Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-06-06
pBO-GERMAN Charge
! ST|RS CONVENTION
Women's Trade Union League
Session in Uproar-Ask That
Accuser Be Unsea eated
NEWSPAPER STORY IS CAUSE

Charges Of pro German sentiment,
made against the National Women's s
Trade Union League delegates now
holding their biennial convention here,
by Miss c. p. Fincher, of Typo
graphical Union No. 2, threw the con
vention into an uproar this morning and
led to demand that Miss Fincher be
unseated.
Mrs. Raymond Robins, president of
the national organization, had difficulty
maintaining order during the stormy
discussion of Miss Fincher and her
accusations. Time after time Mrs.
Robins had to bang the desk with her
gavel and remind the convention that
parliamentary rules had to be obeyed.
During brief lull in the storm Miss
Pauline Newman, local organizer of the
Philadelphia branch Of the league,
thrilled the roomful of delegates meeting
in the First Baptist Church. Seven :
teenth and SAMSON streets, with the an
nouncement that fifty Keystone tele-
phone girls had joined the strikers at the
Race exchange. Sixteenth and Summer
streets. The members of the Women S
Trade Union League picketed the ex-
change after the meeting adjourned late
yesterday afternoon and expect to do so
again hits evening"
Strike Leader Talks
May Matthews, leader of the success :
full Boston telephone strike, addressed
mass meeting of Keystone girls held
last night at the headquarters of the
NIL loI,~ 1n MI
League, 24S South Eighth street.
The violent discussion and rejection
of Miss Fincher's charges of pro-Ger-
manism at this mornings meeting really
had their inception in an incident at
Yesterdays session of the league. Miss
Fincher had asked 'when the peace was
signed yesterday afternoon. after one
Of the delegates had spoken of the hard
ship of buying thrift stamps.
One of the morning newspapers re-
ported Miss Fincher to have said yes
terday on the floor:
II haven't heard of the peace treaty
being signed as yet. so if the war is
over I don't know it. There is lot
of talk and propaganda at this confer
cncc favoring Germany, and | want to
say that unless we are Americans first
we had better not talk about stretching
hands across the sea to grasp the bloody
hands of the Huns. ] cant so easily
forget how they treated the women of
Belgium and France. / think we had
better all be Americans and buy war
savings amps
Statement Read to Women
This paragraph was read as soon as
the meeting convened this morning.
There was storm Of protest from
delegates, as the records of yesterday S
meeting, taken down by the official
stenographer of the league, did not
show any such statement as having been
made by Miss Fincher.
A resolution was offered to unseat
her as fraternal delegates, but it was
decided to wait until she appeared to
hear her version.
Miss Fincher told the meeting that
she would quite willingly answer the
charge.
'The reporter was right in saying
that I rose to point of information,
b, began Miss Fincher. ''As matter o
nm .a,', IT, .;naa a >; ~ 49,
q" ,rnn Mattbovs Roston tclenhon,
leader snrang to ber feet
"So ON 7 , sLe shouted Others. re
nsatd the nhrase.
Statemen It's Kissed
"When this reporter came to me yes
terday," contiued Miss Fincher, "
said: This convention shows a pro
German sentiment. rms statemeh
was loudly Missed by the delegates, ant
Mrs. Robbins raped for order.
This cannot be tolerated. be-