Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1899-09-12
EIGHT PAGES
& & TUESDAY i SEPTEMBER L., 1899.
WHOSE is THE wtiEAT-HARvEsTa


s In the newspapers, out of the recent
i. wheat -harvest, fools or knavcs? Even
b the Washington Post said n day or two
Il ago. in n jeering way, that the Bryan
u ties were not finding u congenial topic
4 in the scarcity of harvest hands out
4 w est. Yet anyone not n born idiot
Y knows that even in so small Il wheat
d growing State as Virginia there always
4 has been and always will be Il great
u demand in the wheat -harvest for hands
ito save the crop. The period is q brief
I one every year, but during It's continu-
lance the demand for labor is strong
land the wages offered liberals,
ss The harvest rs averages two weeks;
r. comes anddenly%and goes quickly; the
SfWheat Is to be cut just when ripe, if
u possible, and when not too ripe and not
4 too unripe and green; and common la
q borers who have been getting 30, 40 and
& 50 cents o day and food are freely Of
4 fered from. q dollar. to dollar and a
4 half "a day-the wheat grower eagerly
employing everyone who comes, as the
prevailing desire is to push the harvest
u and have 1T over rs speedily as 1t can
8 be done. For this reason. for n few
a days. the demand is practically unlim-
Il tied. at any wages; but, as already
\ said, it lasts only for q few days, but
s for the longest and hottest and the
& cry is hurry up!" on every side. And
S99this has always been the case.
SsSss Y ct the knnves and fools of the press
;ahaYe seized on the occasion as n demon
q stration Of prevailing prosperity, espe-
Scially in connection with the in-gath-
itEering of the great crops of the West and
\ IN orthwest! The crop gathered, how
s. ever, there is a great slump in labor;
IN the harvesters are out of work; and
W he roads are filled with dispensing
a tramps, seeking work in every direc-
Ion, and mostly finding none even at
thirty, forty and fifty cents day And
i:St here is only one such demand in this
country every year; and the harvesters
sAyhateyer the Size of the crop and the
81 price of wheat, have got all that they
81 Il llre TO expect. They are discharged,
IS ana to tramp is their portion.
VA YAH The great army ofSlab9r Is. !dJsbanded
tSSand the crop Is left To the planters and
growers, to dispose OF as they can; but
IL Ia Dor has no share in 1t; While, as /,
& rule the growers must be content on
ssWha tever the middle-men {who now
SStake possession Of the tield) schoosc to
leave them. The 3 transpsorters, the
Il ware house and eleya tor-mes,rthe COM
81 ia ission- merchants San,f f1niilers, the
ssspeculators. combiners and exporters,
s;ssall iexa ct heavy toll and fix the market
Il price. This Is nominal, and is mostly
ssgaS delusion and a snare, as 1t is paid
for the top grade. which 1t is al
ssrnost impossible to reach The crop,
so s. a whole, is depleted in every way
1before the buyers will look at the graz
3Sfa t all /; and even then they must have
Kit screened 5 famed. weighed. Inspected
B and graded again-always to class in
sferior Ito the best" and at prices be-
,sl0W: those quoted. Some defect is al
y ways alleged,
.2sss The; growers swear that after deduct
cling Interest on capital. costs of plant
sSing and harvesting, and paying
Ere ghts, commissions and other
ssggcharges, the diminished crop left after
81 spec ting, cleaning, &C., is distressing
gSsmall Xand at still more distressing
Ltl lhe degrading 10 Wnlcn 1t
;ls IA 81 oted) unless drought, war,
Il nd pes thence aniict the world
IL 1 abroadS and cause a competition in
and ex porters here that leave
SSssp nae nrotlt TO the planter2hImself. Or
ssdinaTlI nds especially when the
scare m n o &, and currency puts all
ptad9ct ieAs IL e mercy Of capital and
sInId he planters and their