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-59-
Q. Are the girls working there aH healthy? Ai Yea, quite healthy. Qi Some that are not healthy? A. No, I think it is the way the
rooms are, Qi You do not know much about the other departments? A. No. Qi Is your department considered one of the best paying? Ai Well,
I feel that way. I think I would not want to work in any other
department. Qi Are the girls out of work during any part of the year? Ai Well, ' ^, we very generally have the same work right along. Cfi The last three months are the raost busy? A. Yes sir, Qi Dp you have to work over time before Christmas? A. No* SENATOR MONK: Wh&t were you doing before you went into this factory?
Äi I have been doing house work, Qi Couldn't you save up more money? Ai I got only ||3 and $k and I
felt they were working me too hard; I cèuld not stand the ironing
and washing and working late hours, -until S and 9 and Sundays.
I felt if I tried to do factory work I could have a little time
to myself, like evenings and Sundaysi Q. Ever hear of the girls visiting any of the wine rooms in the city?
A. I hear of a few going there. Qi Ever hear about any of them visiting the road houses? A. Oc¬ casionally I hear that talked dowa there. Qi Do you think many of the girls you know — Ai No, I do not
know as they go* They have not been there, I know, but talk
about girls who have been there. Qi Do you know any girls there who have been to the road ho\,ises
or the wine rooms? Ai No« Q. Any girl ever said she has been to any of those places? Ai No sir* Q, Do they not speak of where they were the night before? Ai I
hear them say they are going to dances and places like thati Qi Do they ever apeak of having a rough time at the dances? Ai No,
they say they always have nice times. SENATOR TEASDALE: Do you know anything of the moral cmditions there? ;ï . Ai No, I do not*
'Qi Know any girls there of bad character? ..Ai No» Q. Are you acquainted with Mra.BassettM |i Eb sir.
**************************************.;. *
STATEMENT OF DOHNA LEDMANi (Employed at Chinese Laundry).
MRi REYNOLDS: Vfhere are you employed. Miss' Ledman? Ai At the
Chinese laundry: used to work at the Modern Steam Laundry up
to a few weeks ago» Qi How many girls are working there? A. I am the only one working
there steady» Qi How many men? A. Just one.
Qi What wages do you get there? Ai |g a week now, Qi How long have you been there? Ai I worked there before working
at the Modern. Qi How does the work the,re compare with the Modern? Ai Everything
is done by hand there^ Qi Is it harder or easier? A. A great deal easier. Qi What were your hours at the Modern? A. 7:00 to 6:00, with one
hfcur nooning, 12 to 1:00i Qi What hours at this laundry? A* From about S:00, to 5:00 or 5:30i Qi A Chinaman at the head of this laundry? Ai Yesi Q. You find a Chinese employer pretty good? Ai Yes, they are
easy to work for* iQi Do you live at home? Ai No sir, my home is not here. SENATOR TEASDALE: How much does it cost you a week for board? Ai 12, Q. How much for room? Ai |l for room and |l for board, becavise I
am living with my uncle* Qi You have a sister here? Ai She left today. Qi Did the two of you work at the steam laundry awhile? Ai She
worked there just one week« Qi Where is your sister working now? Ai She just left the city
tonight, MRi REYNOLDS: What places of entertainment do you go to here in the
city? Ai The Yeomen dances, two of them, and the Majestic motion
Object Description
| Page Title | Testimony of working women, 1914 |
| Author | Wisconsin. Legislature. Committee on White Slave Traffic and Kindred Subjects |
| Place of Publication | Madison, Wis. |
| Source Creation Date | 1914 |
| Language | English |
| Digital Format | XML |
| Electronic Publisher | Wisconsin Historical Society |
| Rights | © Copyright 2006 by the Wisconsin Historical Society (Madison, Wisconsin) |
| Electronic Publication Date | 2006 |
| Digital Identifier | TP396000 |
| Description |
In 1913, the Wisconsin Legislature established a committee to investigate the causes of prostitution and other vice in Wisconsin. Chaired by Sen. Howard Teasdale (1855-1936), the committee sent questionaires to officials throughout the state and held hearings in many cities. During those hearings, senators questioned working women about their lives, asked religious and civic leaders about vice in their communities, and consulted experts about how to reduce or eliminate the suffering caused by prostitution, alcoholism, and other social problems. The committee even sent undercover investigators into brothels and taverns around the state, before it issued its final report in 1914. Teasdale's investigation produced hundreds of pages of first-hand evidence about Wisconsin women whose lives otherwise went largely undocumented. Selected photographs from the commission's files are online at Wisconsin Historical Images.
