The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-04-28
Miss Martha Gruening, a Gel
ebrated Suffragette, Lee
tures to Students on Wei
fare of Women.
SHE STATES WOMEN
MUST BE ORGANIZED
As Long as They Have No
Voice in Government AZ
fairs, Their Condition Will
Not Be Improved.


el the secretary Of the National Col
lege Equal Suffrage league, Miss Mar.
tha Gruening Of New York. delivered
. short address to the student body of
the college and a few Richmond peo-
pie who were In attendance. Miss
0ruening's talk was short and con-
else but to the point. She started out
by saying that woman's suffrage was
not the result Of sudden change In the
attitude OF the nation. but was the re-
suit Of a long process Of evolution.
which was now making II possible for
women to control some OF the outside
pQslflena machinery 30 inimical to
n IRE and the welfare of their
Miss Gruening stated that
80 ally all cities where pure
65o olhances had been passed, 1t
A&d been done as result Of the man.
ipulation Of politics by women. but
that In the majority of our cities at
tainments OF this kind. which are Of
volue - the women In the care OF
their chl1drn and their general home
duty, were impossible because Of the
Intense antagonism Of men holding po-
litical offices.
Terrible Gotham Fire.
In speaking of the effort Of working
women to affect an organization Miss
0ruening cited the fact that one-fifth
of the adult women In the United
States were dependent upon their own
efforts for their sustenance. She
- ~ - HAos thn <Sv,v
women In New York CITY ma been
permitted to form labor organizations
Of their own. the heavy loss of life In
th the recent shirt.waist factory fire
would have been avoided. She stated
that the manufacturers had combined
and forced their employees to work
Saturday afternoons. which would not
have been the case II the protests Of
the girls had been needed. The lee.
turer stated that the fire started at
4:3O p. m. on q Saturday afternoon
when the building should have been
closed. Another charge the lecturer
made was that the doors of the build.
Ing were locked because the employ.
ers had made It q rule to have the
GIRLS searched each night before they
allowed them to depart, and that the
places Of exit were kept locked until
such searches had been completed.
When the fire had abated sufficient
ly for the firemen to enter the room,
she stated, they found bodies piled to
height Of five feet In front of these
locked dors.
philadelphia Strike.
These facts. the secretary said. only
went to prove that until the women
Of the country were given equal suf-
frage their conditions could not be
bsttered. Miss 0ruening also referred
to the Philadelphia shirt-waist strike
of}ost year In which she participated
JRas arrested. She made o com.
between that strike and the
8 of the street car men. saying
Within q period of six weeks dur
Ing the former strike five hundred
girls and women were arrested for
what she COED peaceful picketing'
while on;yStwo hundred men were
taken into ANptody for far more ser.
ious crimes. !. perpetrated against the
life and welfare OF the citizens Of the
community.
In referring 10 her personal work.
Miss Gruening stated she had often
been refused audiences by her own
state legislators at Albany, n. Y, on
bills which she was rightfully entitled
TO voice. She stated the legislatur.
e. both state and national, were SO
completely dominated by the organic.
ed business interests that there was
NO possible chance for the inorganic.
ed working woman to secure recogni.
tion.
Miss Gruening vii; remain at the
local college for several days. holding
informal meetings with the girls In
IN attempt to interest them in the de-
velopment OF the suffrage movement.
Her address today was well received
by the student body.