Newark post., 1913-03-05
PEOPLES COLUMN
MIR. WASHBURN ADDRESSES
HIS CRITICS.

MIR. WASHBURN ADDRESSES
| HIS CRITICS.
/ Editor The Post:
Sometimes people have question
ed my motives in writing letters to
your paper; sometimes they have
said that they could not answer me
because Of my ways, sometimes they
have intimated evil things about me
because Of my advocacy of better
conditions, my indictment of the
present order, my denial Of rever-
ence to constituted authorities, my
declaration that The wealth Of our
civilization is red with the blood Of
workers. dark with the shadow Of
death in which our products are
made. Some have NOT cared 10 an
swer me when | have refused TO as
sent to the theory that one should
be quiet at the words of the clergy,
the politicians and time'-serving
editors who talk Of rest and Joy III
submission instead Of III justice, Of
happiness in Heaven instead of III
our homes, of minor reform instead
of a system that shall give the pro
ducers their due that they may live
as God meant man to live. To these
| | have a word to say: Here, de-
tenders Of the present order, are
testimonies taken down in short
hand as spoken by girls taking part
in the garment-makers strike in
New York. They are vouched for
as genuine utterances by that great
newspaper, The New York World.
and printed by that paper March
2nd. You disdain to answer me,
some Of you; will you answer these
girls? Here are the statements:
Ok. 4. Russian, seventeen gears ol.d)
my father saved enough money to
bring mother and me to America. He
came here first and worked to save the
money; but the long hours and poor food
made him nervous wreck, and then
mother and me had to support him.
"Then mother broke down altogether
and | had to support them both. | was
so afraid of losing my place | had to
work overtime whenever they made me.
We worked three nights week from
March until May last year, and for this
no extra pay, only wages of $3.50 week.
81 was arrested during the strike and
the officer said / had struck a girl. |
didn t strike her, but I was fined So.
ras foolish and | could make an easier
HriRg on Fourteenth street,
(h. &. RUSSidn.)
- came over here from Russia in hope
that our family of five children would
get a better education. IN getting edu-
cation all right, but the first school
learned about here Was the hunger school.
81 had to go to work quick or the
whole family would starve. | was young
and strong. Tucking is easy to learn. |
learned and made good money. The sec.
ond year and then every year after the
price was cut until we couldn t stand ii
any longer and formed union.
Or. s. ,RasSjon, eighteen years DID,
81 always took good care of myself
and never went any place after work.
just went to bed and slept to keep my
strength so that | could work [ didn 7
join the union until the week before the
strike. Why should / join until all join
T hat in, h, ,,,bi
is somebody in back Of rs TO Keep u
strong.
81 am strong, but many are not. TIL;
most you can make in our shop is $l2
Only four girls make that. | am one o.
them. The least you make at my wori
is 1870. Many make so little. We onl.
get paid every two weeks. We have tt
pay for parts of the machines broken anc
pay for sharpening the knives for th'
, special machine. They would make III
pay for the air next if we did not strike. ;
(B. H., Russian, sirteen gears oId.)
81 came from Russian ten years age
with my mother to get an education in the
country of liberty. Mother would mo-
let me work until graduated. I wen
right from school to the factory when
was fourteen and half. | don tel
my mother, but | know it would have
been better if | never went to school
School makes yoU rant things, and there
! is nothing for us but work in dirty shops
, and the policeman s club and the thug s
fist when you won t work. I wish some
times | was dead.
~ think the union is like a mother
and father to it's children. ia give my
whole life for the union. | want to be
with the women suffragists, too. Why
shouldn t we have as much right as mem
Oh, it was splendid to feel friends with
I. y