The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1916-07-11
A Story Of Actual Contact
With Industrial Conditions
One OF SUFFRAGE SPEAKERS
Resolved Early In Life To Fight For
The Equal Rights Of Her Sex
Served For Some Time
AS A "Visitor"

Miss Ella M. Haas, one of the speak
ers Of the Ohio Woman Suffrage AS
sociation, who will address an aud
fence here Friday afternoon at River
side park, answered the call of the
factory whistle (figuratively speaking)
for 33 years. Her father being an in
valid, she secured a position in a
candy shop at $3.50 week when she
was thirteen.
OF practical mind, she realized later
that she must earn more money and
decided to become tailor, but found
this work dlstasteful to her. Sewing
was not to her liking.
She secured a clerkship in a store
where she worked from a. m. to 8
p. m. every night and on Saturday
nights until ten or eleven. For this
she received $500 week. She early
saw the injustice which wes meted
out to women In Industrial life and at
eighteen she registered vow that If
she ever had chance to help with
any kind of legislative act regulating
the hours for wage earners, particular
ly women, she would lend hand.
Her salary as a clerk was so small
that she sought work in book bind
cry where the hours were shorter and
the wages little better. She learned
the book binding trade and learned
how to feed job and cylinder presses
and folding machines. All this time
her wages had gone towards helping
maintain the home and toward the
care of the invalid father.
During depression in business and
consequent shortage of work in the
printing business she took place
In shirt factory. This move was a
good one for women in general but a
hard one for Miss Haas because 1t was
during this time she had her bitterest
experience. Her employer cared moth
ing whatever for the morals of the
women in his workshop. He nailed
down the windows in the fall Of the
year and they were never opened un-
til spring. The floors were never
swept unless someone volunteered to
do it. There we're 12h operators and
that many machines besides q few
hand operators. Men and women were
obliged to use the same toilet rooms
which were located on the work room
floor and were without flushing sys-
tenn. Miss Haas secretly went to the
board OF health and reported these con-
ditions. AS a girl she was fearless
even now she cannot think of the
time she was employed there with
out shudder
This employer failed and she went
to the Cash Register Co., at Dayton
which was just equipping its own
printing department and she became
the first cylinder press feeder EN-.
ployed there. Later they took up the
work of bindery and she became the
head of the book binding department.
Twenty years she worked in that ca
pacity When the child labor law
Of 1908 became fact, she was one of
eight women selected as a visitor"
and she served In that capacity till
last year 1t was through the efforts
of the federated clubs largely that this
law was passed.
Miss Haas believed, as do all who
study economic conditions, that wo.
men, because of their natures, that is
the mother heart in them, are partlc.
ularly fitted for the work of factory
inspectors and that employees and
employers and the world in general
will be much benefited when women
have the same rights in making laws
and the same rights in enforcing laws
as have men.