Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-03-02
OUTLINE OF CONDITIONS
IN THE TEXTILE MILLS
Demand for Federal Investigation
of Wage Question.
MISERY OF PEOPLE PORTRAYED
Representative Berger Declares
Children Are Speeded Up to Sc
cure Highest Rsults From
Their Labor.

AuClT LdOOf.
Tales of misery and poverty and oppres-
sion were told to the House committee ON
rules today at the first hearing ON the
Wilson and Berger bills demanding fed
eral investigation of conditions in Law.
renee. strike-ridden Massachusetts, city.
where already the people and the soldiery
have clashed and where is threatened an
organized uprising of the industrial work.
erS.
The committee. sitting in that same
room where only recently Andrew Car
negie, James J. Hill and other giants OF
finance discussed in casual tones the
jugglery Of millions, heard OF families
of five and six and seven members living
on wages Of from $3 to s. a week; Of
adults and children working ten hours
a day on the bread and water of worse
than prison fare, and Of little ones being I
'speeded up to meet the demand of the
efficiency system of shop management
installed by the American Wooen Com
pany in its Lawrence mills.
But more eloquent than the speaahaa-
made by Representative Wilson OF Penn
sylvania. chairman OF the labor commit
tee of the House; by Representative Ber.
ger of Wisconsin. the socialist member.
and by other adults who addressed the
committee was the presence OF nfteen
children fresh from the scene OF the Law
renee riot who until the strike was de-
clared several weeks ago were workers
in the woolen mills These children.
pinched of face. pallid OF complexion.
stunted of growth, sat and listened, stolid
and emotiOnless, while Berger and WILSON
told of labor conditions in the woolen in
dustry and recited the wrongs OF the op-
eratives.
Child Tells Her Story.
There was Camello Teoli, little Itai-
Ian girl. who stood up when she was
told and who said she was sixteen years
old. although she didn't look IT. She
started to work in the spinning room OF.
one of the American Woolen Company's
mills i'm Lawrence two years ago and
three weeks later had her hair caught in
a shafting and her scalp torn on, just as
did Miss Haughton, at the census once.
more than twelve months ago. But little
Camello Teoli was the oldes. of seven
children and, with her rather, tne suppofe
of the family.
She earned several dollars a week when
''speeded up and her father. when ne
was lucky, made seven. She is stiii uh-
accident of which she was a victim, but
lately has been working just the same,
she said, for her father has been on
slack time and has been making = s1
a week
There were other children there, too.
who. while they showed no scars. looked
even To the unframed eye as If they had
been "speeded up beyond the limit or
juvenile endurance.
Cheeks sallow. lips pinched and eyes
that seemed TO have looked upon all the
misery Of the world, the children sat
unmoved throughout the hearing. pre-
sented by MIR. Berger as an exhibit or
what .'one of the most highly protected.
industries in America does 10 the human
life by which it is served" as he de-
clared.
The children with several adult strik-
ers as guardians and accompanied by
George W. Roewer, the BotSon attorney,
who has defended in court the strikers
arrested In Lawrence. reached Washing.
ton last night several hours behind
schedule time. and were met at the
Union station and escorted to the ac-.
commodations that had been provided
for them by a big crowd of local social
lists and labor sympathfzers. All of the
Lawrence delegation wore little cards.
bearing the inscription Don't be
scab.' and although weary from their
Journey marched TO their lower Penn
sylvania avenue hotel singing and cheer
ing.
the same way, and outside of the House
office building had to run the lire of =.
battery Of cameras and moving picture
machines stationed right outside OF tho
entrance.
Room Crowded With Spectators.
Once In the big committee room on the
third floor. which has been used for thA
hearings Of the Stanley steel committee.
they found it difficult to obtain seats. q.
big crowd Of interested folk, including;
dozens OF members OF Congress. being
there waiting FOR them.
But finally. through the efforts oG
Representative Henry OF Texas, the
rules committee chairman. who, with
his own little boy Of eight beside him,
looked with pity and sorrow upon thA
small strikers from Lawrence. chairs
were provided and the hearing begany
First, however. all the strikers ha6
TO stand up. with Representative Wil-&
son and Representative Berger in the
van and the cameras and moving pic
ture machines again got busy.
Arrange the children any way yox
want" said Chairman Henry. "an4
take your time.
Chairman Wilson of the labor committee
confined his statement TO the COMMITTEES
to an argument that federal fnvest1gation
of the strike conditions was entirely jus.
titled as a result OF the action or the state
authorities the other day in preventing
the strikers from sending their childre4
and women out of Lawrence so that theX
might be provided for elsewhere.
There should be no power on the pAre
of the state" said Mr.. Wilson. Ito pre-
vent these children being sent out Of Mas
sachusetts, unless IL were known the2
they were to become Q pubic chAygea
Thsr. was no such allegation in thA4
case"
kidnapping Alleged.
..wasn't that the pretext In this casss
inquired Representative Hardwsck q
Georgia-
.sThe pretext was" Mr.. Wilson rspiis0k
"that these children were being sent cz&
of the state without the consent OF their
parents: in other words. that they we're
being kidnapped IL that were true thta
action would be indefcnsible and the statA
law would cover the case. But II was noe
true In any particular.
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