The Washington herald., 1914-01-19
SPEAKERS URGE
!. !, ElGHT, ! { /! ,HDDRLAW ]
Petition Congress to Enact
I Legislation Bene6tine
Women Workers.
MASS MEETING IS HELD
Passage of Kepyoh 'Rsd Light" Bin
and Other Dissriet Meas
ures Advocated.
MASS MEETING IS HELD

Questions relating particularly to the
La Foliette-Peters eikht-hour bin for
women were discusssd BY wsli-known
speakers at . .mass meeting held at the
Columbia Theater yesterday afternoon.
under the ,suspices Of the District Con-
sumers' League. Miss Constance Leupp.
who presided. made the opening address.
Other questions relating to the up
lift Of humanity. including the minimum
wage bill. the Kenyon red light" bill.
and woman suffrage. were elucidated by
conversant speakers. Before the meeting
adjourned resolutions were adopted in
dorsinE the La Follette-Psters eight-hour
measure and requesting the House Dis
trict Committee to report the Kenyon
red light bill out Of Committee with Its
Endorsement.
Mrs. Flerenee Kelley Speaks.
Mrs. Florence Kelley. who has ap-
peared before the Pennsylvania Legisla-
ture in advocacy OF a ten-hour workday
bill for women for the last twenty-four
years, claimed that an eight-hour work
day law for women benefited men I'M
measurably. more than 1t would women.
as the latter would be able TO do better
work insuring to the men employers
higher profits and more efficient work.
She urged the audience to assist In the
passage of the bill before Congress. rs
this would serve as a stimulus and ex-
ample for the States to speed up legisla-
ton.
Only four States out of forty eight have
passed the eight-hour law for women
and they are States in which rnanufac-
turing Is not highly developed. Mrs.
Kelley claimed there had been objections
to the passage OF the bill now before
Congress. but that these objections were
not made by women. but all by en-
ployera
Mrs. Funk On Wages.
Mrs. Antoinette Funk. of Chicago. in
charge Of the Congressional committee
suffrage headquarters here. spoke on
The Theory of Freedom Of Contract"
and predicted that the passage by Con-
gress of the eight-hour bill for women
would be speedily followed by a law for
a minimum We and similar measures.
Mrs. Funk spoke of the manner in which
the eight-hour law was put on the stat
ute books Of Illinois and the efforts that
were made by interested capitalistic con-
Germs to defeat its passage.
Miss Rose Winslow. who said she had
worked in Pennsylvania textile mills
from childhood up until she had to quit
on account OF contraction of tuberculosis.
claimed that wherever labor Is weakest
there IL is most oppressed and exploited,
which accounted for the fact tina. women
and children are more exploited in mills
than men, because the latter are organ
lied and resist undue exploitation.
Mr.. iapsbpry's Arguments.
George Lansbury. former member of
the English Parliament. spoke of the
children and women workers in the mines
in England and conforted the capitalists
by saying that they need not worry II
the eight-hour bill is passed: that they
will not grow any poorer by il He also
advised the rich people not to worry
about what the working people would do
with their spare time when the eight
hour bill Is passed. as II was their own
time and that they would dispose of u
without any difficulty, the same as their
wealthy brothers are disposing Of theirs
without brooking any inquiry about It.
-Four or five hours a day would be
enough for any man and woman" said
Mr.. Lansbury. Its the unpaid wages
of the underpaid girls that provides the
greedy wealthy with luxury: they enjoy
their ill-gotten gain at the expense Of
the poor women and girl workers" The
speaker earnestly urged the women to-
organize. saying that there is no power
like combination.