The Washington herald., 1913-03-08
TELL Of MORALS
and Low Wages
Merchant Princes Testify Be-
fore Illinois Senate White
Slave Commission.
GIRLS CAN LIVE ON S7.25
Heads Of Big Stores Admit that Pow.
erty Is Stepping Stone to
Life Of Vice. ..

ChicaV March Julius Rosenwald
presided I of Sears. Roebuck & Co.
| Edward F. Mandel, president Of Mandel
Brothers. and James Sampson. vice
president Of Marshall Field & Co.. three
| Of Chicago's most prominent merchant
princes. were the chief witnesses before
the Illinois Senate whiteslave commission
which met In the La Sale Hotel to-day.
They were summoned to assist the
commission in determining the relation
of the white slave traffic to big scor-
porations and the figures they had to
present led to some very uncomfortable
situations during their examination.
Julius Rosenwald testified that while
the profits OF his company last year
amounted to 100000 and the reserve
fund to $1,000. 900, the average wage paid
to the 4.7S2 women employed was IS. 20
and that many received 50 and $50 a
week.
Home environment not wages. he said.
was responsible for girls going wrong.
and he ventured the assertion that prop
er home environment could be purchased
for s. a week.
Can Live on s7.25 n Week.
Edward F. Mandel stated that the
average wage for the 1,s66 female en-
ployes Of that firm Is s9.S6, ranging from
s. to $35 a week.
A woman. he said. might live on 81 q
n week, and be justified the payment Of
smaller sums by saying that the girls
receiving 50 a week lived at home ac-
cording to the application blanks that
were filled out by each one before she
was put to work.
Mr.. Manders schedule for the weekly
expenses OF the working woman were
as follows:
Clothing, 81: laundry. IS cents: room
rent and board. 81: carfare, 60 cents:
lunches. 40 cents; doctors and dentists.
so cents. and church expenses, 10 cents.
James Simpson stated on behalf of
Marshall Field & Co. that the average
wage of the 4.233 female employees Of
that frm is sl0.7s. of which 40 are
receiving less than SIS a week for part
of their time and 2l3 are receiving IS.
Differ ns to Moral Effect.
The opinions of these three men.
who. together, employ nearly 1900
women, differed widely as to the ef-
feet of low wages on morality.
Julius RosenwaId stoutly held to his
statement that low wages had nothing
to do with 1t. Mr.. Mandel took the
same tack in the beginning. until he
was induced TO estimate a woman's
expenses. which he fixed at S7.25 a
week. Mr.. Simpson declared IS a week
was necessary for woman to take
proper care OF herself. and both Mr..
Simpson and Mr.. Mandel agreed that
If a woman was not paid an adequate
wage the chance against her remain
ing a good woman would be exceed
ingly slim.
The testimony of the three mer-
chants was one side Of the picture
only.
Eleanor Benson. former employe OF
Sears Roebuck x Co, said that three
great mail order concern were above re-
proach. She said she could not answer
for the rest.
Unfortunates Tell Stories.
Another girl told of a professional
scolder in the establishment, OF a tax OF
10 cents a week for drinking water be-
cause that furnished by the firm was
unfit for use. There were tales OF abu-
sive forewomen and foremen and of
poverty among the employees that led
the girls working there TO share their
clothes because all had not sufficient for
their needs.
The afternoon session closed with a
hapless parade of unfortunate women
aged from twenty-one to thirty-eight.
who. one and all. told the same story of
their downfall-pitiful tales of miserable
wages that did not meet their needs, and
so led to the first step toward an evil
life.
There was an executive session held
by the commission before the meeting OF
the afternoon. when testimony was intro
duced to show that physicians were In
the pay OF houses in the red light dis
trict TO furnish certificates of health to
inmates regardless OF their true condition.
and specific instances were told Of the
propagation Of disease through
this system.
Throughout the hearing the red room In
the Hotel La Sale was crowded to It's
utmost capacity. Settlement workers,
vice investigators, psychologists. politi-
,ians, and the merely curious were all
there fnRefher with many Unrnen