Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-03-08
SLOW TO FILL Jobs BlAMES Low WAGES
Wilson May Not Break Into Cause Some Girls to Err, Chi
Civil Service Lines. cago Merchant Admits
POLICY NOT DECIDED UPON Hill Imam AROUSES SOLONS
Administration Not Yet Ready to Says He Believes
Tackle Big Question. Sin Rather Than Sarve
PRESSURE BROUGHT TO BEAR WORKERS ARE NOT IMMORAL
Disturb Capable Emcient
Employees" Standards
Cause Some Girls to Err, Chi
cago Merchant Admits. !
HILLMAN AROUSES SOLONS
Says He Believes Woman Would
Sin Rather Than Starve.
WORKERS ARE NOT IMMORAL
Department Store Owner Tells ILL.,
nois Vice Commission Their
Standards Are High.

CHICAGO. March S.-Edward HILL
man, president OF Hiilman's one of
the city's largest department stores
told the Illinois vice commission today
he thought that there was in some
cases a connection between low wage
and immortality among women.
DO YOU. think that woman wo,ila
sell her virtue before she would
starve? asked Lieut.. Gov Barrett
OHara.
Yes. do" came the prompt an.
swer, the first of the kind from en-
ployers thus far heard.
fhahk YOU said O'Hara. apparently
surpflsed at the admission Hiliman said
tnat eii girls and women are employed
at his store. OF these forty-sfx pi,is 70
ceive y, twentyfour get 81. twenty-threc
earn S5..N and six receive So These last
are errand girls. mostly brought i'm by
, , parents who want them tie learn the
BUSINESS SO they may advance To higher
salaries, he said ~
holds Parents Responsible.
If one of your three-do,I.,r ,5,,s H..
her virtue would it hurt your con-
science?' asked otHara.
Yes, certainly"
ny, ouid you hold yourself resnons;.,o,..
ven, now. let's think; would - IIara,,
STi Drought I'm by her narent. i,,,,.,
a., none' should i be Responsible,
Responsible" ehts would be
ra,inf human spoke. distinctly. to. the great
49,. VI the Spectators, half. of them
women who were unable to hear: mosr
oa;5 .es.lhony yesterday The witness
sald ne never had heard of q giri 49,,
piackllsted for bad condlIct I'm, ga Lila ps,s
VI hoorwalker who had suffered H.,
late for immortality. ina.
Admits He Is self-Made Man
Hlliman admitted that he was q self.
made man. He started at work az 81
week as a cash boy.
Could you live on it," inquired tho
chairman Of the commission.
Weii' my father earned $14 and NV
~ helped out. 1 walked to and from
work."
readiness of the big merchant to
agree with the committee surprised and
delighted the legislators. For in.
stance, OHara asked il it had ever oc-
.;n TO MIN to investigate appIica-
lions Tor positions to ascertain whether
the applicant could live on the SALARY
IN prospect. 1t had never occurred to
MN, out said he. Its a good idea
MT. H1llman. viii you promise this
commission to give such an investiga-
Could Live on SO a Week.
Yes. certainly; glad to; it's a rood
ldea," and the stocky Witness nodded
his iron gray head alphabetically.
Asked what he thought girl could
support herself on INDEPENDENTLY. HIM
man said IS or 50 week. al could
live on $12 myself: yes. could squeeze
through on SO. think" he added.
$50 IS or 50 would sustain q ~trR
IN chicago, but 1T wouldn't leave much
Tor the movies, and soda, would it?s
observed Senator Juul
NO, guess you can't get frfyolous ar,
that, laughed Hillman. = : -
Open Companies Books.
James Simpson of Marshall Field e. Co.
who had declined to disclose the nrotits
OF his firm, offered the commission nri-
vate access to the books of the comnanv
iiillman also agreed TO do the same.
Senator Beall. addressing the ,attor
a self-rnade man, asked if he gave his
employees the same chance to advance thar
he had.
You bet" replied the merchant iva
want 'em to advance Why. there's sign
in my Office. Grow or gol'" ss
Senator Tossey asked IL there was a
tacit agreement among the retailers
whereby one would not outbid the other
to obtain desirable clerk. The answer
was an emphatic denial He said clerks
were always leaving one firm to go with
another.
Denies Girls Are Immoral.
Representative Lloyd informed the wit
ness that the report of the Chicago vice
commission showed that many depart
ment store girls lead lives of shame.
This was news to Hillman, who de-
MED any such condition in. his store.
"Why." he exclaimed, .let me tell you
about one of those 'mashers' who are
always taking up the time of the girls.
Two weeks ago one of our detectives
caught one of them and, honest, when
that 'bulP got through with him he was
sight. Honest, he got more than was
coming to him."
Hillman thought the moral standards OF
the girls at Hillman's- were high.
."Come- on over and size EN-" he in
vited.