The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1914-12-04
NATIONS LABOR
PROBLEM
OVER A MILLION AND A HALF
WOMEN WORK AS FARM HANDS
IN THE UNITED STATEs.
BY Peter Radford


mendous a problem as that now lying
dormant at the doors of congress and
the legislatures, and which, when
aroused, will shake this nation from
center to circumference, and mako
civilization hide its face in shame.
That problem is-women in the field.
The last federal census reports
show we now have 1914 900 women
working in the field, most Of them
south of the Mason and Dixon line.
There were approximately a million
negro slaves working in the fields
when liberated by the emancipation
proclamation. We have freed our
slaves and our women have taken
their places in bondage. We have
broken the shackles of the negroes
and welded them upon our daughters
The ChaIn-Gans Of Civilization.
A million ONE In bondage in the
southern fields form the changing Of
civilization - the industrial tragedy
of the age. There is no overseer quito
SO cruel as that Of unrestrained greed,
no whip that stings like the lash Of
suborned destiny, and no a~uctioneer's
block quite so revolving as that Of or
ganized avarice.
The president Of the United States
was recently lauded by the press, and
very properly so, for suggesting medi-
alton between the engineers and rail-
road managers in adjusting their
schedule Of time and pay. The engi-
neers threatened to strike If their
wages were not increased from ap-
proximately ten TO eleven dollars per
day and service reduced from ten to
eight hours and a similar r~eadjust-
ment of the overtime schedule. Our
women are working in the field. many
Of them barefooted, for less than 30
cents per day, and their schedule Is
the rising sun and the evening star,
and after the days work is over they
milk the cows, slop the hogs and rock
the baby to sleep. Is anyone mediat-
ing over their problems, and to whom
shall they threaten a strike?
Congress has listened approvingly
| to those who toll at the forge and be-
hihu tAO COuItClp Nv hidiy vi ouA
statesmen have smiled at the threats
and have famed the fame Of unrest
among industrial laborers. But wom-
en- are as surely the final victims OF
industrial warfare as they are the
burden-bearers in the war between ma
lions, and those who arbitrate and
mediate the differences between capt.
tai and labor should lot forget that
when the expenses Of any industry are
unnecessarily increased. society foots
the bill by drafting a new consignment
of women from the home to the field
Pinch no crumb From Women's Crust
Of Bread.
No financial award can be made
without someone footing the bill, and
we commend to those who accept the
responsibility of the distribution Of in
dustrial. justice, the still small voice OF
the woman in the field as she pleads
for mercy, and We beg that they pinch
put another patch upon her ragged
garments.
We beg that they listen to thu
scream Of horror from the eagle OF
eyorv American dollar that "a wrun,
from .ho Nov ~, telling woman ant
h.o- tho oddss ~ Justice hiss at a,
verd,ct hot Increased Tho want n
woman to satisfy the greed Of man.
Tba woman heb;nd tho counter AM
in the factory cry aloud for sympath!
ana tho nress tbunders ont in thief
defense and the nu,n,t n,eads for
uercv INT how about The woman 4,
the He,d7 VIII not these powerful
evnonenta of human RIGHTS turn thei
talent energies and infuenc. tn he
~r.,ies, viii tho Goddess NJ Iibert,
~.rtA,onod at Va sb;n pton hold rho ga
loused hand and soothe the f~everis,
hrov ~ her sex who sows and reap
the nations harvest or will she permi
the male of the species to show
women-weak and weary-from tn
bread.line of industry to the back q
leys of poverty?