Show SUPPRESSING SWEAT SHOPS A Rousing Meeting of Those Interested Held in Chicago ALL CLASSES ATTENDED To Obtain Relief the Toiling Masses Must Organize I He Who Wonld Be Free Ulnst Himself Him-self First Strike the BlowAn Appeal to the Heart and Brain of the Whole People for a Public Sentiment Powerful Enough to Lead from Bondage the White Slaves of the Sweat Shops As i Scattered the Fetters of the Black Slaves of the Southern Cotton Field CHICAGO March 9The sweat shop and the system that supports it were under consideration in Central Music hal last evening Nine speakers representing rep-resenting the pulpit the bar the state government and the trade that is most closely Identified with the sweat shop explained Its history its operation the evils of its existence and its tenacity of life andsuggested methods of reform re-form A lane audience was present A glance showed that it was composed com-posed of the people in all stations of life > From men and women with toil hardened hands to practical working philanthropists professional men and women thinkers and lastly men and women from whose hearts all sympathy sympa-thy is not shut out by garments of silk and sealskin In the speeches made was criticism both implied and expressed for the manufacturing wholesaler for fattening an the misery of the sweated excuse in small degree excuse of circumstances circum-stances beyond his control for the middlemen mid-dlemen or contracting sweater unmeasured un-measured city for the tolling victim WEARING AWAY BODY AND SOUL for a pittance and appeal to the heart and brain of the whole people for a public sentiment powerful enough to lead frombondage the white slaves of tie sweat shops as it scattered the fetters f the black slave in the southern south-ern cotton field I Finally a resolution was adopted endorsing a bill intended to give the national government power to wipe out an evil in the presence of which state governments have been impotent impo-tent Jane Adams who has found a lifework life-work in the noisy district where the sweat shops most flourish presided In I a brief address she explained the objects ob-jects of the meeting I John Fr ney who has given nearly twenty years of his life to factory in snection in New York and who after ten years of toil has finally framed and had introduced in congress a measure meas-ure to drive out the sweat shop by national legislation gave a history of the system and the inefficiency of even stringent laws against It I Mrs Mitchell spoke as a sweat shop worker Dr Thomas Hall Dr Joseph Stolz 11 M Mangasarian and Rabbi Levl offered appeals based on practical and ethical grounds Mrs Florence Kelley told how and why ed the state law in Illinois had fail Secure in the consciousness of his own position as a lawyer and judge IN STIRRING WORDS not devoid of sarcasm Judge M E Tuley of Chicago advised workingmen and women that legislatures and courts would give them little Tel l until they should manifest their power by organization organ-ization Judge Toileys speech in part is as follows i an men ana women were what they ought to be if they could treat I human there I each other a beings would be no need of legislation to get I rid of the sweat shop I recommend to II our preachers that they make missionaries mission-aries of themselves go to the manufacturers manu-facturers and sweat bosses and convert i con-vert them to a Christian life I admit they would have a hard job The only other way is to appeal to the law That has been tried But when I remember the fate of every law ever passed in this state to ameliorate the condition of the common com-mon people I hang my head in shame I passed by tIe legislature it has gone to the supreme court and has been declared de-clared unconstitutional I We now talk of appeal to federal law and federal courts I have not made a critical review df this bill but I know our federal courts are more progressive than our state courts The I court that could not find warrant In the constitution for AN INCOME TAX could find warrant for a tax on oleomargarine A court tbat could find warrant in the constitution to suppress I a Debs ought to be able t find a warrant war-rant for a bill to suppress sweat shops I The oleomargarine bill became a law because it benefited the farmers and farmers have votes I say to you that the power to suppress the sweat shops lies In organization In your unions When you have your unions organized and your votes under your control then you will get legislation The resolution which resoluton was adopted by the meeting is a follows Resolved That this mass meeting of citizens assembled in Central Music hall Chicago declares its approval the proposal now before congress in the Sulzer bill for the federal regulation of tenement house manufacturers requests re-quests the senators and representatives in congress from Illinois to vote fo i and instructs the secretary of this meeting to send a copy of this resolution I resolu-tion to each of them |