Evening journal., 1913-03-04
MR.. MILLER EXPRESSES VIEWS.
To the Editor OF PIE EVENIN,
JOURNAL.

To the Editor OF Pie EVENING
JOURNAL.
Sir;-l appreciate fully the posi-
ton taken by those manufacturers
and merchants who are opposing the
passage of the Ten Hour Law for
women in industry, and / know they
are sincere in their belief that the
curtailing OF the length of their work
day will work a hardship on them.
But in actual practice. I do not be-
lieve IL will affect them I'm the least.
except during the period of the re-
adjustment of their business arrange
ments. They have no doubt all been
up against some unexpected condi-
ton which has arisen, necessitating
a change in their methods. and I'm
which they foresaw great expense and
loss to their business but they have
surmounted the difficulty successfully
and are still in business.
can remember when the move
ments to close Offices at / o'clock on
Saturday and o'clock p. m on week
days, started in 81. Louis, that u took
a long time for a large majority OF the
firms In that city to join in the move
ment, because they declared that IL
would mean a great loss OF time, and
consequently the work would not be
done, and their business would suffer
Now early closing of Offices is a
universal custom, and It is we'll known
that just as much Is done In a day
from s a. m. TO D. m. as was done
when the closing hour was p. M
And the granting of the Saturday af-
ternoon has been a tremendous I'M
centiye TO increased activity and efii-
cheney during the week
BY the way, in this early closing we
have created favored class among
the working women as their hours are
uniformly from a. m. tC p. M. with
one hour for dinner which makes an
hour day Here was a revolution
accomplishing the result OF securing
an hour day for tremendous army
of women whose work Is comparative
ly easy and free from monotony,
whose environment is usually bright,
cheerful and sanitary. What a strenu-
Gus time the earnest. sincere workers
are having, in their efforts TO secure
Ten Hour Law for those women
workers who are less favorably
situated.
Let us look at the subject from the
standpoint of sentiment. from the
standpoint of our own homes Let
us suppose that failure in business,
breaking down of health. or even
death, should overtake one Of us, and
in this sad condition it should be
found that our wife, or daughter. on
the mother OF a fatherless family
would have to take mp the work OF
earning the daily bread for the family
Would we not very suddenly change
our views as to the safety. the ex.
pediency, the right Of insisting upon
their working more than ten hours
per day? II we were the right kind OF
husband and father. would not oui
love, cur position as the protector oi
those dearest to us, cause us to rebel
at the thought of such injustice? The
experience I have pictured is that oil
hundreds of thousands OF women In
this country. who are born into tho
conditions I have imagined for us
The experience is not one caused by
accident, but by the accident of birth
In the great working class OF the
world. Have they not enough to en-.
dure as IL is. in their fight for exis.
tence In the world. and can we moi
alleviate their condition. to the ex.
tent Of shortening the term of their
daily toll. their wage earning day