, 1922-10-03
Friend of Women Workers

MANY AGO a poet told of "Man's in.
LII humanity TO man." II has remained for the WON
EMS department of the Democratic national com
mittee to give the world "A portrayal of "women's
inhupanity to women" That department is circu-
llating literature TO women's clubs deploring the en-
actment of s protective tariff which will deprive
American women of the privilege of buying i'm
ported lace, gloves, cotton goods, wooden goods, pot.
terry, jewelry and a long list of other articles. They
Ideplore the fact that under the protective tariff it
will be more difficult to buy foreign made goods.
They view with Indignation the prospect of having
to guy goods made in America by American labor.
These are the same women who, In other litera-
ture, are pretending to be the friends of women in
industry, who write high sounding phrases about
the upliftment of womenhood and the %betterment
of childhood. just how the continued Importation
of foreign made goods could work to the betterment
of women in industry is not clear to the logical
thinker.
According to the government statistics, there are
in this country 1,256,000 women employed in strict
Ily industrial pursuits, manufacturing articles
which come in competition with like articles made
abroad and imported into this country under the
Underwood tariff. The various trades at which
these women work are jewelry, chemicals, cigars
and tobacco, pottery, glass and stoneware, cloth
ing, leather, iron and steel. other metal industries,
paper, tannerics, textiles and miscellaneous-such
as brush, button, electrical goods, etc.
Lt is common knowledge that thousands of wom-
en- regularly employed in these industries have been
out of work during the past year or longer because
of the tremendous imports of foreign goods.
Under the Underwood tariff. importing interests
have been able to buy gloves abroad, pay all costs
mCluenJ 10 Inelr Shipment ana landing IN this
country, pay the duty on them and still lay them
down in New York ready for sale at price less than
American women operatives in American glove fac
tories were paid to make the gloves.
Under the Underwood tariff foreign glassware
has been imported into this country and sold at a
price per piece less than American operatives in
glass factories were paid per piece to blow like
ware.
Under the Underwood tariff cutlery has been i'm
ported into this country and sold at a retail price
which is but a fraction of the labor costs of like
cutlery made in this country. Such examples could
be multiplied indefinitely.
The result of this was widespread unemployment
among thousands of women who have learned their
trades in the various industries. Labor statistics
show that a very large PERCENTAGE of women in. in
dustry are either heads of families or contribute
a very large percentage of the support of a family.
OF what profit is it TO women in industry TO en-
act legislation providing them with proper ventila.
ton, sanitation, working hours, etc, establishing
'wonen's bureaus and making appropriations to en-
force the laws affecting women. in industry-if we
permit a tariff law TO remain on the books that
throws the woman in industry out of a job? The
best friend OF the woman in industry is that one
who secures legislation to insure her steady EN-.
ployment at a profitable wage. The Republican
party has always stood for such n policy. In addi-
ton it has also always been the party that saw 10
1t that the woman i'll industry after she had steady
was guaranteed proper working condi-
.tions, environment and hours of labor. The Demo
cratic party has always been the party which stood
for free trade, which meant closed factories and
unemployment of women workers and which has in
those states of the solid South" where it has alb
Solute control, neglected TO enact legislation in be
half Of those women who toll for a living.