The evening world., 1912-03-02
Thirteen Lined Up On View As
Probe On The Big Lawrence
Tie.Up Is Urged.
ARE TOLD
Worker Says He And Family
Only Have Only Bread And
Water-Girl An Example.

| WASHINGTONs MAroh Thirteen
little children with the woe marks Of toll
stamped upon their paiisi faces. claimed
the attention OF Congress to-day. Tho
little ones took their places before the
Rules Committee Of a.. I~iouse-iiving
exhibits OF INDUSTRIAL war in the Law
renee textile mills. Every one Of the
children was . worker in the mills and
bore In every movement the mark Of
the loom.
Ten Congressman were present TO sec
and hear them. and che big committee
room was crowd.sd when Representa-
tive Wilson OF Pennsylvania made the
opening argument for the strikers on
the proposition that Congress investi-
gate the Lawrence mills. He said that
h action of the soldLyrs In stopping
the removal Of children from Lawrence
was the beginning Of the passport sys-
tenn in the United States. Mr.. Wilson
argued that the Federal Government
had the power 10 interfere when the
power OF the state was being used
against the citizen.
BERGEN rELLs WHY INQUIRY
-ehouLo De MADE.
Representative Berger OF Wisconsin,
the Socialist momber. explained his rea-
sons for asking = Federal Investigation.
1T 10 not the purpose Of my BILL" no
said. ito urge an investigation OF the
conditions In Lawrence on the constitu-
tionsl point Of the brutal interference
with women and children at thai place.
What my Dill proposes TO investigate
now ID the relauons Of the American
woostsn Company 20 the strike Of Its
operatives at Lawrence. Mass.
for yesFs Keen the recipient Of . Gov.
eminent subsidy In the form Of . high
tariff. II has been claimed that this
high tariff 10 levied In order 10 protect
labor. Yet in spite Of this claim It 10
generally conceded that these operatives
are amonS the lowest paid OF those Of
any industry In America This strike
took place a. n revolt against . reduce
ton Of about 20 cents per week out Of
a wage averaging les than 90 per week.
IAN investigation Of the American
woollen Company Is properly within the
jurisdiction Of this House. II II surely
| JuUtIUeu - tO8ot ~ - t"c w.
vestigation Of the Steel Trust, the Sugar
Trust or the Money Trust.
Mr.. Berger charged that the working
communities where age ara least and
conditions hardest are the recruiting
plsces for the victims Of tae white
slave trafic.
CONSIDER IT A HOLIDAY WHEN
THEY GET MEAT.
The arst witness called by Mr.. Ber-
ger was Samuel Lipson. a weaver
He said he was classcd ~ u skilled
workman and earned from 50 to SIC
a week. On this he has supported q
wife and four children. He told the
committee Of times when he earned
less and his family had lived on bread
and water.
The days We eat meat are con.
sidered as holidays by the children
the witness said.
Lipson turning to the group OF strike
children called out:
"Carmeila stand up"
From the back row Of the huddlcc
group . sweet-faced. pailid little SIX
t~een-yesr-oid girl arose. She locke.
not more than twelve. ,.
1.-TWO years ago." began Lipson. "thii
girl went TO work In the mills, Thre'
weeks afterward tho machines wer'
sneeded up SO fast that her hair Wal
caught and almost Torn OIL. She ha'
been under doctors care ever since
nut she has been working In the mill
too. because her father 10 q poor mar
and has seven In the family. She mus
work to get food -,
Then Ilpson gave the story Of thu
..Thcy went to draw their ray ant
THAR DAY was not what they expected
he said. "They became excited. They
sang q song, They sang that they mus
have bread for their children; that thes
must have shoes for the little ones
that they must have underwear FOL
their babies.
The bosses thought that by turning
them out they could stop the excite
ment. The Waterman turned the waite
, on them. Then they called in the 20
lice and hrsmen and hired them to ID
these things and others"
Lipson said that when the Massachu
setts law cut the houra OF labor IN tn,
mills from fifty-six to fifty-four "A weol
: the wages az the operatives were Gu
down, and the machines In the mill
"speeded up to force the same amour
OF work In the shorter time. Thu
; caused the strike. When the oyigina
, demand was made on the company. Lip
son said. the mon were told they coul,
,.tsno, 80 hu rk 20 u,nrE NJ rot 81, -