Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-11-14

AltnOugn Judge Mower = adfnlTable DILL
the proposed 54-hour law for women and
minors has been before the Legislature
for several weeks and a committee hear
ing at which much evidence in its favor
was presented has been held. very little
publicity has been given This remedial
measure by the press OF the state
good reason for this lack of interest on
their part is not known: unless the
lethargy and backwordness characteristic
of Vermont Is being shown when legis-
lation tending to promote social and in
dustrial justice is contemplated. mat
ter of so far reaching significance-one
touching the very home. social, industrial
and economic relations of our people,
should, / believe receive the unstinted
interest and support Of all Nermonters.
1t is probably more the duty of those
who reside in burlington and Winooski
where the greater portion OF those affect
ed by the proposed law are employed to
actively espOuse this measure
More than SOD women and minors are
employed in these two places. Many of
them should be attending school: many
OF them will rear the next few genera
tons of Vcrmont's citizens Is 1t ask
declare that these people receive protec-
ton from the exploitation Of greedy cor
poratons: Is II asking too much that
these young girls he permitted to attend
school in preparation for the duties that
are sure TO come, Is 1t asking too much
that the worthy mothers and tho aged
madens he permitted to earn livelihood
in less time than seventy to eighty hours
per week? Is it not true that a large
per cent Of the immortality prevailing
among these workers Is due solely to
the continuous high nervous tension un-
der which they are compelled To labor
Is it not true that they lack temptation
resisting power after their life-b.ood has
been sucked from them by their arduous
| labor
! Vermont men and women you who
| read of the horrors Of child labor in tho
| cotton factories of the south, of the In
| FAINT oyster shelters Of Chesapeake bay.
| of the exploit ltion of the foreign ele-
ment in New hampshire and Massa-
chusetts. and shudder and disbelieve
| these statements. open Your eyes. You
have problem just as lnquitous, lust
as far reaching, JUST as difficult to solve.
Certainly girl or woman working
from seventy to eighty hours per week
IN hot. stufy. foul-smelling MIL or
factory. rising at { o'clock in the morn
ing and arriving homo from work at
seven O'Clock or later in the evening
Is not receiving square deal from the
state. Some of the girls and women
| walk or ride moro than two miles to
their work. eat cold dinners. stand all
zyt,o Co. 81, 10
! laho, when the total amount of wages
is computed upon the hours they are
comnoll,d to labor. | say compelled-an
say il advlscdly. II is OF course. gen
erally known that the regular hours of
employment in most of the mills and fac
tories are from ten to twelve hours per
dav but request by the employer 10
work overtime is an arbitrary command;
n refusal Is to merit immediate dis
cbarr, And when the overtime lasts
mouth after month 1t can readily be seen
,b,t IN. regular hours of labor are a
grim farce. Is 1t Just that the threat of
discharga should be held over the heads
| y, those helpless girls and women-that
threats e deprivation or sustenahoe
should h, used to urge them on? Their
health shattered. their social HE dohc
auav with? All that few rich men
may he made richer-and the workers
Themselves made poorer In all the Things
that make poor people rich?
Tho Intelligence of the human mind
h,,ld Indicate tn man that II society
g. 81 constructed that women and girls
,,ous, work for living, we should DO
ali within our power and justice and
| r,,, q, make IL as easy possible.
rho time will come. no doubt, when the
aoo e,rpor-the powder. will hi the
MAN and the man alone, Till that time
comes society must and will protect those
upon whom it depends for Its very cxis'-
ence.
The awakened consciences OF the peopIe