Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1912-02-08
IN BEHALF OF WOMEN
Ten Hour lay Advocates Make
Stirring Speeches in fiOuse of
Delegates.
PLEAD THEIR CAUSE WELL.
Speakers introduced BY Speaker
Trippe Of the House Reasons Ad-
yanced Why Long Hours OF
Labor are Harmful to
Women.

yanced Why Long Hours Of
Labor are Harmful TO
Women.
Some time before the arrival of the
delegation from Baltimore and the
speakers in favor of the Ten-Hour
/ Law for Women Workers. the galleries
/ in the House of Delegates and many
| seats on the floor were occupied by
Annapolis women interested in the
bill now before the Legislature.
There was scarcely standing room
for the entire party upon the arrival
of the Baltimore delegation. 1t is
| not just the proper thing for women
to occupy the chairs of delegates
at these public meetings in behalf of
bills, as the visiting delegations
would like 10 present their cause
before the delegates to the Legisla-
ture. who are forced out of their
seats by the ladies who attend. when
the galleries are commodous and
agreeable for the ladies.
Speaker Trippe, of tke House. in
troduced the speakers, the first Of
whom was the Hon. Charles J Bona
parte, the well-known jdriSt. author
and civicist.
Mr. Bonaparte said he felt the
honor conferred upon him in being
asked to defend This bill THAT |
am in favor Of the bill" he said,
''isn't the bills fault " He defined
the law which limits woman's work
to ten hours q day, or sixty hours a
week. If any part of the labor is
performed before a. n. or after 10
at night, then the labor limitations
are eight hours for a single d .y's
work for wo men. He said the bill
had been adjudged constitutional.
This bill, he said, does not apply to
any form of agricultural labor, to
labor Within the family circle, or
to any form of domestic service
Few women, however, are engaged
in agricultural labor, and there is no
necessity to protect domestic ser
wants from "overwork. - they are
ready and willing to take care of
themselves.
Mr.. Bonaparte named six classes of
laboring women the bill was intended
to protect, these being women work.
ing in factories. mercantil establish
ments, bakeries, printing offices, etc.
Mr.. Bonaparte said the law pro-
vides for three inspectors at moderate
salaries. The inspectors are to be APP
pointed by the Governor and they are
to enforce the law and see that viola
tors are punished. The penalty is
moderate, 500 for the first offense
and 81, 900 at most and Imprisonment
for subsequent otfenses.
The speaker said we are ahead Of
the Union in many respects, but
Maryland has not developed on some
points. He said he knew of no occu-
patton in which il is not injurious
for women to work for an excessive
length of time, and its the States
duty to prevent this injury The wo-
men laborers who insist that they do
not work for an excessive length of
time are prompted to say this by their
employers. The interest in the law
to protect the health of women far ex-
ceeds that in behalf of any other.
Our women. physically, should be
protected. said Mr. Bonaparte, and
laws like these have been found in
| the end to be beneficial, temporary
sacrifice rewarded by greater benefit.
| Mr.. Bonaparte received a round of
| applause upon the conclusion of his
speech.
The next speaker was the Hon.
Isaac Lobe Straus, former Attorney
General of Maryland. Mr.. Strauss
speech was the only pretense at ora
tory during the afternoon. He waXeC
oratorical from the start. Among
other things he said this is a case that
speaks for itself. Argument is SUI
perfluous to carry conviction wherein
| conviction must exist, where obligation
is behind this measure.
Never has there existed a measure
more worthy than that for whose eff
cacy we are gathered here today
said MIR. Strauss. Maryland, HI
said, seeks to protect generations Il
come, the sources through which
the State comes, the essence ant
substance of the State. when i
seeks to protect the health of its wo
men. The bill defends the State a
an economic organism. That whicl
protects the people, qualities the peopl
for civilization. No measure, h
said, could be of greater consequence
than this measure, the ethical, intel
lectual and physical dynamics of whic
protects the State. 1t is a grea
menace to permit women, wives
daughters, mothers to work long hours
Experience shows that such wor
harms the fundamental principles o
mind and character. We are boun
to protect racial interests-racisl i
the broad fundamental sense. Juslic
and wisdom demand the passage 0
this ten-hour law for women, and res
son illustrates and scientifically De
monstrates that the shortening o
hours of labor increases the produC
tivtv aud efficiency of the workin