Albuquerque evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1911-1914, 1912-01-30
WORKING GIRL PROVES
SUCCESS AS LoBBYlST I
lAmerlcnn Magazlnel


Among the throng drawn 90 the cap
itol OF Illinois during the session OF
1911. one figure, that of a gray eyed,
sweet faced little wording girl became
familiar TO every legislator doorkeep-
81 and page. To the casual visitors
question as to who the girl In the gal
lery was the answer would have been:
That's little Miss Nestor. Agnes
Nestor, a glove maker by trade. She's
one OF the girls that the unions have
sent down here To lobby for bill 44O
The Girls BILL we call IT, Two years
ago she engineered "a bill Through the
Legislature limiting the hours of wo-
men factory workers 10 ten ddy.
Now she wants us TO give the same
protection TO girls In mercantile es-
Adjustments, 20 telegraph and tele-
phone operators ana So forth. Passy
OF course il won't pass. The employ
ers viii pat up great fight, II may
get through the senate but Il will DE
killed IN the house
BUT Agnes Ncalor herself was sure
that the bill would go through, II was
that faith that kept her 70 long weeks
at the capitol, never missing one leg.
islatiye day. Sometimes she might
be seen IN the corridors button-holing
the members. Their attitude towards
her bill sho noted In a little book that
lay ready TO her hand In the large
shopping bag she always carried.
Throughout the session her advice
was sought by the friends OF the bill
both In house and senate. Upon one
occasion the representative introduce
ing the bill In the house actually ask
ed the members TO waive their rules
and allow Agnes Nestor to come down
on the floor that no might confer with
her.
The conference concerned the wis
dom OF accepting an amendment to
the bin. Agnes Nestor absolutely re-
fused her consent TO that bai being
touched. She said that she knew IL
could be- passed just as II was "a " cd.
Both her friends and cnemitg laid
that Il did not have ghost OF a
chance.
NO amendment" she said She did
not take this stand from mere stub
bornness She took Il because In her
knowledge OF tho amendments they
proposed she knew that one would IN.
validate the bill In the supreme court
and that others we're not practical
But in spite OF all her opposition ar
amendment was adopted Il was Sc
wOrded that many OF the bills frlenda
voted for It's adoption IN good faith
Yet Il was 80 vicious In its intention
that az soon as IL was understood the
same men would vote II down. II Ia
an old political trick-to change oil
so that It's original friends will defeat
H.
7 he employers thought that the hight
We over. They adj left for home. The
girls had been 9at 10 rOut
One chance remained to win She
must rally her forces aud pass the bat
tered bill There was then the chance
OF the senate refusing 70 concur In the
amendment and OF the house voting
70 roscind from the amendment In
plain language, that the senate might
say, we won't pass your bill In this
battered form" and OF the house say
ing. very we'll, we will restore Il "a
IFS original form"
They said afterwards that the girls
Tactics were maBterful Only two days
of the session remained. In the rush
and fury OF those last hours she made
busy men listen 10 her plan Vote for
the bin the way It stands they said
'You don't mean it!"
To the surprise Of the opposition
therefore the battered bin passed. OF
course the enemy voted for o. OF
course the men in favor OF the bin AZ
ID originally stood void for H. u pass.
ed almost unanimously And then, az
the gisls had hoped, the senate
wouldn't concur, the bin came back "a
the house and the motion 10 resclnC
went through.