The Ontario Argus. (Ontario, Or.) 1???-1947, 1914-08-06
ARMY CLEANS UP
OKLAHOMA CROPS
Great Industrial Gathering nar.
vests Big Wheat Yield.
HIGH CLASS FARM HANDS.

Into oklshoms-Thsy Bring Forth
Wheat Crop Of sso,ooo,ooo and ost
Crop Of st5,ooo,ooo.
Oklahoma City.-Thirteen thousand
men from many parts Of the United
States were dispatched into the harvest
fields of Oklahoma during the first
three weeks In June by the Oklahoma
department Of labor and record
breaking handling Of the wheat and
oat crops resulted.
Never before In the southwest was
such n large body Of laborIDg men mo.
bilized and dispatched TO their places
Of labor In so short "A time and with
little friction. Men covered freight
trains like blnckbirds. They tumbled
OF by the score at towns along the
line and were picked up by wagons
and hurried into the fields and the
whole state was cleaned up like magic.
Two important hindranccs were en-
countcrcd by the generals of the de-
partment of labor. At Enid a large
contingent Of the assembled lnborers
were Influenced by the Industrial
Workers OF the World, who persuaded
number Of them 10 hold out for
higher wngcs than those offered by
sarmers-S2 aud $3.50 day with board
and sleeping place. The other hin.
drnncc was by farmers along the rail.
roads running west from Enid, who,
ignoring the carefully laid plans Of the
department, picked oil men NJ they
passed along on their way Ia other
points to which they were consigned In
tlllng orders for men regularly nlcd
with the department
william q. Ashton, assistant com.
missioner OF labor, who directed all
the movements VI the campaign. over.
came the influence of the |. w W.
workers NJ Enld within n few hours
The men who had been pulled away
were prunu ,pd two meals u day unl
other considerations while they await.
cd disposition under higher wugc
terms. IN order that this scheme
might bc carried out the leaders were
compelled q, appear before the county
commissioners uud ask that provisions
be supplied the men, u majority of
whom were without money.
simultaneously Ashton went before
the commissioners and explained that
his department had places for 1000
men M once az wages of ~ To S2.oO
dny. The commits toner's refused Ia
make an appropriation for food. and
the ranks of the strikers soon dwin.
died. That same day the rebels were
paciflcd and were sent out on trains
into the hclds
Enid was made the distributing point
OF most of the northwest counties, ana
about 1000 men were handled out OF
thnt place Enid N the seat Of n state
employment agency and the largest
city Ia the whole wheat bclt. Busi'
ness brumc 81 heavy nt this office,
however that other offices were open
ell nearer the wheat areas Of the far
ther northwest, one nj Ava and one at
Woodward In each of these towns
about 2.auO men were handled,
Two ar three weeks before the sea,
son opened the department of labor
had learned the opening dates In the
several subdivisions at the wheat belt,
aud men and boys We're assembled ne
corllngly, Representatives of the tie
parlmcnt visited every county In the
wheat belt and ascertained the Rp-
proXimate number of men that would
be needed This information they oh
talned 10y personal interviews, 10y tele-
phone conversation and through com
mercul organizations The newspa-
pers took up the call ana spread II
into every county, aud the United
states department of labor placed il In
conspicuous places in many parts of
the country
Assistant Commissioner Ashton es-
Inmates that the entire campaign cost
the department only $500, and the men
harvested n wheat crop valued NJ $780,
OOO.Oo0 aud an oat crop valued at $l5,-
OOO,OOO
business men gave up their work
O. assist MS, says Mr., Ashton. Bank
ers. merchants, editors. lumbermen,
real estate dealers ana others o-operat-
ed with us iu every possible way"
The eagemcss with which harvest
hands We're gathered up by farmers
along the railroads Is Illustrated 10y
Commissioner Ashton,
"There were frequent scrambles
among farmers To get hold OF the men
unloaded." Ia says. This was true
especially az Woodward, n far western
point. which our men reached late. |
saw several times one farmer trying
to entice laborers away from another
farmer, one OF them was wise Ia the
ways OF the hotel porter, and he held
his men by carrying their grips 10 his
wagon as he ran n gantlet OF farmers
trying 10 grab the prey.
FARMERS near Enid We're forced 10
see hundreds of men 20 past their
fields on their way TO western points.
and they were late in getting their
crops taken care of, Some OF them
raised the price 30 cents 10 ~ day
over the prevailing prices OF the wheat
belt Some offered men not only three