The labor world., 1913-03-22
ILLINOIS WOME
IN Finish FIGHT
Mary Mcdowell, oo-Worker Of
: Jane Adams Demands That
Wage Battle 90 Forward.
INDUSTRIES RESORT
TO OLD. TIME THRUAT.
Would Leave State Social Work :
er Undismayed Makes Pics
For Working Gth. Il Il

CHICAGO, March 2o.-.rhe flxht
fer wemen's minimum wase: law In
Illinois must not stop now. Public
sehti1nent has become toe stron4 to
permit business interests to h1oek IT,"
Miss Mary Mcdowell, h1ad Of the
Chicago university settlement house
and noted eo-worker Of Jane Addams
issued this warning to 1sgislators who
have been under pressure to drop con-
sideration Of q minimum wage law. =
Lieut.. Gov. O'Hara 11as been 20
daring-he has been almost rash, in
bringing these facts ABOUT low wages
before the public" said Miss Mellow.
ell. HI cannot believe the senator's
will surrender now. have been
through too many legislative fights to
be frightened when some one raises
the cry: It will ruin illinois,
Same Old Business Cry. =
when We asked for child labor
law, the big glass works told, us they
would be driven out of the state IL
they could not employ children. ~
| stead. glass works have moved into
Illinois. When we asked for the ten
hour law for women, they told ua
that every woman employed by the
elevated lines in Chicago would be
discharged. I know Of not one that
lost her position. ~
! "A state minimum wage law for
women may not-be en- ideal piece of
le8islatfon." admitted Miss Mcdowell,
"but anything II better IT, it improves
the chances Of q girl to earn enough
to live. England and Australia have
minimum wage laws and are satisfied
with them; then why not America?
No Hope in Congress.
| "A federal law. perhaps, would
work greater injustice. But we,. who
know something OF, the difficulty Of
j. getting laws through congress and
i who knew on the delay scttins
eA5s1ppFOysldUytt t1Ies m fer1lss
see no Immediate hope In that direc-
tlon." - - : $3.50
, A young girl. who had been makine
q losing fight against poverty for
months and had finally sucoumbed
to privation, was brought to the set
tlement house this week and removed
to q hospital. -
I must get out as soon as I can, -
she whispered to Miss Mcdowell. I'm
only making IS q week, but it IL all
that keeps mother and me alive. If
don't get back to work, she will
starve.
And yet philanthrop1sts,'' said Miss
Mcdowell, who believe it is folly to
base their scale upon the living wage,
are footing the bills while that girl
lies on a hospital cot
Generous Men. :
Mr.. Rosenwald and the depart
ment store heads who testified before
the committee are generous and kind
hearted men. I believe. But they arc
mistaken. They do not realize that
when they fail to pay girls enough
to enable them to feed and clothe
themselves properly they must make
up that deficit in some other way in
donations to charitable institutions or
increased taxes to support state insti-
tutions. The money must come from
some source.
II have no patience with the argu-
ment that the increase in wages would
be shouldered upon the public and
the cost of living increased. The pub
lie pays the cost now-and pays dear
ly, when a working girl. worn out by
toll. falls victim to exhaustion and
goes to the hospital, tuberculosis SAN
atorium or to the poor house.
How much better it would be is
the public, cooperating with the mill
lionaire employers, saw to it that the
girl was paid wage that would en-
able her to obtain sufficient nourish-
ment to keep body and soul together,
even if it did raise prices slightly to
the public and cut the dividends Of
the employers a trifle." =
Denounces speeding Up"
''The military system in industry is
doomed. That system whereby em-
ployes are speeded up to increase
dividends cannot survive in an age
that demands increased production.
not necessarily enormous profits"