The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1914-12-04
NATIONS LABOR
PROBLEM
OVER A ylsiCG And a s.
WoMEN N svC Il x Ns farm tsAssssA
IN TIE t,ntTEr STATE 81

BY pet@T HNcford 49,
Lecturer Nsuon&s sslpcrs Uuscn
Our governmsni ns8es laced 80 tts-
mendous a problem ss hat noN l,A
dormant at the doors of congress- And
the legislatures, and which, wbesl
aroused. will shake ibis nation frtsni
center to circumference, and maze
civilization hide Us face In shame.
That problem is--women In tho Held.
The last federal census report $
show we now have 1.614.000 womAn
working in the field. most Of them
south Of the Mason and Dixon hSs
There were approximately mlln1n
negro slaves working In the A9lds
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 on the negroes
and welded them upon our daughters.
The chaIn-0ano Of clvllixaAioa.
A million women in bondage ID the
southern fields form the ehain-gang Of
civilization - the industrial Tragedy
of the age. There 10 NO overseer quite
30 cruel as that of unrestrained greed.
no whip that stings like the lash of
suborned destiny. and no auc4ipnesr's
block quite so revolving ~ 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 II their
wages were not increased from ap-
proximately ten to eleven dollars per
day and service reduced from ten to
eight hours and similar readjust-
ment Of the overtime schedule. Our
women are working in the flsld, many
Of them barefooted, for less than 50
cents per day, and their schedule ~
the rising sun and the evening star,
and after the days work Is over they
milk the cows, slop the JhosAi and rock
tthO bGhy to sleep IL sNnyone inodiat~'
Ing over their problems. ana q .hom
shall they threaten a strike?
Congress has listened approvingly
to those who toll at the forge and be-
hind the counter, and many of our
statesmen have smiled at the threats
and have famed the flame Of unrest
among industrial laborers. But wom-
en- are ~ surely the final victims Of
industrial warfare as they are the
burden-bearers In the war between ma
tlons. and those who arbitrate and
mediate the differences between capt.
tai and labor should not 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
no crumb from her crust of bread or
put another patch upon her ragged
garments.
We beg that they listen to the
scream of horror from the eagle on
every American dollar that Is wrung
from the brow of toiling women and
hear the Goddess Of Justice hiss at q
verdict that increases the want of
woman to satisfy the greed Of man.
The women behind the counter and
in the factory cry aloud for sympathy
and the press thunders out in their
defense and the pulpit pleads for
mercy, but how about the woman in
the field? Will not these powerful
exponents of human rights turn their
talent, energies and influence to her
relief? Will the Goddess of Liberty
enthroned at Washington hold the cal
loused hand and soothe the feverish
brow of her sex who sows and reaps
the nations harvest or will she permit
the male of the species to shove
women-weak and weary-from the
bread-line of industry to the back al
leys of poverty?
Women and Children First.
The census enumerators tell us that
Of the ,514 900 women who work in the
fields as farm hands 100000 are six
teen years of age and under What ia
the final destiny of nation whose fu-
ture mothers spend their girlhood days
behind the plow, pitching hay and
hauling manure, and what is to become
of womanly culture and refinement
that grace the home. charm society
and enthuse man to leap to glory In
noble achievements II our daughters
are raised in the society of the OK and
the companionship Of the plow?
In that strata between the ages o.
sixteen and forty-flve are 95O, 900 won
en- working as farm hands and man
Of them with sucking babes tue
ging at their breasts. ~ drenche
in perspiration, they WELD the scythe