Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1913-03-10
THE CURSE OF GREED.

THE committee appointed by the
Illinois legislature to examine in
to the condition Of working girls
in Chicago, and to, as far as possible,
fix the relationship Of wages to i'm
morality is doing most excellent work,
work that is attracting the attention
of the whole country. what is every
body's business is nonbody's bust
ness" says the old proverb, and that
this is true is evidenced by the fact
that conditions have been permitted
to reach their present stage, without
any attempt whatsoever to prevent, or
later to amellorate The investigation,
though only begun, shows conditions
for which the American people may
well blush. In our mad rush for
wealth, we have taken woman from
her God-given calling of caring for a
home and children, and commercial
i2ed her We, as a nation, have taken
from our children the same God-given
right TO enjoy their childhood, their
right to be children, and have put their
tiny feet on the endless apron of the
business treadmill. We, in our ignor-
dinate greed, have enslaved our girls
and our children just as piteously as
was the black man in the South. Is
1t any less slavery because our young
women and our children are driven to
their work by the pangs OF hunger, In
stead Of the slave drivers lash? Is 1t
any less slavery because their task
masters estimate to cent and pay
them the amount necessary for exist
ence, instead of giving them food and
lodging and clothing as did the own
er of the black men? Is It any less
slavery, because the slave is nominal
ly free to leave his or her work, while
the use Of that right would mean star
walton? A thousand times No! Indeed
the condition of the black slave was
immeasurably better than that Of our
own white slaves, for the slave owner
had money invested in his slave, and
hence looked after him. He was cared
for II sick, was nursed and fed, not
from humane feeling or sympathy but
because his loss meant money loss.
The white SLAYER the product Of
our damnable commercial greed, has
not even this stimulus TO make him
care for those who do his work. If
they are slcl, their pay stops, and an
other slave takes their place. The
slave employer-not owner-has no in
tcrest in them, II they die It is none
Of his business and he has neither
doctor bills nor funeral expenses to
pay Is It any wonder that under
these conditions, the helpless and
hopeless girls fall? Can We blame
them for failing TO believe that
virtue hath II own reward when
virtue means hunger, and privation
aud want; and vice means, anyway for
n time. comfort and warmth and plen-
ty?
Alas, the pity Of H. The pity for
the distressed the down-trodden, the
hopeless. Alas, the pity Of II! The
pity for the big brainy men who
count their wealth by millions, and
who our tommcrclallsm has robbed Of
an the tender pity the Kindly Nmpa-
thy the divine attribute Of love for
their follow-mon The pity of II that
we have made these men human tigers
who In their fierce lust for the yellow
blood that flows through the arteries
or commerce, destroy rccmorselessly.
The pity Of II that while making these,
we have also made the immense flocks
of the human sheep, the white slave,
on which they feed The testimony Of
one Of thc big firm Of Sears, Rocbucl
SHOWS that last Year his firm cm-
ploycd about 5000 girls, and their NV
"rage wagc wag less than 81 u week
lie admitted that this "high average"
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