In the 1914 testimony linked below, working women from around the state answered questions at hearings held in Green Bay, La Crosse, Oshkosh, Sheboygan, and Superior. The women worked in a range of jobs from a factory worker at a paper mill, to a store clerk, a landlady and a telephone operator. Committee members asked the women questions about their wages, their working and living conditions, and why they chose to work in a given job, all in an effort to understand what "leads young girls astray" in the words of one investigator. |
| Owner | Wisconsin Historical Society Archives |
| Type | Manuscript |
| Recommended Citation | "Hearings, 1914." Wisconsin. Legislature. Investigations, 1837-1945. Series 173, box 19, folder: "Exhibits... Milwaukee." Online facsimile at http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/search.asp?id=1574 |
| Document Number | TP396 |
| Size | 88 p. |
| URL | http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/search.asp?id=1574 |
| Owner Collection | Main Stacks |
| Owner Object ID | Series 173, box 19, folder: "Exhibits... Milwaukee"; WIHV173-A |
| Genre | legal document |
| County | Brown County; Douglas County; La Crosse County; Sheboygan County; Winnebago County; |
| City | Green Bay; Superior; La Crosse; Sheboygan; Oshkosh; |
| State/Province | Wisconsin |
| Gender | female |
| Sub-Topic | The Birth of the Labor Movement |
| Event Date | 1914-01-06 |
| Event Years | 1914 |
| Event Month | January; June; |
| Domestic Life | Clothing and dress |
| Economics | Money |
| Occupations | Blue collar workers |
| Recreation | Leisure activities |
| Social Relations | Poverty |
| Manufacturing and Industry | Factories; Manual work |
| Service Industries | Prostitution; Stores, Retail; |
Description
| Page Title | Page 59 |
| Author | Wisconsin. Legislature. Committee on White Slave Traffic and Kindred Subjects |
| Place of Publication | Madison, Wis. |
| Source Creation Date | 1914 |
| Language | English |
| Digital Format | JPG |
| Electronic Publisher | Wisconsin Historical Society |
| Rights | © Copyright 2006 by the Wisconsin Historical Society (Madison, Wisconsin) |
| Electronic Publication Date | 2006 |
| Digital Identifier | TP396015 |
| Owner | Wisconsin Historical Society Archives |
| Type | Manuscript |
| Owner Collection | Main Stacks |
| Owner Object ID | Series 173, box 19, folder: "Exhibits... Milwaukee" |
| Full Text | -59- Q. Are the girls working there aH healthy? Ai Yea, quite healthy. Qi Some that are not healthy? A. No, I think it is the way the rooms are, Qi You do not know much about the other departments? A. No. Qi Is your department considered one of the best paying? Ai Well, I feel that way. I think I would not want to work in any other department. Qi Are the girls out of work during any part of the year? Ai Well, ' ^, we very generally have the same work right along. Cfi The last three months are the raost busy? A. Yes sir, Qi Dp you have to work over time before Christmas? A. No* SENATOR MONK: Wh&t were you doing before you went into this factory? Äi I have been doing house work, Qi Couldn't you save up more money? Ai I got only ||3 and $k and I felt they were working me too hard; I cèuld not stand the ironing and washing and working late hours, -until S and 9 and Sundays. I felt if I tried to do factory work I could have a little time to myself, like evenings and Sundaysi Q. Ever hear of the girls visiting any of the wine rooms in the city? A. I hear of a few going there. Qi Ever hear about any of them visiting the road houses? A. Oc¬ casionally I hear that talked dowa there. Qi Do you think many of the girls you know — Ai No, I do not know as they go* They have not been there, I know, but talk about girls who have been there. Qi Do you know any girls there who have been to the road ho\,ises or the wine rooms? Ai No« Q. Any girl ever said she has been to any of those places? Ai No sir* Q, Do they not speak of where they were the night before? Ai I hear them say they are going to dances and places like thati Qi Do they ever apeak of having a rough time at the dances? Ai No, they say they always have nice times. SENATOR TEASDALE: Do you know anything of the moral cmditions there? ;ï . Ai No, I do not* 'Qi Know any girls there of bad character? ..Ai No» Q. Are you acquainted with Mra.BassettM |i Eb sir. **************************************.;. * STATEMENT OF DOHNA LEDMANi (Employed at Chinese Laundry). MRi REYNOLDS: Vfhere are you employed. Miss' Ledman? Ai At the Chinese laundry: used to work at the Modern Steam Laundry up to a few weeks ago» Qi How many girls are working there? A. I am the only one working there steady» Qi How many men? A. Just one. Qi What wages do you get there? Ai |g a week now, Qi How long have you been there? Ai I worked there before working at the Modern. Qi How does the work the,re compare with the Modern? Ai Everything is done by hand there^ Qi Is it harder or easier? A. A great deal easier. Qi What were your hours at the Modern? A. 7:00 to 6:00, with one hfcur nooning, 12 to 1:00i Qi What hours at this laundry? A* From about S:00, to 5:00 or 5:30i Qi A Chinaman at the head of this laundry? Ai Yesi Q. You find a Chinese employer pretty good? Ai Yes, they are easy to work for* iQi Do you live at home? Ai No sir, my home is not here. SENATOR TEASDALE: How much does it cost you a week for board? Ai 12, Q. How much for room? Ai |l for room and |l for board, becavise I am living with my uncle* Qi You have a sister here? Ai She left today. Qi Did the two of you work at the steam laundry awhile? Ai She worked there just one week« Qi Where is your sister working now? Ai She just left the city tonight, MRi REYNOLDS: What places of entertainment do you go to here in the city? Ai The Yeomen dances, two of them, and the Majestic motion |
| Event Date | 1914-01-06 |
| Event Years | 1914 |
| Event Month | January; June; |