The Detroit times., 1912-10-02
TO ASK STATE TO
FURNISH AID TO
MOTHERS In NEED
Movement for Compensation Act
Launched by Political
Equality League
PROPER TRAINING OF
CHILDREN CHIEF AIM
Women Working Hard to Fill
Hungry Mouths Can't Rear
Riddles, It's Argued

A mothers compensation act will
be introduced I'm the next session OF
the state legislature If plans OF the
executive board OF the North Wood.
ward Political Equality and Civic
league are adopted by the league.
The act will be drawn along the
lines of those already In effect in Col
orado and Illinois
A card party will be given under
the leagues auspices the last week In
October TO raise funds for propaganda
work. and subscription series OF
five dances is being arranged by the
program committee for the same pur;
pose.
The act will provide that If the
parents of a dependent child are too
poor or otherwise unable to care
properly for the child, yet are other
wise proper guardians, and IL it is
for the welfare of the child to remain
at home, the state shall pay TO the
parents a proper amount for the
child's care.
Judge Merritt NJ Pinckney, of the
Juvenile court of Chicago, and Judge
Ben Lindsey, OF Denver, will be in
yited TO speak In Detroit in favor OF
the proposed act.
Mrs. Ruby M. Zahn. president of
the league, explained the reasons for
this legislation To The Times
we make great fuss about the
death of child. but We make no ef-
fort to keep IL alive. We punish GRIM
mails, but We do nothing to remedy
the conditions that made them. When
children five years old are forced to
sell newspapers in the streets, II is
because fundamental social conditions
are wrong.
I'VE believe that the place to train
the child Is in the home, not in the
street But when a mother Is forced
10 take In washing to support her
family; when her wages are so low
that all she. can afford for food is
bread and tea and a few sweet cakes
for children must have sweets-and
when the mother has TO work so hard
that she can pay no attention to her
little ones playing around her-what
chance has the child under such con-
ditions?
Yes these are the conditions which
the struggle for existence demands in
a great many families. know many
cases of mothers in just that situa-
ton. How can a mother struggling
TO earn enough money for her fam
lily to keep alive, find time to bring
up her children TO become useful citi-
zens? ssf -
We are working not so much in
the interest OF the individual as I'm
the interest OF the state-the state
that demands good citizenship and
which, IL seems to us, should pave
the way for good citizenship rather
than wait until the material is turned
into bad citizenship and then pun
ish II.
Social centers and settlements are
doing good work. but It is merely pal
liative. We want TO work at the
foundation. We want to give the
children a chance. There is no rea-
son why Michigan should not accom-
plish what Colorado and Illinois have
done, and what the people OF Califo--
MIA are trying to do
The committee in charge of raising
funds for the mothers compensation
act propaganda consists OF Mrs. A. o.
Dunk, chairman; Mrs. Sophie r. Case,
Mrs. F. H. Dodge, Mrs. James Scher-
merhorn, Mrs. J. c. Tufford. Mrs.
Cecil Vaughan. Mrs. w. NJ. McLennsn,
Mrs. C. T. Fetters, Mrs. Fred j. Rob
inson, Mrs. Charles Macklin Mrs. A.
A. FRANKIE. Mrs. +. j. Kendall and
Mrs. Fred Suffer.
The league, which meets on the df-
ternoons of the first and third Tues
day OF the month, will consider this
winter number of subjects now in
the hands of the program committee,
Mrs. w. j. Black, Miss B. l.. Haug
and Miss Lorle Ashleman. Among
them are eugenics, crime and society
woman suffrage and vice regulation I:
low wages and their effect: schools
as social centers; land and the single.
tax; the short ballot: the press and
it's relation to the people; penolosy
and society: housing and model
tenements; the regulation OF monop.
, oily and prices: the tyranny OF the
courts; the enforcement of the fac.
tory act; developing taste in school
children a minimum wage law; initia.
tive. referendum and recall, and pure
food as state issue