nent chairman. Others on the stage were
Bishop Greer. Mrs. o. H. p. Belmont
William J. Schieneiin. Edward T. Devine,
owen r. Lovejoy, Miss Mary Dreier.
president OF the Women's Trade Union
League; P. j. Mskeon. who lectures on
fire prevention at Columbia; Prof. Selig-
man OF Columbia. Miss Anne Morgan,
Comptroller Prendergast. Mrs. Henry
Ollesheimer and Father McMahon.
Gov. Dix wrote that an official en- ga ge-
ment kept him away He said that if
the laws were not strong enough to pro-
tect working people new ones must be
made, and added
1T is my purpose TO ascertain il officers
OF the State departments are negligent
Rest assured that a repetition of the
Washington place disaster will be
avoided"
Mr.. Schif said that lives had been
sacrificed because Of conditions which
must be abolished. He went on:
The women and the girls who were
killed-for them nothing can be done.
To the unfortunates whom they left be-
hind this committee owes a duty. As
treasurer of the Red Cross emergency
relief committee have already received
almost $4,000. Immediate needs are
being looked after. A committee of
expert altruistic workers is studying the
needs Of those who have lost their bread
winners and for whom permanent pro-
vision must be made.
The great modification, however. is
that relief fund should ne necessary
because Of a disaster such as this. fear
that it is conscience money we are paying
Far be it from me to lay the blame on the
shoulders of any one in particular. We
must leave it to the public authorities to
punish those responsible. Our duty is of a
different nature. We want to make sure
that such terrors can never occur again
Promise must be made that factory
workers and tenement dwellers will be
protected from fire We must see that
The Fire Department adopts devices by
which those forced to escape may do SO "
Ex-District Attorney Philbin said it
seemed strange to him that with all the
organizations in this city devoted to
Philanthropy and uplift there was no
society to champion those without in
hu"nce and unable to protect themselves
The two purposes of this citizens move
ment, he said. were to secure laws and to
see that they were enforced.
Bishop Greer said that the one thing
clear above all others was that whatever
precautions exist or shall be devised they
would not enforce themselves. The pub
he must see to that long after the immedi-
ate effect Of the fire on it's feelings has
hassod away. Otherwise. he said. "ours
IS the fault ours the sin. The RESPONSE
hlIty is with all of us. not with an elected
Or seI"cted few"
Rabbi Wise began his remarks by say,
mg
his Is u fast day, a day of guilt and
humiliation, Let it be a day OF availinp
,oh'rl,eness and redeeming penitence
" j. not the action of God. but the inactioI
'l man That is responsible-t inaction