The Industrial Army's Women's Relief Corps
Working women gather at Third and Cherry to provide aid to the destitute during the economic collapse of 1894.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The Women's Relief Corps of the Industrial Army met Monday evening at the corner of Third and Cherry to report that they had relieved eleven families. They found some entirely destitute of food and children thinly clad. Despite charitable efforts, contributions remained slow. One committee member noted, 'It is not a question of whether the industrial movement is right or wrong, but whether women and children who are destitute shall be clothed and fed.' The women involved were themselves working women, paying their own car fare to deliver aid and personally visiting each family to ensure donations were going to those in need.
“It is not a question of whether the industrial movement is right or wrong, but whether women and children who are destitute shall be clothed and fed.”
The 'Industrial Army' was part of the broader 'Coxey's Army' movement—unemployed workers marching to Washington D.C. for government relief. This account highlights the overlooked role of women in the labor and protest movements of the 1890s, often acting as the grassroots safety net for families displaced by economic panic.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.