Arizona republican., 1914-06-01
| 'HARA'S FIGHT
 fOR HUMANITY
Some Facts Regarding Hi nois' Lieutenant Gov ernor, Now an Aspirant for Place in the United States Senate

Lieutenant Governor Barrett OHara of Illinois who recently announced him. self as democratic candidate for the United States senate, is one of the most interesting men in the country today. He has become a figure of national importance and all parties give him credit for inaugurating and carrying on a systematic fight for decency and Vir- tue, as well as for the future economic and social good of the state and nation. Arizonians have a personal interest 1 in the lieutenant governor, his sister, l Mrs. Benjamin Horton Yaeger having l resided here d number of years. She shares many of his sentiments and many interesting sidelights to his char acter have been geaned through dis cussion with Mrs Yaeger who stated
 that the slogan of his campaign would | be "A Living Wage For Every Toiler. How MT. O'Hara not only stirred up 1 sensation in Illinois but started some | thing rolling all over the land he has given out in the following statement: 1 A year ago the state senate of llli | nOiS created commission to inVes tigate the handicaps of and the menac-
 es to the toiing womanhood of the state. By virtue of my position as pre- l siding officer of the senate, I was made chairman of this commission. Although l the commission is still existent, is still | active in it's labors of investigation and | will not report it's findings and it's 1 recommendations until the converting of the legislature in 1915, it's early ac- 1 tivities and it's public hearings of last spring are well known to the people of l Illinois.
 | It is no exaggeration to say that the 1 evidence presented at these hearings 1 startled the civilized world. stirred the | conSciences of hOnest-intentiOned em- l ployers the country over, and crystal | lized a sentiment for a more equal dis 1 tributiOn of the profits of industry Within a few weeks, thirty-two states responded to Illinois request for con- 1 certed investigation and uniform ac- ton; minimum wage laws were imme- | diately enacted in some states and in | many others commissions similar to | the Illinois commission were created :: | and. not the least of the results. thou | sands of our countryWomen were vol 1 untarily accorded increased wages by employers who responded quickly eith-
 CT to the voice of justice within them
 or to save the humiliation of the pub lie discovery that girls and women in
 h1i,. living wage
 Despite all that was done, I regret
 that industrial slavery (of the worst
 type because it effects women and
 ehildrem remains strongly entrenched
 Countless thousands of girls in our own
 state are receiving very considerably
 less than a living, and very many of
 them are getting as low as $150 a week
 in the city of Chicago, where employers admit girl cannot live in even the
 slightest comfort on less than $S (
 week
 I have advocated, and now advocat,
 state minimum wage law. I do no believe any man should be elected tt
 the legislature cOnVening in January who is not committed to this great re form; and I believe that the reaction aries who stood between the workin; girls of our state and just law at thu last session should be promptly retire, ! from public life.
 But state law can only be an emer
 l gency measure to bridge the time unti , we have a federal law If the shaver, : of the negro race was q national issue , who can argue that the nation as
 whole is not also concerned in tn
 slavery of American children an
 American women? Does it not concerl
 the people of Illinois that in certain O
 the southern states white slavery ha supplanted black slavery. that childre of the tenderest ages are practical
 lashed to machines for long hours tha
 their very lives are crushed out at cos
 to the employer of few pennies a day
 Does it not concern Illinois that tn same conditions prevail in many of tn
 New England mills. where the wage !" so piteously small that large Illinoi
 employer. who himsels pays less tha T a living wage to over a thousand girl
 recently pointed to it with horror? In my judgment these inhumanitie !, and these brutalites do concern Illinoi = as they concern every state in tn union; for. unless the lawmakers ( z the nation be aroused and the toile1
 of every locality assured living Wag